Character Analysis Of Miss Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

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.
The unbearable letters Miss Strangeworth writes are written so harshly it seems like she writes them to purposely bully people within her town. In the story, Miss Strangeworth writes a letter to Helen Crane which states, “Didn’t you ever see an idiot child before? Some people just shouldn’t have children, should they?” (Jackson 3). This letter she wrote shows the reader how rude Miss Strangeworth really is. She is not holding anything back while writing this letter considering her word choice to describe Helen’s child, such as idiot. Miss Strangeworth rudely phrased her letter and obviously does not care if it hurts Helen Crane’s feelings. The article “The Online Disinhibition Effect” by Suler, J. helps prove that the approach Miss Strangeworth took with her letter classifies her as a bully. In the article

it states “It’s well known that people say and do things in cyberspace that they wouldn’t ordinarily say or do in the face - to - face world” (Suler 1). This quote from the article shows the audience that bullies usually take an approach similar to Miss Strangeworth, but online. Researchers call this the disinhibition effect. Even though the disinhibition effect is usually done in cyberspace does not mean it will not happen anywhere else, like the letters in this case. Instead of telling people face - to - face, Miss Strangeworth writes letters to them saying things that she would never mention to them in person. No matter if it is done in cyberspace or through letters, the same action is still being done. In conclusion, the unbearable letters Miss Strangeworth writes are a form of the disinhibition effect and they are used to purposely bully people.
They way Miss Strangeworth goes about her letters helps prove the fact that she is a bully. In the short story, the narrator tells the readers that “Miss Strangeworth’s usual stationary was heavy and cream - coloured, with ‘Strangeworth House’ engraved across the top, but, when she felt like writing her other letter, Miss Strangeworth used a pad of various - coloured paper… everyone in town bought it and used it” (Jackson 3). This quote from the story shows the audience that Miss Strangeworth writes her unbearable letters anonymously. By the way she uses the different paper for her stationary and the letters proves that they are anonymous. This is because for her stationary she has her name engraved in them and the paper for her letters are just common various - coloured paper that everyone in her town uses. On top of that, Miss Strangeworth writes in childish block print so that the people in her town would not be able to recognize her writing. In the article, it explains how anonymity works wonders for the disinhibition effect. It states “When people have the opportunity to separate their actions from their real world and identity, they feel less vulnerable about opening up” (Suler 1). This quote explains Miss Strangeworth very well. This is because Miss Strangeworth writes her letters anonymously for the fact that she feels like she can speak her mind more easily because people do not know that it is her. She has more courage to say things in her letters that she normally would not say because she is separated from the real world and her identity. Bullies tend to do the same thing for the same reason. Both bullies and Miss Strangeworth do things anonymously just through different ways. Overall, the way Miss Strangeworth goes about her letters anonymously helps prove that she is a bully.
Lastly, the love Miss Strangeworth has for writing the letters prove that she is a bully. In the story, Miss Strangeworth’s passion for writing the letters is shown when the narrator states “She had been writing her letters - sometimes two or more a day, sometimes no more than one in a month - for the past year. She never got any answers, of course, because she never signed her name” (Jackson 4). This quote show Miss Strangeworth love for writing the letters because she continues to keep doing them. She does not always do them often, but that is besides the point. Even though Miss Strangeworth never gets a reply, because she never signs her name, she still enjoys doing them and knowing that they are still hurting people in the process. This shows that Miss Strangeworth does not necessarily write these letters to see what they say, but for the enjoyment they give her. She writes these letters to satisfy the evil bully within her. In the article, it helps explain why she has so much love for writing the letters. It states that “People who are shy in - person may thrive in cyberspace when the disinhibition effect allows them to express who they ‘truly’ are inside. This is a wonderful opportunity for them” (Suler 3). This quote explains to the audience that the reason Miss Strangeworth has so much love for writing the letters is because she is able to express her true self. Miss Strangeworth’s letters give her the opportunity to be cruel to people without them knowing that it is her. In her everyday life, when she interacts face - to - face with the people in her town she seems to be just a nice elderly lady, but inside that is not that case. So these letters let her real side show and she does not have to worry about hiding it while writing them. This is the same thing that happens to the bullies in cyberspace. Some bullies are not typically rude in person, but extremely rude online because that is where they feel like they do not have to hide their true selves anymore. Bullies and Miss Strangeworth are not as different as everyone had once thought they were. Therefore, Miss Strangeworth’s love for writing the letters proves that she is a bully.
In conclusion, the main character, Miss Strangeworth, in the short story ‘The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson is very much a bully.

For a seemingly sweet elderly lady, the readers would not have imagined her to be a bully or even a slight bit of rude for that matter. However, little did anyone know that Miss Strangeworth was hiding an unbearable secret. The cruel letters she writes to people in her town, the way she goes about them, and her love for writing them proves that she is very much a bully. Miss Strangeworth is one of the reasons why people should watch out for who they

trust.