The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson is about an elderly lady named Ms Strangeworth‚ who believes that it is her responsibility to keep her town from ‘evil’. Ms Strangeworth tends to her roses daily‚ making sure they are as perfect as they could be. However never letting anyone take them; saying they “belong on Pleasant Street”. After completing a few errands‚ Ms Strangeworth finds herself in a conversation with Helen Crane: a newly wed woman with a six-month old baby. They speak a few minutes
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theme of “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson is how someone seems on the outside‚ is not necessarily how they are on the inside. This is shown through the author’s use of irony‚ symbolism‚ and characterization. Irony was used in the story to show how looks can be deceiving because one’s outside appearance and one’s authentic self can be two very different things. Miss Strangeworth claims that she believes she is doing the right thing‚ when in reality she is creating the evil that she is
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In your personal opinion‚ is Adela Strangeworth inherently evil or was evil something that was socially constructed within her as a person? Explain. In the short story “The Possibility of Evil‚” Adela Strangeworth is made out to be a sweet innocent old lady living a perfect life. Everyone in her town seems to think that Adela is just some old lady who is really friendly and who cares for her neighbors. In reality‚ she walks around town acting like she is perfect and then goes home and writes
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In “The Possibility of Evil” The main character Mrs. Strangeworth shows one personality and keeps the other private. The one she shows gets others people impression as a kind and respected old lady. Mrs. Strangeworth’s private personality was very rude and disrespectful. The author uses characterization to show two sides of Mrs. Strangeworth’s personality. Mrs. Strangeworth’s public personality was like her beautiful rose house. Everyone in town everyone around the neighborhood would greet her wherever
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27‚ 2012 Retribution in The Possibility of Evil In society today‚ justice is served in order to attain fairness and moral equality. In Shirley Jacksons The Possibility of Evil‚ justice is served by seeking revenge‚ the main character got a taste of their own medicine and suffered for her actions. The first demonstration of justice was when Bob Crane retaliated by sending a letter to Mrs. Strangeworth stating‚ “Look out at what used to be your roses (Jackson‚ 228).” That is an effective
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“Possibility of Evil” written by Shirley Jackson‚ Ms. Strangeworth is a woman of great moral standing. Ms. Strangeworth believes the town is corrupted and Ms. Strangeworth wants to help cure it. The author helps the readers believe the story by describing Ms. Strangeworth in great detail. The author makes the audience realize she is a mean old lady that writes atrocious letters to her friends. In everyone’s life there is at least one mean old lady now it’s time to meet Ms. Strangeworth. Ms. Strangeworth
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In Shirley Jackson’s short story "The Lottery"‚ she uses many literary devices. However the most prevalent are irony and symbolism. Jackson uses irony and symbolism to illustrate the underlying darker theme not evident in the beginning of the short story. The use of irony is in almost every paragraph. Even the title of the story is ironic because it represents something positive but in the end the reader finds the true meaning of the title to be negative. "Part of the horrific effect of Jackson’s
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Short Story Response- The Possibility of Evil For the mystery story “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson‚ I will be responding to the validity and development of the theme‚ and the symbolism used. Firstly‚ the theme I find the most prominent within the story is simply that people are not always as they seem. This story revolves around Miss Strangeworth‚ who is portrayed in the beginning as a lovely old lady who everyone in the town loves dearly. “When she came into the grocery
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English 101 Professor White October 1‚ 2014 Biography of Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson is a prolific author‚ well known for her short stories and novels. During her time‚ she has written many award winning novels such as “Louisa‚ Please Come Home” and “The Possibility of Evil”CITATION Lit08 \p 3 \l 1033 (Center 3). Provided that‚ she has establish herself as a significant figure in American literature. Although Shirley Jackson has suffered many psychological problems and has gone through
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Must contradictory personalities get the best of us? “The Possibility of Evil”‚ a short story by Shirley Jackson focused on the odd behavior of Miss Strangeworth. Though Miss Strangeworth do not change throughout the story‚ people just don’t know how awful she is. Miss Strangeworth has written small anonyms notes filled with cruel comments about toward her towns folks throughout the story. Miss Strangeworth enjoyed writing harsh letters to her neighbors‚ showing her jealous personality towards
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