How Does Shirley Jackson Use Foreshadowing In The Possibility Of Evil

Appearances can be very deceiving. Although someone may appear to be innocent and naive, you never know what they are capable of. This relates to Miss Strangeworth, a character in “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson. Miss Strangeworth is a complicated character because of her conflicting personality. Although her actions are deceptive, her intentions and thoughts are very compassionate.

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.

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

    "The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice.  The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens.  On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate.  Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice.  Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about.  Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective

Looking a certain way does not always tell the whole story of someone. In their short stories “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl both demonstrate appearances can be deceiving. The short stories “The Possibility of Evil” and “Lamb to the Slaughter” are similar to each other; both characters seem sweet and innocent yet have another side to them. Miss Strangeworth and Mary Maloney seem suspicious yet no one suspects anything. Also Miss Strangeworth and Mary Maloney seem as if they have been exposed of who they really are.

To begin with, Miss Strangeworth expresses her evil when disclosing written letters to various people anonymously. Miss Strangeworth comes upon a woman named Helen Crane who is upset about her baby being slow in the stages of development. In response to the lady being upset, Miss Strangeworth claims, “Nonsense. All babies are different. Some of them develop much more quickly than others” (Jackson 3). Meanwhile, Miss Strangeworth composes a letter addressed to Helen Crane stating, “Didn’t you ever see an idiot child before? Some people just shouldn’t have children, should they?” (Jackson 4). This is significant as it reveals her harshness in the letter. She is being hypocritical and discourteous leading to an act of cruelty by being offensive to Helen speaking

Foreshadowing the Bigger Picture Foreshadowing is a literary term defined in the dictionary which warns of, or indicates future events. When it is used, it begs the question of how a minute detail impacts the plot. In John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men,” foreshadowing is a part of his writing style. Major turning points in the story are subtly suggested by extra things worked into previous chapters like George playing solitaire and the events in weed.

In the essay “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, Jackson describes an entire community coming together for an event labeled the lottery. The lottery takes place in a small rural town where it has been carried out annually for over seventy-seven years. The lottery, an event powered by tradition, is not an event of luck but it is one of fate. Jackson later explains in detail that winning the lottery would have grave consequences. She uses foreshadowing to keep the reader engaged in the essay. Jackson uses foreshadowing to capture the reader, and by providing intricate details illustrating tradition and unseen the violence within the community.

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

The first way Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed is by considering what she does. Judging by her actions in the story, Miss Strangeworth is friendly. For instance, she greets everyone she sees each morning. The story states, “Walking down Main Street on a summer morning, Miss Strangeworth had to stop every minute or so to say good morning to someone or

It has been said that reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are. For a reader to actually go anywhere in the book, the author must keep the reader interested. This can be done by using the correct literary devices to develop the theme into something extraordinary. “The lottery” by Shirley Jackson uses a few distinct literary devices, that created an interesting and immersive story. Using the rhetorical triangle, symbolism, and tone Mrs. Jackson was able to express her unique theme about staying true to traditions.

When Mr. Crane uses Mrs. Strangeworth’s beloved roses as a revenge tactic, it clearly demonstrates how her desperate attempts to blindly follow tradition ultimately lead to her defeat. In the story, Mrs. Strangeworth thinks to herself “… she sometimes [finds] herself thinking that the town [belongs] to her” (Jackson, 1). This quote directly demonstrates that she sees herself as the tender and guardian to the town, much like how she tends to her roses; this ultimately leads to her defeat. Further, Mrs. Strangeworth’s treasured roses clearly have symbolic value, representing tradition that Mrs. Strangeworth clings to, and Mr. Crane’s climactic cutting of the roses illustrates the defeat of tradition. Ultimately, it is situationally ironic that the roses, representing traditional values, something that Mrs. Strangeworth holds incredibly dear, were used in her defeat, further developing the theme of the story that is shared with “The

Jackson detects the lack of communication in the result of lies by using foreshadow. In the sentence, ¨Charles?¨ she said. ¨We don't have any Charles in the Kindergarten,¨ shows that there was no kid named Charles and the teacher had no idea what Laurie´s parents were talking about. The lack of communication between the teacher and Laurie's parents result into foreshadowing. This is so because the reader can foreshadow that everything that Laurie told his parents was a lie. Both the teacher and his parents were unaware of the situation which therefore shows foreshadowing. They did not know that there was no Charles untilt the teacher made a statement about not having a kid named Charles. Jackson also detects another craft move other

The Possibility of Evil Envy, greed and hate are all examples of evil in some people's definition; but, what is evil? Can we stop it, and, are we supposed to? Before we speak about the commitment of the normal person to stop evil, we have to understand what evil is. Evil is what a person accepts it as true; this can be shown in the story the possibility of evil. Ms. Strangeworth does not believe her letters create problems rather than solve them.

Miss Strangeworth's ancestors have lived in the town for more than one hundred years. “She sometimes found herself thinking that the town belonged to her.” Jackson (pg. 53). Since her grandfather built the first house on pleasant street Miss Strangeworth believes that she should have control over what happens. She would tell the tourists all about herself, her house and her roses. In addition, Miss Strangeworth thinks she owns the town she thinks everyone will be respectful to her. “It would be most reprehensible for their parents to permit their children to mock Miss Strangeworth of Pleasant Street.” Jackson (pg. 60). If someone insulted Miss Strangeworth she would be very upset. Everyone is polite to her and that is how she thinks she should always be treated. Clearly, Miss Strangeworth is quite selfish by what the narrator says about