Mrs. Vogt
English 1 Honors, period 3
11 December 2016
Humans have always sought power of some kind. Throughout all of time, there have always been those who see themselves as the rulers of their domain. Yet, time and time again many have used their power for the sinister, and have allowed their power to drive them to madness. In the short story, “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, Miss Strangeworth is portrayed as cunning through her all-encompassing pomposity and her fastidious nature. The most of obvious form of Miss Strangeworth’s shrewd behavior, her false sense of power, made her feel safe. For example, she was often under the false pretense that “the town belonged to her,” (174) and wrote anonymous letters to citizens of the …show more content…
For example, if she wasn’t content with a letter she wrote, the paper had to be taken to her kitchen to “burn it at once” and she “never delayed when things had to be done.” (177) Because she held everything to such a high standard of excellence, if something bad happened, she wasn’t able to comprehend the situation. She felt an obscure compulsion to fix everything and everybody around her so that their actions conformed to her ideals. In addition, over all the years she had lived in her house, she never gave a single one of her roses away because they “belonged on Pleasant Street.” (174) Miss Strangeworth resented change because, from her understanding, it was contemptible. She also had the feeling that had she allowed anything to deviate from the status quo, she would no longer be regarded with such high admiration. Miss Strangeworth found a large portion of her self-identity in her ability to be what she saw as quintessential. Miss Strangeworth’s obsession with controlling and correcting everyone ultimately lead her to a state near insanity. It becomes clear to the reader that her actions hurt both her and those near her. This self-destructive pattern, has been shown throughout the history of mankind, affecting many who had achieved some kind of power. As a society, humans
English 1 Honors, period 3
11 December 2016
Humans have always sought power of some kind. Throughout all of time, there have always been those who see themselves as the rulers of their domain. Yet, time and time again many have used their power for the sinister, and have allowed their power to drive them to madness. In the short story, “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, Miss Strangeworth is portrayed as cunning through her all-encompassing pomposity and her fastidious nature. The most of obvious form of Miss Strangeworth’s shrewd behavior, her false sense of power, made her feel safe. For example, she was often under the false pretense that “the town belonged to her,” (174) and wrote anonymous letters to citizens of the …show more content…
For example, if she wasn’t content with a letter she wrote, the paper had to be taken to her kitchen to “burn it at once” and she “never delayed when things had to be done.” (177) Because she held everything to such a high standard of excellence, if something bad happened, she wasn’t able to comprehend the situation. She felt an obscure compulsion to fix everything and everybody around her so that their actions conformed to her ideals. In addition, over all the years she had lived in her house, she never gave a single one of her roses away because they “belonged on Pleasant Street.” (174) Miss Strangeworth resented change because, from her understanding, it was contemptible. She also had the feeling that had she allowed anything to deviate from the status quo, she would no longer be regarded with such high admiration. Miss Strangeworth found a large portion of her self-identity in her ability to be what she saw as quintessential. Miss Strangeworth’s obsession with controlling and correcting everyone ultimately lead her to a state near insanity. It becomes clear to the reader that her actions hurt both her and those near her. This self-destructive pattern, has been shown throughout the history of mankind, affecting many who had achieved some kind of power. As a society, humans