Miss Strangeworth Character Analysis Essay

Living with Miss. Strangeworth: Wisdom, the elderly, and their connection:

There are many reasons why Miss. Strangeworth reminds me of someone that I know, and cherish very much. In all honesty, her personality accurately represents the most important person in my life: my own mother. It’s quite easy to tell that Miss. Strangeworth is a very meticulous woman, with a lot of perfectionist tendencies; a few of which are to nitpick people’s lives and make sure that even the most minute detail is up to her standards. Of course, organization and precision are good qualities to have, but at the extent used by one of my closest family members, and Miss. Strangeworth as well, they become flaws rather than strengths. For example, the other day, I ran

home after talking with some friends for five minutes, and I realized that I was late for supper.

As a result, when I entered the house, I was asked tens of questions. Under the circumstances, my mom wanted to know where had I been, what had I done, who was I with, and most of all, why I was late. Immediately after that, I was lectured on the importance of having a schedule and was given advice on organizing my life, even though I’d never asked for it. In the story, we see how precise Miss. Strangeworth is; for example, we see how consistent she is with her daily walks, timing and her letter mailing. They all fit a well-planned routine, which we see when the story states, “"She was fond of doing things exactly right… Miss Strangeworth never delayed when things had to be done." Consequently, my mom does the same thing; she follows a pre-made schedule or routine day by day, and she cannot stand sloppiness. Subsequently, her biggest fear is not having a plan. Also, much like Miss. Strangeworth, my mother is always giving unwanted my sister and I advice. A reason being so is that, as a family member and especially as a mother, she feels entitled to the well being of her children. In Miss. Strangeworth’s case, she feels entitled to the town, which

includes the people in it, and she treats them as if they were her responsibility. Provided, as the last member of the Strangeworth family name, she feels a certain dominance and status due to her lineage. In addition, another reason for her constant advice is that she is an elderly woman. This brings me into wisdom and it’s direct relation with age. For example, when she met the Cranes on the street and, after seeing their baby’s embroidered baby cap and lace carriage cover, decided to advise them on raising their daughter, She had said, “ “That little girl is going to grow up expecting luxury all her life... A princess can be a lot of trouble sometimes”. However, though she feels entitled to be able to give such advice because of the respect she has and because of her age and her name, she has no right to give unwanted advice. No matter the person, whether it be my closest relative or an elderly woman, and despite age, status or perfectionism, if something does not have to be said, then it should not be said at all, unless asked otherwise. The elderly are a great source of wisdom, because I believe that wisdom comes from experience, but I doubt that Miss. Strangeworth has true wisdom. If she did, she would choose her battles wisely, and in effect, she would know that wisdom has a broader and less critical point of view than judgement, that it is gained over time. So, in conclusion, due to her extreme perfectionism, her constant planning and maternal sense of dominance, Miss. Strangeworth truly reminds me of the mother that I love. And though she may not be wise despite her seventy-one years of age, she definitely is opinionated