In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Possibility of Evil”, Miss Strangeworth’s mode of life causes her misconception in the world disclosing her traits such as superiority upon others, duplicity of her nature, and a feeling of envy. Superiority upon others is the first characteristic of Miss Adela Strangeworth reveals at the beginning of the story. Her grandparents and parents were first who built a house and gardened roses a hundred years ago on Pleasant Street, so she has a family connection to the whole town. Considering about a statue of Ethan Allen in the town, Adela says that it should have been a statue of her grandfather, instead. Because of him, the town may exist. Moreover, in a grocery store, buyers turn away from the shelves to wave at her, as well as her advice about raising children is highly regarded. These evidences build up her feeling of superiority whereas she feels an erroneous belief of own significance. …show more content…
Not only superiority but also Adela Strangeworth’s duplicity of her nature may startle a reader in the story.
Sweet-looking woman stops every minute to say good morning to someone or ask about someone’s health, showing a great respect for all people who happen to her daily routine. Even every window of her house is sparkling, curtains are straight, and every stone of the front walk is swept and clean, showing herself as a tidy and welcome person. However, at home, interpreting herself as a guardian whose standard is above everything, she starts writing her poison letters to people keeping them alert against the possible evil may happen in the town if they are not cautious enough. However, caring carefully about something around her, she is unaware of existence of the evil in her
soul. Also, Miss Strangeworth’s feeling of jealousy comes from the loneliness and emptiness of her life. It drives her to write the anonymous letters to the people who have something in their lives that she has always been missing in hers: a good marriage, love, children, and someone to take care of her. Don Crane’s family, which have a little baby growing slowly, gets the letter, where she urges not to have more “idiot” children. Trying to spoil the marriage of couples, she writes a letter to Mrs. Harper suggesting that her husband may have an affair with someone in her town. In the following letter written for Mrs. Foster, Adela tends to increase a fear about a Mrs. Foster pending operation as well as to break down her relationship with a nephew. Furthermore, Miss Strangeworth destroys a relationship between young Linda and Dave Harrison because they are young and they love each other.
Passing Strange offers Martha Sandweiss’s perspective on the life of Charles King. Martha Sandweiss traits King an Intelligent,
Sometimes the way people act around you isn’t the way they act around other people. A good example of this is Shirley Jackson’s, “The Possibility of Evil”. The main character, Miss Strangeworth, isn’t as nice as she may seem. Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by considering what she does, what the narrator says about her, and how other characters interact with her.
In stories, character complexly is a esential. The Shirley Jackson story “The Possibility of Evil” tells the story of a seventy-one year women named Miss Strangeworth. She’s an unusual character that stems off from status quo. Though it doesn’t mean she completely unique. Regardless, her desires, contrasting traits, consistency, and the ability to change make Mrs.Strangeworth a complex character.
In the short story “The Possibility Of Evil “ by Shirley Jackson was several symbols to tell her story about Miss Strangeworth. One symbol she uses is her name Strangeworth. She was a strange women but everyone thought she was normal and nice, but in reality she was mean and strange, she thought she was better than everyone else. Another symbol she uses is the letter Miss.Strangeworth sent to people. They mean more than just letters because they show how she really is, she is showing her true colors. Finally another symbol was her flowers, the flowers meant that she was better than anyone else. The flowers were fancy, Miss. Strangeworth thought she was elegant and polite . Certain symbols have certain meaning in today's culture because they
The hidden secret of Miss Strangeworth leaves everyone speechless. Within the short story “The Possibility of Evil” written by Shirley Jackson, the main character, Miss Strangeworth, has a secret that no one would have expected for a seemingly nice elderly lady. In Miss Strangeworth’s down time, she secretly writes cruel and inconsiderate letters to people within her town. These actions would label Miss Strangeworth as a bully. The unbearable letters she writes, the way she goes about them, and her love and dedication for writing them proves that she is very much a bully.
In the short story "The Possibility of Evil",by Shirley Jackson, Miss. Strangeworth appears to be a normal old woman that is highly respected among the town, but we soon realize that she has a dark side. She writes letters to people telling them things that are mere suspicion, but have negative consequences to their lives. These events in the plot show the theme that anyone can have the capacity of being evil.
One of the ways this is achieved is by using an exterior appearance to deceive ones true morals for an intriguing motive. This is seen through the character of Miss. Strangeworth the main character in "The Possibility of Evil" appearing to be a sweet old lady however, she is not what she seems. Her deceiving exterior is seen when the narrator states "Walking down Main street on a summer morning, Miss. Strangeworth had to stop every minute or so to say good morning to someone or to ask after someone 's health (Jackson 1). This quote illustrates Miss. Strangeworth uses her
The anxieties suggest a psychological design with aspects of misperception and false perception to reveal a projection process. Tritt asserts that Goodman Brown’s evil is located in others, and Brown believes himself to be without guilt although his desires are still in his subconscious. It is a “vice-like grip with which such process is paralyzing, indeed terrifying” (Tritt 116).
She presents two contradictory images of society in most of her fiction: one in which the power and prevalence of evil seem so deeply embedded that only destruction may root it out, and another in which the community or even an aggregate of individuals, though radically flawed, may discover within itself the potential for regeneration. (34)
Throughout the Possibility of Evil the theme is clearly shown as looks can be deceiving. On the other hand, some people might interpret that the theme is that you should treat others as they treat you. However it’s only at the end when the townspeople figure out that she is the one sending the letters which shows that karma only comes into play at the end of the story, while the looks can be deceiving is shown throughout the whole story. By showing Miss Strangeworth as a gentle old lady at first and then slowly showing her true colors, Shirley Jackson illustrates the theme that looks can be deceiving.
The coldness felt in the house as the sheriff and court attorney entered the house symbolized the same coldness brought about by Mr. Wright. For the house to be cold and gloomy and everything else outside the total opposite, was much more than just coincidence. It was as if when you entered the house a cadaver, cold and clammy, had embraced you in its arms. “ I don’t think a place’d be any cheerfuller for John Wright’s being in it”, Mrs. Hale told the court attorney (11). Mrs. Hale knew perfectly well what kind of personality Mr. Wright had, which is why she specified that she wished that she had gone to visit Mrs. Wright when only she was there. “There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm”, says Mrs. Hale, yet they are seen as mere trifles because it is the women who take on these tasks.
The conclusion of “ The Possibility of Evil” is you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Everyone in the town thought Miss Strangeworth was a sweet little old lady, but in the end they find out Miss Strangeworth is evil, because she wrote all those mean letters to
becomes trapped due to the poison in her cup—and the poison in her sham of a
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”; depicts that good is bad and bad is good. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth displays an interesting use of various themes. A theme that is used throughout the play is the contrast between appearance and reality. Similarly in the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens conveys the idea of deception as well. The authors demonstrate the idea of appearance vs. reality through crime, characters and through character’s ambitions.
Thesis: Shirley Jackson’s usage of irony, characters, and plot portray the stories theme of the dangers of unconsciously following tradition.