“The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson is a short story about an old woman that lives in a small town but has a big secret. Miss Strangeworth has stunning roses in her yard that have been passed down to her from generations; everyone in town comes to admire her roses. Even though Miss Strangeworth knows everyone and is nice to everyone, she anonymously sends letters to people. These letters contain things such as cheating, “accidental” deaths, and telling parents they aren’t fit to have children. I believe that Miss Strangeworth deserved what she got.…
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America is a detailed look at the climate and events surrounding the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. This time period ushered in a new era of architectural and cultural changes throughout the country. This book was written by Erik Larson, is 447 pages long, and was published by Crown Publishers in February 2003. I chose this book because I had heard from friends and family that it was an interesting piece, and a surprisingly good read for a work of non-fiction.…
In the story,”Charles”,by Shirley Jackson a boy named Laurie, a deceitful kindergartner,does bad actions and to cover it up he makes up a boy named Charles to tell his parents each day how Charles is always doing something bad instead of him. The author also uses foreshadowing throughout the story. Meaning she gives hints and clues to find a theme or find out some plot twisting events. In this case,she hud quotes about Laurie being Charles.…
that she would get caught someday by her secret actions until she receives a threatening…
Should you expect the unexpected? A story written by Shirley Jackson “The Possibility of Evil” is an story about a respected old woman who could do no wrong in her town. Until she caught doing something; she never though she will never be caught doing. Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by considering what she does, what the narrator says about her, and how other interact with her.…
People aren’t all they appear to be. Shirley Jackson’s story, “The Possibility of Evil,” is told from the perspective of a 71-year old lady named Adela Strangeworth. Miss Strangeworth is an old woman who has lived in this town all her life. Miss Strangeworth’s character can be analyzed by considering what she does, what the narrator says about her, and how other characters interact with her.…
Gene Forrester is a prime example that good and evil are embedded in everyone. In A Separate Peace by John Knowles Gene’s evil overcomes him while he is in the tree. Sometimes the evil in people can overshadow the good in their lives, but no one is entirely good or…
Ms Adela Strangeworth is the protagonist and is as well as the antagonist from “The Possibility of Evil,” a short story written by Shirley Jackson. She is the kind of person that is secretly all within us. She has all the motives to be good intention but hurts others without meaning to, which is very common now a days. Ms. Strangeworth is a dainty 70 year old women who is often seen wearing a nice neat skirt so who would ever suspect her as “evil?”…
In “The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson, Ms. Strangeworth stops her town from becoming evil by writing anonymous letters. The overall theme of the story is everything is not what it seems. Jackson utilizes the story to show how a person may not seem like the person you thought they were. Ms. Strangeworth appears to be a sweet old lady, but is she really? Throughout the story her true colors begin to reveal. Jackson develops this central idea through the use of irony. Through all three types of irony the theme is expressed.…
John Hick defined evil as “physical pain, mental suffering and moral wickedness” For Hick, the consequence of evil is suffering…
To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee and, published in 1960. Classic novels should say something of value. They may draw attention to issues within human condition. These issues usually transcend time, remaining relevant to later generations. In To Kill A Mockingbird (TKAM hereafter), Harper Lee draws attention to the societal issues covering themes of coexistence of good and evil, the importance of moral education and the existence of social inequality. These themes are explored through the characters of Scout Finch, Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson.…
Good vs. evil is a classic theme often found in literature. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by O’Connor and “Young Goodman Brown” by Hawthorne, the authors focus on this theme to unravel their plots. O’Connor uses the grandmother and a thief, The Misfit, to compare and contrast the good and evil in people. On the other hand, Hawthorne’s, “Young Goodman Brown,” uses the main character, Young Goodman Brown, and his journey from being a respected man to being summoned by the devil. Both authors use their main characters as a comparison of what being good means, however the evil of the story is presented differently.…
One sunny morning in Cleveland, Ohio, a homeless man receives a gift of new shoes from an honorable stranger. Yet at the same time, a young man robs a bank, and an innocent woman is shot at random. Humanity has positive aspects, such as people doing righteous acts towards other human beings, but also sadly has negative aspects such as violence for little to no reason. The world seems to withhold more negative events rather than positive all throughout history. Therefore, mankind is inherently evil, but also has the capability to overcome through positivity.…
Nothing would seem to ever go wrong in this placid village. However, things took a turn for the worst. Groups of people began to suffer violent contortions and uncontrollable outburst of screaming. Later, these people would claim to be under the spell of witchcraft and accused several people of bewitchment. These people were later hung for their “crimes” and no one expected that a mass of hysteria would break out.…
Contemporary coverage of the news bombards us daily with the presence of evil. Whether it is national headlines or the world news, it is evident that evil exist in our world today. The presence of evil can present conflict despite of your personal worldview. For many centuries, the presence of evil in the world has been the basis of intellectual debate and many scholars as well as theologians have tried to develop theories as to why evil exist. Regardless of whether you may be an atheist, agnostic, a pantheist or a Christian, the presence of evil in the world presents challenges in several ways. The presence of evil and how we comprehend it sets the foundation for our commitment to a specific worldview.…