Why does she feel entitled to protect the townspeople? Why does she feel entitled to “protect” the townspeople? Her family has been in the town for decades, and she feels like she owns it. What is ironic/surprising about the ending of the story? Miss Strangeworth thinks that she was right about people being wicked and needing protection from evil.
What does Adela Strangeworth do in the story? In Shirley Jackson’s The Possibility of Evil, Adela Strangeworth appears like a normal old lady at first; however, under all her kind words are malevolence. She anonymously writes ghastly letters to the people in her neighborhood, and watches them suffer as entertainment.
What is the main message of The Possibility of Evil? At the heart of “The Possibility of Evil” is the revelation that evil exists in our everyday lives, which often goes unnoticed by the person perpetrating it. Miss Strangeworth spends her days cataloging the flaws she perceives in her neighbors, only to spend her evenings criticizing them anonymously via letters.
What is the main conflict in The Possibility of Evil? The conflict in this story is Person vs. Society because no one intentionally did anything to Miss Strangeworth to cause her to write the nasty letters, she was just overly affected by normal things people did.
Why does she feel entitled to protect the townspeople? – Related Questions
What is the meaning of the story The Possibility of Evil?
Answer and Explanation: The title of the story ”The Possibility of Evil” mean that every person has a potential for evil. Miss Strangeworth suspects that her neighbors are wicked so in order to straighten their deeds, she writes anonymous letters to them.
What is the evil thing that Miss Strangeworth does?
She writes anonymous letters to them, saying rude things that cause the people to be frightened or sad. The anonymous letters are similar to cyber bullying, Miss Strangeworth is hiding her identity but is sending letters that are unpleasant and malicious for the reader.
What is the irony in The Possibility of Evil?
An example of situational irony is when Miss Strangeworth believed that her letters would help on defeating or destroying the so called “evil” within the town when in actuality, she was just creating a greater evil within herself.
What is the climax of the story the possibility?
Climax. Miss Strangeworth goes to deliver the letters in the evening and accidentally leaves one behind her. She wants to resolve all the problems in the town with her solution.
Who destroyed Strangeworth’s Roses?
Don Crane is married to Helen Crane and father to a baby girl. He only appears by name in the story, but Miss Strangeworth addresses the letter calling the Crane child an idiot to him. Along with his wife, he is likely responsible for the destruction of Miss Strangeworth’s roses.
What do roses symbolize in The Possibility of Evil?
In “The Possibility of Evil,” roses symbolize the evil that can hide within even the most beautiful and unassuming of objects. Roses, while pretty and fragrant, are covered in thorns that aren’t obvious at first, but can hurt those who unexpectedly touch them.
Who is the main character in the short story The Possibility of Evil?
“The Possibility of Evil”, written in 1965 by Shirley Jackson, features the protagonist, Adela Strangeworth, who sends anonymous letters regarding the scandalous rumors going around the small village.
What is the significance of Miss Strangeworth’s name?
The two symbols are Miss Strangeworth’s name and roses. Her last name symbolizes how strange she is because she enjoys doing odd things, like writing rude letters to people. The rose symbolizes Miss Strangeworth because they are sweet and innocent on the outside, but when you look closer, it has sharp thorns.
What worries or problems did Mrs Strangeworth address in her letters?
Miss Strangeworth never concerned herself with facts; her letters all dealt with the more negotiable stuff of suspicion. Mr. Lewis would never have imagined for a minute that his grandson might be lifting petty cash from the store register if he had not had one of Miss Strangeworth’s letters.
What moral issue does Miss Strangeworth claim motivates her letters?
Miss Strangeworth thinks her letters open people’s eyes (line 186) and her duty to write (line 189). Miss Strangeworth claims that she writes her letters to alert people to possible evil.
