Miss Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

The Possibility Of Evil Analysis . Everyone knows this one person that is so kind and sweet in front of people but then go talk about those people behind their back . There are a lot of those people in this world but one in particular will be talked about in this essay . Miss Adela Strangeworth talks to everyone that she passes in her town , then she writes letters about them and mails them to the person she wants to address ,

Miss Strangeworth’s actions in “The Possibility of Evil” are very deceiving. An example of this is when the narrator describes Adela at the beginning of the story. She says, “Miss Strangeworth is a familiar fixture in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. Little do the townsfolk suspect, though, that the dignified old woman leads another, secret life…” (Jackson par.1) This alludes to the deceptive behavior Miss Strangeworth displays towards the community. While keeping her identity private, she wrote harmful letters to the townspeople. Also, Miss Strangeworth made it a point to secretly mail her letters. She even timed her walk so that the darkness would camouflage her appearance. (Jackson

In the short story “Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson used several symbols in the story to explain Ms.Strangeworth. The first symbol would be her name the word strange is in it hinting that she is a strange woman to begin with. Then she gradually shows her strangeness by telling us what she is noticing in people, that no one would ever really notice. Then it was roses that was symbolizing her as person. Roses have soft beautiful petals that distracts people from seeing the thorns that grows with the rose and causes them to put it up to later be stabbed by the thorn. The petals are Miss. Strangeworth’s appearance an old,proper, sweet lady who never think to raise her voice, but her thorns are the letters she writes to everyone anonymously.

Shirley Jackson emphasizes appearance vs. reality in the short story “The Possibility of Evil” because looks can be deceiving. Looks can shape how we think of people and in reality they could be the opposite.

To begin with, Miss Strangeworth is an old lady that wants to control the town. She believes that since her grandfather built the first house on Pleasant Street, she is the matriarch of the town. From her thinking, the town belongs to her

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.

Indeed, Miss Strangeworth may be kind when out and about but as soon as she sits down to write, a whole new side of her comes out. She is incredibly deceptive. She writes letters with

In the short story “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, the main character, Miss Strangeworth, is quite the narcissist. An example of this is when she thinks to herself that “the town belonged to her” (1). This illustrates her believing that she is akin to royalty, and more important than any of the town’s other citizens. Another quote to support this is where the narrator says, “The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet” (5). As queen of the town, she feels as though it’s her duty, and only her’s, to keep it perfect. Only a person as impeccable as Miss Strangeworth could be tasked with keeping the town in such high standards. Something else that implies Miss Strangeworth’s narcissism is her stationary. It’s described

Although the story begins with Miss Strangeworth as a sweet old lady, the reader learns that Miss Strangeworth has delusions about trying to save her town from evil. At first, we learn about her pride in her town, her family home, and her roses. Miss Strangeworth goes as far as bragging that she has “never spent more than a day outside this town in her long life.” (Jackson,249). Partway through the story, we learn that Miss Strangeworth secretly feels she is on a mission to save her town from evil. She believed that “There were so many wicked people in the world and only one Strangeworth in town.” (Jackson,253). Miss Strangeworth felt is was her duty to keep the town, “clean and sweet”.(Jackson,253).

In Jeh MacDonald’s short story, “The Possibility of Evil”, Jeh indicates that Mrs. Strangeworth is a nit picking perfectionist that seems to show signs of O.C.D. Specifically, when people ask for one of her luscious red roses Mrs. Strangeworth thinks to herself that, “[these] roses belong on pleasant street... [and] to [even] think of people wanting to carry them away” (1,2). It indicates that it’ just too hard for her to even think of something being out of place. Somebody with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder might also experience thoughts and feelings similar to that exact same thought. Not only did she not like things out of place, “Miss Strangeworth hated sloppiness” (3). Even if it was just Mrs.Chandler’s ratty messy hair.

In “The Possibility of Evil,” Shirley Jackson gives us a character who seems to be the town's most respected and longest established resident, but who actually has a dark and destructive side. Her pride in the town may be the first foreshadowing clue of what she is truly like. Miss Strangeworth describes how her grandfather built the very first house on pleasant, street, and that she “.... family has lived here for better than a hundred years.”  She even admits to thinking the town …. Belonged to her (Jackson 1). This evidence is important because it shows how Miss Strangeworth feels she is different, perhaps better than other townspeople. From

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

Imagine being color blind, where what is displayed is not what is seen. Likewise, someone with contradictory personalities may leave someone dumbfounded. In this way, the heroic persona given off may not be that person’s true identity. Then again, the motivation behind this unpredictable personality change is often unknown. Miss Strangeworth, a seemingly sweet old lady, was extremely well known in her town.

In “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, Miss Strangeworth seems extremely judgmental. Her intense judging first begins at the town store. Miss Strangeworth runs into Martha Harper while thinking to herself “She’s not as young as she used to be. She probably could use a good strong tonic” (175). Miss Strangeworth is hating on Martha just because she isn’t young anymore. Another example is when Miss Strangeworth is walking home. She stops and talks to Martha Crane about her baby saying “That little girl is going to grow up expecting luxury all her life” (176). This is not a place Miss Strangeworth should comment on. Miss Strangeworth is telling Martha how to raise her child. My last example is when Miss Strangeworth sees Miss Chandler.

In the story, the narrator says Miss Strangeworth is well respected. “ Walking down Main Street, Miis Strangeworth had to stop every minute or so to say good morning to someone or to ask after someone’s health”. The narrator states this out to prove she cares about others wellbeing. The narrator says she admirable. Because of Miss Strangeworth’s age, some people look up look up to her as a public figure. The narratoe explains the characters as kid, polite, respectful, and courteous towards Miss Strangeworth.The narrartor describes Miss Strangeworth as a well manored, respectable older woman. Miss Strangeworth is best described