Small towns are characterized as nice, happy and peaceful places. A place where everyone gets along and knows each other. However, in the story ¨The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson Miss Strangeworth was not nice and was two faced. The definition of two face means a person who was not honest or sincere. It also means saying different things to different people in order to get their approval instead of speaking and behaving honestly. The theme of the short story ¨The Possibility of Evil¨ was humans can be two faced which is demonstrated by the actions of Miss Strangeworth. Miss Strangeworth, the protagonist,is a nice old lady who feels compelled to keep the town clean. As a result, her interactions with the townspeople are two faced. For example, when she is at the store buying foods she tells Mr. Lewis “Imagine your forgetting that I always buy my tea on Tuesday,” (2). She puts Mr. Lewis in his place she did not have to say it, but she did anyway because she was mean. The way she say it makes him feel uncomfortable and shows a mean spirit to Mr. Lewis. In reality she acted like a jerk to him even though he does not even know it showing that she is two-faced. …show more content…
Another instance that Miss Strangeworth is two-faced is when she is around children and their parents.
Miss. Strangeworth interacts with Helen Crane and Helen is worried about her child. Miss. Strangeworth however says the baby is fine ¨all babies are different. Some develop more quickly than others. (3) In person, she comforts Mrs. Crane. However, when she is by herself Miss Strangeworth writes a letter anonymously and states “Didn’t you ever see an idiot child before? Some people just shouldn’t have children, should they?” (4). When she is with people she a nice person. When she is by herself she is a cruel and evil person. The author shows that she can be
two-faced. Ultimately, the actions that demonstrated the theme of two-faced are conveyed through her actions of writing anonymous letters. For example, she uses different handwriting to disguise her writing from other people and writes it in different color paper to demonstrate on how she wants to be in secrecy. Instead she mailing them herself she does it secretly at dusk. So she can stay concealed on what she is doing. Throughout the short story ¨The Possibility of Evil¨ we saw from Shirley Jackson story is that Mrs. Strangeworth shows she's two-faced. She can be a nice old lady on the outside but in the inside she can be a cruel old women. She would make snarky comments in front of people and they won't even notice it. She writes letters to people on how they are doing something wrong and she points it out to them in her letters. The theme of the story shows that Miss. Strangeworth can be two-faced even though people don't realize despite giving snarky comments right and that she wants to demonstrate what her plans to right to other people are.
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.
Miss. Strangeworth is the worst character from the other six short stories read. Throughout the story The Possibility of Evil Miss. Adela Strangeworth would write mean and
Every neighborhood has that one old lady that looks so sweet but really isn’t. The lady in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Possibility of Evil”, is a perfect example. Miss Strangeworth looks like a sweet old lady, but she has a side that nobody knows about. 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.
The beginning of the story displays the theme by showing that Miss.Strangeworth seems innocent in her public life, but later shows that she lies about what she thinks to people. When she told Mrs. Crane “All babies are different. Some of them develop much more quickly than others", in response to her worrying about her child, she
Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People,” describes the lives of a mother, Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter, Joy and the irony of their relationship. This passage from the short story expounds on their character development through details of their lives. The selected paragraph uses a matter-of-fact tone to give more information about Mrs. Hopewell and Joy. Flannery O’Connor has given an objective recount of the story, which makes the third person narrator a reliable source. Mrs. Hopewell’s feelings are given on her daughter to examine their relationship. It is reader who takes these facts to create an understanding of these women and their lives. This part of the story illustrates the aspects of their lives that they had little control over. Therefore, it indirectly shows how each woman acclimated to their circumstance. Although genetically related and living with one another, Mrs. Hopewell and Joy were exceedingly different people.
This story revolves around a character known as Miss Adela Strangeworth whose ancestral home is Pleasant Street which also happens to be the setup used to develop the story. However she is from the initial stages of the story portrayed as an old lady that is relatively calm and harmless especially with regards to the lives of her neigbours. She is portrayed in the story with the author as a proud lady who believes in the fact that she owns her town perhaps a factor that is evidenced by the way she interacts with the members of her community. Her constant conversations with the members of the community perhaps paint her as a relatively calm, loving and caring lady to the members of the community.
In Flannery O’Connor’s, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” and Shirley Jackson's, “The Lottery,” both short stories deal with man’s inhumanity in different situations, and ending with a similar consequence.
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
Why? One of the world's top inquiries. For this situation, why was Miss Strangeworth composing those letters? As she experienced childhood in her little town, living in the same house all her life, what turned out badly? What was so contorted in her mind that she felt the need to decimate those individuals' lives with letters? "The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson indicates how something so sweet can turn out so shrewd. Why is she so possessive, narcissistic, and detestable?
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.
In Good Country People, Flannery O’Connor explores the complexities of human behavior and how common stereotypes shape the response that these behaviors receive. The title, Good Country People, suggests this work of fiction will tell a tale of modest people living in the countryside as they display neighborly etiquette by performing a series of good deeds for one another. The expectation is that the characters will set an admirable example of how one should conduct his or her life, and thus challenge the reader to embark on a journey of personal improvement. However, this is not a tale of such inspiration, instead it presents characters whose lives (and actions) are quite complicated. None of the characters can be classified exclusively
While the majority of the people in this world may seem so sweet, in some there is evil that lives amongst them. The story “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson is able to display the features of evil doings that humans have the potential to do through everyday life and through her own little twist. Miss Adela Strangeworth is known in her town for her kind heart and friendliness, though behind the scenes her ironic true colours are revealed. Next, the roses in which she plants symbolizes the presence of evil in Miss Strangeworth herself. Lastly, the peaceful atmosphere of the story is used to hide the focus of evil that is within. Jackson uses the literary devices of irony, symbolism and atmosphere to thoroughly exhibit the traits of
When Jane is at at Lowood, Miss Temple is constantly showing her genuine kindness for the students. A big moment of her kindness is when the girls did not want to eat the burnt porridge that was given to them one morning and so she ordered a lunch with cheese and bread to be served to them for lunch. Mr. Brocklehurst did not like this act done by Miss Temple, and she probably knew that it would be frowned upon but knew it was the right thin...
While at Lowood, a state - run orphanage and educational facility, Jane’s first friend, Helen Burns, teaches her the importance of friendship along with other skills that will help Jane grow and emotionally mature in the future. She serves as a role model for Jane. Helen’s intelligence, commitment to her studies, and social graces all lead Jane to discover desirable attributes in Helen. Helen is treated quite poorly, however, “her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane believes to be) unwarranted punishment makes the greatest impression on the younger girl” (Dunnington). Brontë uses this character as a way to exemplify the type of love that Jane deserves. This relationship allows Jane to understand the importance of having a true friend. Given Jane’s history at Gateshead, finding someone like Helen is monumental in her development as a person. Helen gives through honest friendship, a love that is