Symbolism In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

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

evil within a human being.

Miss Strangeworth is Jackson’s take on a prime example of a person who may be misinterpreted as benevolent but really is evil on the inside.

She does this by revealing Miss Strangeworth’s ironic actions of her destructive attitude and hypocritic ways. This statement shed lights when Miss Strangeworth is writing letters to Mrs. Harper and Helen, and she notices how the town is becoming more vile, “The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet, but people everywhere were lustful and evil and degraded, and need to be watched; the world was so large , and there was only one Strangeworth left in it,” (Jackson, pg. 253). Miss Strangeworth exemplifies arrogance and hypocrisy by stating that she is the solution to all evil, yet she is initiating evil by means of writing letters to people conveying her pernicious words and telling them that they are not good enough. She expresses how she dislikes evil, therefore she is contradicting herself with her actions since she continues to spread evil through her judgemental

thinking.

Furthermore, the town’s atmosphere is serene and this diverts the attention away from Miss Strangeworth’s corrupt personality. When Miss Strangeworth is finished with her regular visit to the grocery store, she is greeted by her usual acquaintances around the town,
“Carrying her little bag of groceries, Miss Strangeworth came out of the store into the bright sunlight and stopped to smile down on the Crane baby. Don and Helen Crane were really the two most infatuated young parents she had ever known, she thought indulgently, looking at the delicately embroidered baby cap and the lace-edged carriage cover.” (Jackson, pg. 251).
At first it all seems well as she exists the grocery store ever so casually, but once she approaches Helen and her baby, immediately judgmental thoughts come to her mind. Jackson uses the calmness of the formal everyday routines of Miss Strangeworth to distract the reader to what the real reason behind it is.

Miss Strangeworth’s internal evil is represented by the symbol of the roses that she so dearly loves.

The roses bloomed so beautifully, yet they contain sharp thorns that may hurt other people. After all of her letters were sent out, Miss Strangeworth soon received her own letter at her doorstep, “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,” (Jackson pg. 255.). When the word is out that Miss Strangeworth is the person who is sending all those evil letters, the respect that the people of the town had for her is finally gone. In the beginning of the story, the roses presence was adored by everyone, and that’s also when Miss Strangeworth’s prominence in the town was strong too; but when the roses were cut, this showed the transition of Miss Strangeworth’s respect of others was dying and that her evil took over the best of

her.

Humans are able to do whatever they please, and in “The Possibility of Evil” it is having their internal evil come out and reveal itself. Miss Strangeworth is always talking about how she feels as if evil is taking over the town that she lives in, yet it is ironic that she is performing hypocritical acts of sending letters to people telling them that they are fundamentally wrong; and that is her solution to fix the evil. The atmosphere of the story is used to hide the evil that is within. This is used to distract the reader so that they would not suspect evil coming from Miss Strangeworth. The symbolism of the roses also represents evil because they are so beautiful yet they come with the flaws of the thorns and how they were cut off in the end of the story when Miss Strangeworth’s respect from the town was lost. Jackson represents hidden evil throughout this work to show that there is a possibility of evil in the places least expected.