Possibility Of Evil Short Story

The consequences of one’s actions are dictated by the reactions and perceptions of his/her surrounding society. Whether these consequences are positive or negative is based on their balance of moral and immoral deeds. Samuel Johnson’s belief of morality in literature, summarized by Daryl Adrian, is that literature is to “teach society principles of reason and justice and demonstrate the repression of evil” (Adrian). These two concepts are showcased in the short stories, “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, and “A Bolt of White Cloth” by Leon Rooke. In these stories, the protagonists are rewarded or punished by society based on their prior actions. This is explored through the characters’ perceptions of perfection, expressions of love,

Such is the case in Jackson’s short story, where Miss Strangeworth strives to force the town to fit her image of a perfect small town society, rather than letting it grow and develop on its own. This is seen when she begins writing her letters, “The town… had to be kept clean and sweet, but people everywhere were lustful and evil and degraded, and needed to be watched; the world was so large, and there was only one Strangeworth left in it” (Jackson 5). This shows her belief that only she could save the town from evil, as well as her neglect of her own evils, because she perceives herself to be perfect, for no other reasons than her roses and her family history. This neglect ultimately leads to the destruction of her roses and her reputation in the town. In Rooke’s story, “A Bolt of White Cloth”, once the couple decide that they would like to buy the stranger’s expensive looking cloth, prove they are worthy of it, and have treated the stranger with respect, he rolls off an amount that is significantly more than the couple asked for. In fact, he rolls it "past the front porch... [and] ends up unrolling around fifty yards" (Rooke 726). The couple do believe they could afford a section of perfection, represented by the cloth, but could not have imagined being deemed worthy of any more than what they asked for. However, the stranger believes otherwise, based on the couple’s actions towards him, and

In "The Possibility of Evil", Miss Strangeworth desires the perfect town, and attempts to fix her current town with her letters. The citizens are haunted by these anonymous letters, and once they find out she is responsible, they send her a letter of her own, saying "LOOK OUT AT WHAT USED TO BE YOUR ROSES" (Jackson 7). Miss Strangeworth's roses are the only thing she deemed perfect in the entire town, so she ultimately pays for her desire with her roses, as they are assumed to be destroyed. In Rooke's short story, the couple desire part of the stranger's cloth, and struggle to believe they have a way to pay for all of it. The wife tries to stop the stranger by saying, “I don't want to get greedy. I don't want you rolling off more than we can afford” (Rooke 725). However, he neglects her, and gives them significantly more than they require. They can easily pay for the amount they would like, however, the stranger determines they can afford more with the amount of love they have. This teaches the reader that if one uses cruel methods to achieve what s/he desire, s/he will lose more than what they gain, but if one is kind and considerate, s/he will be given what they desire, and potentially more.
Ultimately, the short stories, “The Possibility of Evil”, by Shirley Jackson, and “A Bolt of White Cloth”, by Leon Rooke, teach the reader that one faces positive or negative consequences based on how s/he interact