Miss Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

“The Difference Within”

For every person there is a difference within them. Nobody is just like one another. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Possibility of Evil,” this may have been quite difficult for Miss Strangeworth to understand. Miss Strangeworth’s can be analyzed by considering what she does, what the narrator thinks, and how other characters interact with her.
First, Miss Strangeworth can be analyzed by considering what she does. She sets any examples of herself throughout the story. For instance, in the story it says, “She was seventy-one, Miss Strangeworth told the tourists, with a pretty little dimple showing by her lip, and sometimes found herself thinking that the town belonged to her.” Also, it states, “There wouldn’t have been a town here at all if it hadn’t been for my grandfather and the lumber mill.” Miss Strangeworth isn’t a considerate woman. She doesn’t consider that it was not only her grandfather that built that town; he had the help of the lumber mill, and it stated that in the example. She was also being a bit selfish. I say that because of her thoughts and actions.

Meanwhile, other characters are being nice to her.

Even if she isn’t being the best she could be for them. On the outside, she is a little bit considerate on how the others may feel, but that is only for good reputation.In the story it states, “Good morning,” Mr. Lewis said, and added politely, “lovely day.” She doesn’t act pleasant towards him, though. She demanded that he had forgotten to remind her about her tea. She didn’t seem to think that it was right that he forgot. No doubt, we know this because it says, “Imagine you forgetting that I always buy my tea on Tuesday,” Miss Strangeworth said gently, “a quarter pound of tea please, Mr. Lewis.” She is a very harsh person who tries to cover it by occasional nice gestures, but even when she tries to they sometimes come back to be

cruel.
For this reason, Miss Strangeworth’s actions gives us reason to believe she isn’t one for people. She likes to come off as nice, but in all reality, she isn’t. Also, to back this up it says that she wouldn’t share her roses with others because the roses belonged to the town, or so she says. That is another example of her being greedy. She wants them all to stop and see them, but she doesn’t want anyone to have them for their own. She tries to show she is being nice to others, but in my opinion she is just being rude. Behind their back is when she likes to judge them. However, I do not think she would tell them how she felt anyway because she wants everyone to be clueless on who she is really.
Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by considering what she does, what the narrator says, and how the characters interact with her. Finally, at the end of the short story, Miss Strangeworth gets what she deserves. One of the town people had figured her out and wrote her a letter telling her how the roses were completely ruined.