Miss Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

The intention of the letters Miss Strangeworth sends is for them to fix their flawed lives. The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson teaches that what comes around goes around because Miss Strangeworth wrote mean letters to her neighbors which caused them to vandalize her garden and she also intentionally teases other people in her town. Miss Strangeworth needs to learn to treat others the way she wants to be treated. As well as to know what comes around goes around.

Miss. Strangeworth intentionally teases other people in her town. In the story, on page 4, she wrote a letter about a child saying, “DIDN’T YOU EVER SEE AN IDIOT CHILD BEFORE? SOME PEOPLE JUST SHOULDN'T HAVE CHILDREN SHOULD THEY?” In this passage, she makes fun of an “idiot child” as well as the parent. She is harsh and soulless about people any age. On page 6 it says that, “Miss Strangeworth signed and turned away. There was so much evil in people.” This shows that she looks at the evil in people. This could be helpful because the reader's notice that she talks bad about others being evil and finding the worst in people yet she doesn’t notice how mean she actually is on the inside. Overall she is making fun of people of all

ages, while no one knows and realizes it yet because she tells them in a way that they can’t find out it’s her criticizing everyone.
While some might argue that the theme of The Possibility of Evil is treat others the way you want to be treated, it says in the story “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.” This shows that Miss Strangeworth treats others very kindly and cares about others health.

“When she came into the grocery, half a dozen people turned away from the shelves and the counters to wave at her or call out good morning.” In the passage of the story it states that people say good morning back to Miss Strangeworth which shows that other people are nice to her too. Clearly Miss Strangeworth should treat others the way you want to be treated however what comes around goes

around.
Miss Strangeworth wrote mean letters to people in her town which caused the people the vandalize her garden. On page 4, Miss Strangeworth wrote a letter to Mrs. Harper saying “YOU NEVER KNOW ABOUT DOCTORS. REMEMBER THEY’RE ONLY HUMAN AND NEED MONEY LIKE THE REST OF US. SUPPOSE THE KNIFE SLIPPED ACCIDENTALLY. WOULD DR. BURNS GET HIS FEE AND A LITTLE EXTRA FROM THAT NEPHEW OF YOURS?” This passage shows that Miss Strangeworth has no feeling and heart for Mrs. Harper and anyone in the town. With putting it in all caps, it shows the reader that she put emphasis on her message. When people realized all those harsh letters were from her, they knew they needed to get back at her. On page 7 it says, “She began to cry silently for the wickedness of the world when she read the words: LOOK OUT AT WHAT USED TO BE YOUR ROSES.” This shows that somehow they figured out that those mean letters were from her so the people decided to get back at her and the things she loves. Now Miss. Strangeworth can feel what others felt when they opened her letters. In the possibility of Evil, Shirley Jackson gives us the backstory of Miss. Strangeworth when she writes the mean letters and hands them out.
It is clear that people get what they deserve because of all the examples in the other paragraphs. Miss Strangeworth write harsh letters to people in her town which caused them to vandalized her garden. Although Miss Strangeworth should treat others the way she would want to be treated, what comes around goes around. She intentionally teases other people in her town.