Who Is Mr. Strangeworth's Character In The Possibility Of Evil

Everyone’s Grandma has that one friend that seems to know everything and judge you for it, well in the short story The Possibility of Evil, by Shirley Jackson follows that very friend. Embodied in the character Mrs.Strangeworth, she lives in a quaint little town where she knows everyone. Unlike her appearance as a little old lady, she is actually a mean spirited old woman who tries to inform the townsfolk of “evils” and by writing anonymous letters to various people, and by doing so she makes them uneasy. When one boy delivers a letter to Mr. Crane and says who it is from, she gets her prize roses destroyed. In the short story, there is a man vs. man conflict. Through the passage, she proves her worth and reveals her character traits and
Miss Strangeworth’s role in the story is somewhat complex, being that she is both the protagonist and the antagonist. By being the main character and doing what she believes, she is the protagonist. She believes that the letters help people and by believing this she is following her beliefs. This is further proven by the passage on how her letters helped Mr. Lewis find out that his grandson was stealing money (p.4). Although she is seen as a protagonist, she can also be considered an antagonist. Although following her beliefs makes her self-righteous, her doing so makes others unhappy. This is quite evident because when Don Crane finds out that she was the one making the letters he goes and destroys her roses (p.6). Smith 3
Shirley Jackson provides a well-developed character who judges people and tries to rid her town of evil. In the short story, The Possibility of evil Miss Strangeworth is a judgemental, yet seemingly friendly old lady who wants to rid her town of evil, and creates a conflict by doing so. But she is punished in the end for what she did. Based on Miss Strangeworth’s traits, motivation and importance to the story it is evident that It is natural to try to follow your beliefs at any