Symbolism In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

Everything was great, every day was the same except that particular day when your life completely got obliterated. In the short stories “The Possibility of Evil” and “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, include some sort of sick ironic twist in them. The main character of

“The Possibility of Evil” Miss Adela Strangeworth lets her demons escape her and the other short story “The Lottery” has the main character Mrs.Hutchinson in for a wicked surprise. Both stories will show how things are not always what they seem. Shirley Jackson has a creative way of writing her short stories and uses a surplus of literary devices to make us readers feel how she wishes. For instance in both short stories “The Possibility Of Evil” and “The

She uses this literary technique to represent ideas or qualities through symbols. In the short story “The Possibility Of Evil” the recurring idea of the piece are Miss.Strangeworth’s roses. Miss Strangeworth is said to be an elegant old lady with pretty dimples. She is easily recognizable with her “dainty walk and her rustling skirts”. We can associate Miss Strangeworth with her roses because of her looks and characteristics. Miss Strangeworth symbolizes a rose because, like a rose she is elegant and beautiful but behind that she masks a petty and spiteful spirit representing the roses thorns. Another example of symbolism in Shirley Jackson’s stories is the short story “The Lottery”. As in the title the story is about a annual lottery that goes on every year and the person who draws the paper with a black dot wins. However you do not want to win because if you do you are greeted with a gnarly surprise of being stoned to death. The symbolism in the story is the slip of paper which represents death. When it is revealed that Mrs. Hutchinson was the one with the black dot she knew she was the annual victim of the lottery. She screams to the crowd “it isn't fair,it isn't right” but Mrs.Hutchinson knows her fate has been decided. Shirley Jackson uses symbolism in both stories so us readers can find the true meaning behind her