For centuries, literature has served as a means to provide profound insight into societal norms and explore the intricate human nature present in each individual. Leon Rooke’s short story shows how happiness can only be bought with love. Shirley Jackson’s short story highlights the possibility of evil with good intentions and their consequences. While being on the opposite ends of the spectrum, love and evil, both “A Bolt of White Cloth” by Leon Rooke and “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson delve into the complexities of human nature. Both stories depict the duality of humans, insight of surroundings for personal leverage and assertion of superior role. Both stories aim to aid as a mirror reflection to the readers. The concept of duality
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Whilst his wife is emotionally invested into the man's offer for the cloth, her husband is skeptical. He asks the man, “‘Now look,’ I said to him, ‘what's wrong with this cloth? Is it going to rot inside a week? Tomorrow is some other stranger going to knock on our door saying we owe him a hundred or fve hundred dollars for this cloth?” (Rooke 191). This question is in search of logical reasoning for why he is giving this magical cloth without any catch, underscores his rational decision making. His questioning did not sit well with his wife; “Her face was fiery, like she thought I had wounded him”, in an effort not to put off the seller she affirms to him that, “‘We like strangers just fine,’ she said. We've helped out many a-one. No, I can't say our door has ever been closed to whoever comes by. Strangers can sit in our kitchen just the same as our friends.’ (Rooke 191) Contrast to her husband, she reacts very irrationally and lets her emotions take over in the pursuit of finding happiness. Likewise, Jackson uses the recurring mention of roses to symbolize Strangeword’s duality. Miss Strangeword presents herself as this caring person, trying to get rid of all the evil in the …show more content…
Women inherently possess remarkable insight into their societies, skillfully gathering information to leverage themselves in the future. In Leon Rooke’s A Bolt of White Cloth, the man’s wife is an adventurous woman who constantly gets herself into unusual circumstances. Whenever she leaves the house without her husband she experiences, “[...], these little adventures in which so many people have done so many extraordinary things or behaved in such fabulous or foolish ways.” (Rooke 185) Her husband was aware of her nature stating, “It was the kind of adventure constant to her nature and necessary to her well-being.” (Rooke 188) It is embedded into her nature, this chase of new stories has become beyond just adventurous; it was a method of fulfilling happiness. She had insight into everyone else’s business, sarcastically saying, “‘There's a fat woman down that road who got a sea of
Whilst his wife is emotionally invested into the man's offer for the cloth, her husband is skeptical. He asks the man, “‘Now look,’ I said to him, ‘what's wrong with this cloth? Is it going to rot inside a week? Tomorrow is some other stranger going to knock on our door saying we owe him a hundred or fve hundred dollars for this cloth?” (Rooke 191). This question is in search of logical reasoning for why he is giving this magical cloth without any catch, underscores his rational decision making. His questioning did not sit well with his wife; “Her face was fiery, like she thought I had wounded him”, in an effort not to put off the seller she affirms to him that, “‘We like strangers just fine,’ she said. We've helped out many a-one. No, I can't say our door has ever been closed to whoever comes by. Strangers can sit in our kitchen just the same as our friends.’ (Rooke 191) Contrast to her husband, she reacts very irrationally and lets her emotions take over in the pursuit of finding happiness. Likewise, Jackson uses the recurring mention of roses to symbolize Strangeword’s duality. Miss Strangeword presents herself as this caring person, trying to get rid of all the evil in the …show more content…
Women inherently possess remarkable insight into their societies, skillfully gathering information to leverage themselves in the future. In Leon Rooke’s A Bolt of White Cloth, the man’s wife is an adventurous woman who constantly gets herself into unusual circumstances. Whenever she leaves the house without her husband she experiences, “[...], these little adventures in which so many people have done so many extraordinary things or behaved in such fabulous or foolish ways.” (Rooke 185) Her husband was aware of her nature stating, “It was the kind of adventure constant to her nature and necessary to her well-being.” (Rooke 188) It is embedded into her nature, this chase of new stories has become beyond just adventurous; it was a method of fulfilling happiness. She had insight into everyone else’s business, sarcastically saying, “‘There's a fat woman down that road who got a sea of