Hidden Truths in The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson Essay

In the story The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson the main character miss Strangeworth shows her true backstabbing nature when writing anonymous letters to all the people in town. The story eventually reviles her dark secret of writing the letters and hiding behind the paper. Similarly cyber bullies hide behind a keyboard and type out horrible messages meant to make the receiver feel meaningless. The common pattern of indirect manipulation and controlling behaviors are observed in both modern cyber bullies and the character Miss Strangeworth in "The Possibility of Evil".

The Story, The Possibility of Evil is a truly interesting story that demonstrates the evil of a community that seems almost perfect. This story demonstrates how there is probably no place on Earth that evil has not reached. The story bases itself on a small suburban town and the people that live there. The reader meets Miss Strangeworth who is a sweet little lady that smiles to everyone during the day and starts conversations, but by the time she gets home she starts writing letters revealing secrets and unpleasant facts of her neighbours and fellow townspeople and

In “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, Miss Strangeworth us constantly critical of the people around her. One way the author shows this is the moment she judges Linda Stewart’s behavior. “Only yesterday the Stewarts’ fifteen-year-old daughter Linda had run crying down her own front walk on the way to school, not caring who saw her” (176). Miss Strangeworth seemingly disapproves of the way Linda Stewart does not care who sees her as she shows so much grief. The way Miss Strangeworth describes the situation makes it seem that Linda should not be showing herself in that light in public. Similarly, Miss Strangeworth is judgmental of the librarian’s lifestyle. “Miss Strangeworth noticed Miss Chandler had not taken much trouble with her

She first starts out to be a nice, sweet lady but really, she is a meddlesome , mean woman. Namely to show her meddling, “As long as evil existed unchecked in the world, it was Miss Strangeworth’s duty to keep her town alert to it.” Miss Strangeworth was very nosy and listened in on everyone’s conversations so she could find something to write in her letters. This brought Miss Strangeworth joy. It made her happy to expose people’s secrets and bring trouble into her fellow towns members lives.

Miss Strangeworth’s roses are a symbol of her pride - they have been alive for as long as the source of her pride - the town - has been. Her roses are her “pride and joy”; when they are destroyed, so is her pride. In comparison, in “The Inheritor,” the ewe is an allusion to the Golden Fleece. In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, the Golden Fleece solves all of their problems back home - the ultimate prize for hard work and near-death experiences. When the Inheritor refuses to leave behind his prize, the one thing he has on that island - he, too, has a “pride and joy” - it shows that it is the only thing he has left. But the difference between these symbols is what happens - one is destroyed, and the other is treasured. Furthermore, both characters “own” their respective worlds at some point. Miss Strangeworth’s house is on Pleasant Street, and it is the oldest one in town. She believes that the town sprung up around it, thereby making her the centre of her universe. This is a reference to how untouchable she believes she is, ruling the town from its

The narrator seems to mostly describe her, (although I would like to point out that the narrator seems to be speaking about her from her own thoughts) as both innocent and possessive. Aside from believing that the entire town belongs to her, she refuses to let anything go, even something as small as a rose: “Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists often asked her.” She simply couldn’t stand the idea of anything from her town being brought the outside world. The thought of her roses being brought out of her town to far away places disturbed her, and she refused to allow it. Considering the above, she can be described as both innocent and

The things Miss Strangeworth did was weird. To demonstrate “Miss Adela Strangeworth stepped daintily along Main Street on her way to the grocery.” Most seventy-one year olds don’t walk, they usually drive or have someone to take them to the store but Miss Strangeworth walks to the grocery. It was a nice day. Additionally “The sun was shining, and the air was fresh and clear after the night’s heavy rain, and everything in Miss Strangeworth’s little town looked washed and bright.”

Ten children are killed every day in the United States by guns; people are murdered senselessly; Columbine High School; Over one-third of middle school children in Cascade County have used illegal drugs and over one-half have tried alcohol; innocent people in foreign countries are being wiped out (Kosovo); The Holocaust; Hiroshima; Vietnam; poverty, starvation and oppression in third world countries; Capitalism; environmental decay and neglect; the media; Oklahoma City; the uni-bomber; earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, airplane crashes; domestic/child abuse; disease, birth defects and mental disorders. Why?Why?Why?… The question never changes and is asked over and over and over and

In the “Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson gives us a character who seems to be the town's respected and longest established resident but who may actually has a dark and destructive side. Her pride in the town may be the first foreshadowing of what she is truly like. Miss strange describes how her grandfather built the very first house on Pleasant Street and her “..family lived here better than hundred years.” She even admits to thinking the town “belonged to her” (Jackson 1). The evidence is important because it shows how Miss.strangeworth feels she is different perhaps, better than others townspeople. From this evidence the reader can infer

Miss Adela Strangeworth, the protagonist of “The Possibility of Evil”, lives in a house that her family built two generations ago. She loves her house- “with its slimness and its washed white looks” (Jackson 3) and she especially loving and protective of her beautiful red and pink roses aligned in the front of her house. “Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists often asked her. The roses belonged on Pleasant Street, and it bothered Miss Strangeworth to think of people wanting to carry them away, to take them into strange towns and down

One of the oldest dilemmas in philosophy is also one of the greatest threats to Christian theology. The problem of evil simultaneously perplexes the world’s greatest minds and yet remains palpably close to the hearts of the most common people. If God is good, then why is there evil? The following essay describes the problem of evil in relation to God, examines Christian responses to the problem, and concludes the existence of God and the existence of evil are fully compatible.

Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by what she does. Miss Strangeworth is selfish. She is selfish because she won’t give away a few of her roses. For example, “Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists asked her.” Another way she is selfish is that she believes the town is hers. In addition, “She was seventy-one, Miss Strangeworth told the tourists, with a pretty little dimple showing on her lip, and she sometimes found herself thinking that the town belonged to her.” As a result, Miss strangeworth can be analyzed as selfish.

Everyone takes impressions as they come across. Most of the time it takes people a little while to see what’s really on the inside. Whether it’s a town, situation, or a person there’s always something hidden underneath whether it’s good or bad it’s always revealed in time, and usually, nothing is how it comes across. The story “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson uses symbolism, repetition, and foreshadowing to show how well evil can be hidden by something pleasant and beautiful.

with some evil in it. Better? Why would God being so good and concerned about

Above all, in “The Possibility of Evil,” Jackson’s use of symbolism and irony allows her to unveil the dishonesty possessed by many people. Like Miss Strangeworth, her roses serve as a trademark of the town. And, similarly to the roses, although Miss Strangeworth seems pleasant, she possesses hidden thorns. When a dropped letter reveals Miss Strangeworth’s actions, her neighbors destroy her roses. “[Miss Strangeworth] began to cry silently . . . when she read the words: LOOK OUT AT WHAT USED TO BE YOUR ROSES”(Jackson 7). The destroyed roses represent Miss Strangeworth being exposed; there is no longer any pride or joy in the roses or Miss Strangeworth. Jackson’s use of symbolism throughout the story allows her to divulge the insincerity of everyday people. Throughout the story, Jackson also employs irony. Often, Miss Strangeworth engages in small talk with her neighbors while ironically consuming her time with cynical thoughts of the very