ipl-logo

Ms. Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

726 Words3 Pages

Is Ms. Strangeworth a victim OR villain In the short story “The Possibility of Evil” written by Shirley Jackson, the protagonist Ms. Strangeworth is a villain because she isn’t what everyone’s aspect of her is, she is very deceptive, and the letters she sends are the very cause of the evil she’s trying to stop. Ms. Strangeworth is a seventy-one-year-old lady who lives in a little town, which she thinks is her own. She always feels the need to know everything, about everyone. Even though, no one knows who she really is. The author of this short story- Shirley Jackson begins the story by introducing Miss Adela Strangeworth as a sweet old lady “Miss Adela Strangeworth came daintily along Main Street on her way to the grocery.” And she pathetic fallacy to mimic nice mood “The sun was shining, the air was fresh and clear after the night’s heavy rain, and everything in Miss Strangeworth’s little town looked washed and bright. Shirley Jackson clearly wants the reader’s perspective on Miss Strangeworth to be pleasant, …show more content…

Unfortunately, her malicious words stir up even more trouble than there already is. This is because whoever reads the letter rethinks their situation and eventually that is the only thought on their mind, causing them to act out. Specifically continue with the same behaviour but, exaggerating it. An example of this in the Short Story “The Possibility of evil” is when Miss Strangeworth sent a letter in the past to the parents of a young girl in the town named Linda Stewart about possible nefarious behaviour hidden in the area “Linda Stewart’s parents would never have been aware of possible evil lurking nearby if Miss Strangeworth had not sent them a letter”. Due to this letter Linda Stewart has been crying constantly! And in account of that her Father won’t let another character who seems very close to her named Dave -the Harris

Show More
Related

Character Analysis Of Adela Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

141 Words | 1 Pages

Her street is Pleasant-street and her house and roses are just perfect. In the eyes of the townsmen Miss Strangeworth is an old, friendly, and helpful lady, but this could soon change. They would then see that this old lady

Read More

Analysis Of Miss Adela Strangeworth In Shirley Jackson's The Possibility Of Evil

600 Words | 3 Pages

In the story "The Possibility Of Evil" written by Shirley Jackson there is a peculiar character called Miss Adela Strangeworth. She is an old women in a small town she has watched grow in her entire lifetime but she is less innocent than you'd think, in fact, she is a villainous women and shows how cruel and evil she is in many ways. Miss Adela Strangeworth's actions show that she is oblivious to how her methods effect her town in an evil and despicable way. She is unaware that she is the evil in the town, terrorizing its inhabitants. she writes letters to civilians who Adela thinks are "wicked" and because she is the oldest person in town, she feels obligated to protect it (Jackson 226).

Read More

Miss Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil

114 Words | 1 Pages

The character Miss Strangeworth in the literature “The Possibility of Evil” in inconsiderate and a perfectionist. She is inconsiderate because of her thoughts and actions. For example, Miss Strangeworth thinks this “Miss Strangeworth noticed that Miss Chandler had not taken much trouble with her hair that morning, and sighed” (Jackson 112-114). This reveals how inconsiderate she is to others solely picking out their imperfections. Miss Strangeworth is also a perfectionist who disdains imperfection or sloppiness.

Read More

Character Analysis Of Miss Strangeworth In 'Her Town' By Shirley Jackson

167 Words | 1 Pages

“But those with an evil heart, seem to have a talent for destroying anything beautiful which is about to bloom.” This quote relates to the text because Miss Strangeworth has an evil heart without knowing it and she destroyed good peoples feelings and in the end when her roses were destroyed, something beautiful of hers was destroyed. (Roses) The possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson explains that there is an evil everywhere, we can not stop it at all. Miss Strangeworth’s thought, actions and the setting plus the rising action and exposition demonstrate it.

Read More

How Does Mr. Strangeworth Protect Townspeople From Evil

455 Words | 2 Pages

Mrs. Strangeworth made unethical decisions that lead to hurt feelings among the people in her town. Mrs. Strangeworth's intentions are to protect the townspeople from evil. Mrs Strangeworth corrupts the relationships of the other people in town toward one another and towards her. Truly, Miss Strangeworth thought that the town people were corrupt and evil, but it was really Miss Strangeworth. Mrs. Strangeworth made unethical decisions that lead to hurt feelings among the people in her town.

