Symbolism In The Possibility Of Evil

“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. She uses symbolism to express how Miss Strangeworth compares the people like her roses but treats them differently in a cruel way. For example, on page 1,“Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists often asked her. The roses belonged on Pleasant Street, and it bothered Miss Strangeworth to think of people wanting to carry them away, to take them into strange towns and down strange streets.” In other words The roses are the symbol that represents the story. Miss Strangeworth loves them and tends them as much as her citizens in the town. When letters get around, the street isn’t so pleasant anymore. On page 7, “She began to cry silently for the wickedness of the world when she read the words: LOOK OUT AT WHAT USED TO BE YOUR ROSES.”

The first craft was symbolism that represents how the roses were the main symbol in the story as a connection between Miss Strangeworth and the people. Another craft was revealing actions from taking a statement that when Miss Strangeworth treats her “roses” cruelly, she will soon get that back. Finally, the third author’s craft was inner thinking from taking what Miss Strangeworth says about the people and how she is trying to get rid of their evil. Jackson restates all of those crafts many times throughout the story showing how the people used to be Miss Strangeworth’s