the possibility of evil essay

Miss Strangeworth’s Character Sometimes people aren’t what they seem. Miss Strangeworth seems to be one thing. However, in the story The Possibility of Evil by Shirly Jackson, we learn some surprising things about her character. Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by considering what she does, what the narrator says about her, and how other characters interact with her. The first way Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed is by considering what she does. Judging by her actions

We are all quick to judge something or someone by a first impression but as we may all know not everything is as if it seems. In Shirley Jackson’s short stories, ‘The Possibility of Evil” and “The Lottery”, Jackson uses specific literary devices in each story. In each short story, everything seems to be normal and typical until the hidden secrets are revealed. Jackson’s uses irony, mood and theme for a better understanding of the two short stories. First Jackson presents use with irony in both

In The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson, Miss Strangeworth is introduced as a kind, elderly woman who takes pride in her town, and her familial home on Pleasant Street, adorned with an abundance of rose bushes. Despite how joyous it may sound, Jackson shows that under the surface there is evil that lurks in the town, and Miss Strangeworth sees it as her civic duty to rid her town of it, without realizing that the evil of the town is the pleasure she takes in instigating conflict. Specifically

In “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, we meet Miss Strangeworth who seems like a nice lady but is blind to the fact that she is creating evil. For example, we find her writing a letter on a pink sheet of paper to Don Crane about his child asking if they had ever seen “an idiot child”, and said that some people shouldn’t have children (Jackson). This was written in an attempt to put distrust in the parents about themselves, most likely in order to get them to put their child up for adoption

There’s more to a person’s personality than what may be exposed on the outside. Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Possibility of Evil”, has an excellent example of how a person’s true nature can differ from how they portray themselves to others. Specifically, Miss Strangeworth, at 71 years of age and has been living on Pleasant Street all of her life, has shown to be caring to others, but the story slowly reveals her true nature. Miss Strangeworth’s character is developed by her actions, the narrator’s

Both, “The Possibility of Evil” and, “The Lottery” are unique from one another but there are many similar elements readers may not notice. “The Possibility of Evil” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson. Similarly, “The Lottery” is also a short story written by Shirley Jackson. Both stories have a dynamic storyline and dramatic ending for their female protagonist showing how quickly things turn. The three main literary elements that are significant in similarities and differences of both short

Shirley Jackson’s story “The Possibility of Evil" explores how people can sometimes become enthralled with their pride and being above others, with the character Miss Strangeworth. Miss Strangeworth is a woman who thinks she is above everyone and because of this she believes that she has power over them. She sends letters to other townspeople containing truly heinous things under the guise of helping remove evil from people's lives. Miss Strangeworth does many evil things because she thinks she

personality she hides behind those gentle eyes: She is proud, controlling and secretive. Adela Strangeworth is the protagonist of “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson. But she is not a stereotypical grandma; she conceals a secret identity of an anonymous bully, who sends letters to families she think she is “helping” by protecting her little town from evil. Miss Strangeworth is very proud of herself and her family. She believes that her grandpa should have a statue in the middle of the town

authors love for throw an unexpected twist as the end. Shirley Jackson is no exception. In the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson both take twist that the reader doesn’t expect. In “The Lottery” a small town gathers to draw a winner; however Tessie Hutchinson is not delighted to be the winner. Also in “The Possibility of Evil” another small town has an unexpected villain who resides on Pleasant St. Shirley Jackson uses literary devices to depict twist at the

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