Read More

Miss Adela Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

691 Words | 3 Pages

For most people, the words evil and harsh are not the typical traits used to describe an elderly woman. However, in the short story “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, the 71 year old character Miss Adela Strangeworth, has a dark predatory nature hiding behind her highly respectable and sweet exterior. She preys upon her peers by misleading them into thinking everything is fine, only to subsequently tear them down. She accomplishes this by concealing her cruel, deceitful and perfectionist personality by maintaining an honourable reputation within her town. Miss Strangeworth shows no mercy when she anonymously reveals secrets about the family and lives of people in her community.

Read More

The Investigation By Maggie Sparknotes

964 Words | 4 Pages

The Investigation is a dramatic documentary of the Frankfurt War Crimes trials during the 1960s based on actual evidence from the trial. Weiss strips the trial down to its most essential features and converts it into a powerful play. It consists of extracted testimonies from numerous witnesses and defendants, including moments of examinations and cross-examinations conducted by the prosecutors and defense counsel. The nine unnamed witnesses represent the millions of individuals affected by the Holocaust. They were brought forth to testify to the barbarity of Auschwitz.

Read More

Similarities Between Elizabeth And Abigail In The Crucible

362 Words | 2 Pages

Secrets and lies are an endless resource in the Book The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. The book is set in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 1600’s. Two characters, in particular, have secrets to spare. Abigail and Elizabeth have many differences but quite a few similarities. Besides the love for John Proctor, they both long for attention.

Read More

Miss Strangeworth's 'The Possibility Of Evil'

781 Words | 4 Pages

This quote also gives you an idea of how Miss Strangeworth enjoyed gossip or talking about someone behind their back. Miss Strangeworth was writing letters to “The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet” it's ironic how she could say this when in reality she was doing all the evil of the town. The way Miss

Read More

The Interlopers Conflict Essay

512 Words | 3 Pages

In the ‘’The Possibility of Evil’’ Mrs Strangeworth is spreading rumours about the people in the community. By Mrs Strangeworth sending those letters to people saying things to try and keep the community at peace when all it was really do was causing problems within the community the author of the short story used that conflict to show man 's inhumanity to man. When the boy finds the letters and figures out who has been writing them he tells Miss Strangeworth that the community now knows who has been writing the letters and spreading things that are not true. Miss Strangeworth thinks that informing the community of things that are happening around them that she sees and thinks that is going on she thinks she is helping them out but she 's really just causing problems with the community and making the people

Read More

Imagery In Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill

1128 Words | 5 Pages

Miss Brill is lonely, has a completely messed up mind, and tries to hide her true self by trying to live other people’s lives. Miss Brill views each person at the garden differently. The people who are mostly like her are the ones she judges the most, “Miss Brill had often noticed-there was something funny about nearly all of them. They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they’d just come from dark little rooms or even-even cupboards!” (Mansfield 185).

Read More

Essay On Gertrude A Victim In Hamlet

848 Words | 4 Pages

A Victim of Villainy Shakespeare’s Hamlet portrays Gertrude as a victim trying to make sense of what is going on around her. She has no clue about what is true and is getting exposed because of it. Because Gertrude becomes blinded, she is also easily taken advantage of by others which makes her vulnerable to other people’s plans such as Claudius’. Although Gertrude seems to be a villain, she turns into a victim that leads to her demise.

Read More

Miss Strangeworth Character Analysis

610 Words | 3 Pages

By all appearances, Miss Strangeworth is a sweet, old lady, living in a perfect, shiny, happy town. But appearances are not everything, especially in the case of Miss Adela Strangeworth of Pleasant Street. Miss Adela Strangeworth, a character in the short story “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, is a 71-year-old spinster living in a small town in the 1940’s. At the beginning, she seems like any normal old lady, but it is quickly realized that this is not the case and that she has a dark side. Of the many traits that Miss Strangeworth possesses, the most prominent are her deceptiveness, perfectionism, and the god complex that has developed.

Read More

Symbolism In The Possibility Of Evil

900 Words | 4 Pages

“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…”. A secret life can be evil or good, in Miss Strangeworth’s case it is suitable, but do others appreciate this secret life. In The Possibility of Evil Shirley Jackson illustrates inner thinking, revealing action, and symbolism to show how Miss Strangeworth tends the people like her roses, but truly state's them evil.

Read More

Mrs Turner Cutting The Grass Analysis

1214 Words | 5 Pages

Again, Mrs. Turners intentions are good. She tries to take care of her garden and make it look nice in the spirit of her husband. The people that Mrs. Turner has met throughout her life, have had an opinion about her, and her way of living. Despite the prejudice, she acts unruffled, and does not care. Her ignorance plays a big role in her life.

Read More

More about Ms. Strangeworth In The Possibility Of Evil By Shirley Jackson

Related Topics

Open Document