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Question for the possibility of evil
Shirley jackson the possibility of evil meaning
Shirley jackson the possibility of evil meaning
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In the nonfiction novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” American author, John Berendt, gives his account of a 1981 murder case that took place in Savannah, Georgia. Even though during the 1980s, United States as a whole is heading towards prosperity as the Cold War ends in 1981, he repeatedly touches back on the undercurrent southern racism. Berendt draws a vivid picture of Southern Gothic weirdness to convey, using real life occurrences and characters, the idea of what kind of people exist in the community to readers of all places. The writer uses rhetorical devices such as description, foreshadowing, and dysphemism to successfully depict the occurrences in suspenseful yet humorous tone.
Miss strangeworth tried stopping the evil going on in “her town” by giving criticism to things/ people that she didn’t approve of and or didn’t like that she didn’t feel was perfect. Miss
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.
When small, happy towns are pictured, most people imagine generous townspeople who act like a community. On the contrary, Pleasant Street in the short story “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, may come across as a delightful town, until more of the truth is revealed. Miss Adela Strangeworth comes off as a sweet, old lady, but as the story continues, readers will encounter that Miss Strangeworth is not the character that was portrayed at the beginning. Adela is a deceptive, obsessive, and oblivious woman who is well known throughout the town. Adela’s reputation is ruined when the townspeople identify Miss Strangeworth as deceptive.
Miss Strangeworth Character Essay: 71 Year Old Spinster Pleasant Street seemed to be Miss Strangeworth’s play house because she thought she owned the place, at least Strangeworth thought so. Meanwhile on the inside she is evil and thinks she is at the top of the town’s hierarchy. In fact she has a god complex. Miss Adela Strangeworth, a character in the short story “A Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, is a 71 year old who is thought by the townsfolk as a sweet puny lady but she is nothing but that. Because of the way Miss Strangeworth is, all horrible actions must have a consequence and she finds out the truth of that statement when her vintage old self turns into the evil lady that no one has seen before, and she realizes that she wants more control than she has, basically a god complex.
This entitlement is caused by pride, popularity, and one's role in a society. This is made evident in the story of Miss Strangeworth, as her reputation in the town leads her to pursue this perfection that she craves. Through symbolism and foreshadowing, Shirley Jackson shows that Miss Strangeworth believes she is entitled to the position of being the matriarch of the town because of her status. Her prestige and familiarity are made obvious when it is said that “Miss Strangeworth’s hats were proverbial” (171). Miss Strangeworth is well known and not a stranger to the people of the town, which may be a leading factor in why she believes she is entitled to expose the evil in the town.
But, Ms. Strangeworth is always careful to not let people know she’s writing these letters, because Strangeworth is an honored name, and she knows these letters are “Harsh”(37) and would ruin her family’s honor. So, knowing these letters would cause people to think poorly of her family, she decides “Strangeworth, a name honored in the town for so many years did not belong on such
The best understanding of the short story “A Possibility of Evil” comes from trusting the characteristics of the literary movement of Southern Gothicism. Southern Gothicism focuses on the american south as a result of the civil war. It is believed that Southern Gothicism exposes the problems of society through complex characters who are often damaged or even delusional. This theme of exposing society through a complex character is very consistent with that of Miss Strangeworth, the old lady who writes anonymous letters to other citizens of her small town. The letters she writes often hint to the problems in her town, Line 138 on Page 4 states that “...evil existed unchecked in the world, it was Miss Strangeworth’s duty to keep her town alert to it”
Flannery O’Connor uses style, tone, and character to tell the story of a family and a band of misfits as they struggle with good over evil in the Southern Gothic short story ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). The style and tone of the characters are depicted in a way that makes it difficult to feel compassion or sympathy for them. The figurative language and style used by the author depicts characters with casual, informal, and extreme Southern stereotypes, diction and attitudes. The tone of the story is ironic in regard to both the characters and plot. O’Connor uses colorful language to describe the characters of the story in a way that allows the reader to vividly see the characters as cartoon like, grotesque, and exaggerated.
Captivating gothic elements indulge the reader in “The Woman in Black” by Susan Hill. Gothic elements are supernatural effects that create a feeling of dread and mystery. In the novella, Hill uses precise details to add a gothic atmosphere with the London Fog, Crythin Gifford, and the scene at the park. The first chilling detail that gives the novella a gothic element is the London fog.
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.
“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.
Most of the characters have broken personalities which are damaged and delusional. People, places, and events in Southern Gothic literature seem to be ordinary at first, but in the end, they reveal to be odd, disturbing and sometimes very gruesome. "A good man is Hard to Find" is a horrific tale about
The theme in this narrative is supported by various gothic elements, such as the dim and derry setting and the supernatural aspect of this piece of literature. The gothic allusions’ a dark and gloomy setting and supernatural
For observation 3 I observed the same classrooms as I did in observation 2. I observed a Kindergarten classroom and a 5th grade classroom. This is to help to see if there are many differences or similarities in the different grade levels. I observed children in the classroom and when they were outside during recess or in the kindergarten class outside when they were having a birthday celebration and inside recess.
