Cyera Gaughan
Block C
October, 4th 2016
Miss Strangeworth Character Essay: Deceptive When most people bring to mind the image of the perfect grandmother, they may think of Miss Strangeworth. “The Possibility of Evil” by, Shirley Jackson is about a 71 year old spinster named Miss Strangeworth that seems like the perfect old lady that goes to the grocery store every day, and buys her tea only on Tuesday. She also believes that she is clearing her town of evil, but in the end it comes to a realization that she is hurting everyone, and it ends up hurting her as well. Even though Miss Strangeworth starts off as the perfect old lady, the story takes a turn for the worst when everyone finds out that she is just controlling, a very high strung perfectionist, and deceptively friendly. …show more content…
There is a part in the story where it is stated “wickedness was never easily banished, and a clean heart was a scoured heart,” (Jackson, 1941, p.174). One may believe that Adela is controlling because she wants everything to be her way, and if it is not it must be changed. Miss Strangeworth uses mean letters that she has written as a way to cleanse the evil in her town. People reading the story may portray her letters to the people of her town as a type of controlling because in the letters she is telling people what others may not like about them, and that they should change their wrong doings to meet their
Block C
October, 4th 2016
Miss Strangeworth Character Essay: Deceptive When most people bring to mind the image of the perfect grandmother, they may think of Miss Strangeworth. “The Possibility of Evil” by, Shirley Jackson is about a 71 year old spinster named Miss Strangeworth that seems like the perfect old lady that goes to the grocery store every day, and buys her tea only on Tuesday. She also believes that she is clearing her town of evil, but in the end it comes to a realization that she is hurting everyone, and it ends up hurting her as well. Even though Miss Strangeworth starts off as the perfect old lady, the story takes a turn for the worst when everyone finds out that she is just controlling, a very high strung perfectionist, and deceptively friendly. …show more content…
There is a part in the story where it is stated “wickedness was never easily banished, and a clean heart was a scoured heart,” (Jackson, 1941, p.174). One may believe that Adela is controlling because she wants everything to be her way, and if it is not it must be changed. Miss Strangeworth uses mean letters that she has written as a way to cleanse the evil in her town. People reading the story may portray her letters to the people of her town as a type of controlling because in the letters she is telling people what others may not like about them, and that they should change their wrong doings to meet their