"The Possibility of Evil"
By: Shirley Jackson
About the Author
Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California on December 14, 1916. When she was a teenager she began to write poetry and short stories. Shirley Jackson entered Syracuse University in 1937. While at Syracuse University, she published her first story, "Janice". Her second story she published, "The Lottery", was her most famous story. It was one of the well-known short stories of the 20th century. Some other stories Shirley Jackson wrote and published are "The Haunting of Hill House", "The Road Through the Wall", and "Come Dance With Me in Ireland". Shirley Jackson died at the age of 48 on August 8, 1965 by an unexpected heart failure during her usual afternoon nap.
Pre-Reading Reflection
How do you define "evil"?
My definition of evil is cruelty and injustice. It is the sickness that drives a person to do horrible, unnecessary actions.
If you suspect that someone is going to do something evil, what responsibility do you have to prevent it?
If I suspect that someone is going to do something evil, a responsibility I have to prevent it is to help the person who is going to do something evil and convince him to do the right thing.
Why do people sometimes enjoy saying bad things behind other people's backs?
People sometimes enjoy saying bad things behind other people's backs because they possibly want to get revenge on the person or people that hurt him or her. Or, they just think that saying bad things behind other people's backs seems funny to them.
What is the best way to respond to a person who does this?
The best way to respond to a person who does this is to tell them that the evil the are doing is inappropriate. It is wrong. I would tell them about how harmful he or she was to that person. I would convince them to stop the evil he or she has been driven to.
My definition of evil is cruelty and injustice. It is the sickness that drives a person to do horrible, unnecessary actions.
If you suspect that someone is going to do something evil, what responsibility do you have to prevent it?
If I suspect that someone is going to do something evil, a responsibility I have to prevent it is to help the person who is going to do something evil and convince him to do the right thing.
Why do people sometimes enjoy saying bad things behind other people's backs?
People sometimes enjoy saying bad things behind other people's backs because they possibly want to get revenge on the person or people that hurt him or her. Or, they just think that saying bad things behind other people's backs seems funny to them.
What is the best way to respond to a person who does this?
The best way to respond to a person who does this is to tell them that the evil the are doing is inappropriate. It is wrong. I would tell them about how harmful he or she was to that person. I would convince them to stop the evil he or she has been driven to.
Vocabulary
Infatuated: The term "infatuated" means lovely or obsessed as used in the quote "Don and Helen Crane were really the two most infatuated young parents she had ever known, she thought indulgently, looking at the delicately embroidered baby cap and the lace-edged carriage cover." (Page 28)
Indulgently: The term "indulgently" means deeply as used in the quote "Don and Helen Crane were really the two most infatuated young parents she had ever known, she thought indulgently, looking at the delicately embroidered baby cap and the lace-edged carriage cover." (Page 28)
Negotiable: The term "negotiable" means compromise as used in the quote "Miss Strangeworth never concerned herself with facts; her letters all dealt with the more negotiable stuff of suspicion." (Page 32)
Degraded: The term "degraded" means reduced in quality as used in the quote "The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet, but people everywhere were lustful and evil and degraded, and needed to be watched; the world was so large, and there was only one Strangeworth left in it." (Page 33)
Proverbial: The term "proverbial" means well known as used in the quote "After her dishes were done and her kitchen set in order, she took up her hat - Miss Strangeworth's hats were proverbial in the town; people believed that she had inherited them from her mother and her grandmother - and, locking the front door of her house behind her, set off on her evening walk, pocketbook under her arm." (Page 34)
Unduly: The term "unduly" means inappropriate as used in the quote "She did not feel that any of them were staring at her unduly or longing to laugh at her; it would have been most reprehensible for their parents to permit their children to mock Miss Strangeworth of Pleasant Street." (Page 35)
Potential: The term "potential" means possibly as used in the quote "She did not notice it because she was wondering whether a letter to the Harris boy's father might not be of some service in wiping out this potential badness" (Page 36)
Indulgently: The term "indulgently" means deeply as used in the quote "Don and Helen Crane were really the two most infatuated young parents she had ever known, she thought indulgently, looking at the delicately embroidered baby cap and the lace-edged carriage cover." (Page 28)
Negotiable: The term "negotiable" means compromise as used in the quote "Miss Strangeworth never concerned herself with facts; her letters all dealt with the more negotiable stuff of suspicion." (Page 32)
Degraded: The term "degraded" means reduced in quality as used in the quote "The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet, but people everywhere were lustful and evil and degraded, and needed to be watched; the world was so large, and there was only one Strangeworth left in it." (Page 33)
Proverbial: The term "proverbial" means well known as used in the quote "After her dishes were done and her kitchen set in order, she took up her hat - Miss Strangeworth's hats were proverbial in the town; people believed that she had inherited them from her mother and her grandmother - and, locking the front door of her house behind her, set off on her evening walk, pocketbook under her arm." (Page 34)
Unduly: The term "unduly" means inappropriate as used in the quote "She did not feel that any of them were staring at her unduly or longing to laugh at her; it would have been most reprehensible for their parents to permit their children to mock Miss Strangeworth of Pleasant Street." (Page 35)
Potential: The term "potential" means possibly as used in the quote "She did not notice it because she was wondering whether a letter to the Harris boy's father might not be of some service in wiping out this potential badness" (Page 36)
Contrasting Ideas
Examples of when Miss Strangeworth seems evil:
Miss Strangeworth seems evil when she yells at Helen Crane's baby girl. For example, "Well, apologize to her right now," Miss Strangeworth said. "She is probably worrying about why you keep jumping around all the time." (Page 29) Another example of when Miss Strangeworth seems evil is when she never gives away any of her beautiful roses to tourists and other people who compliment about her roses. For instance, "Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists often asked her. The roses belonged on Pleasant Street, and it bothered Miss Strangeworth to think of people wanting to carry them away, to take them into strange towns and down strange streets." (Page 26) Miss Strangeworth seems evil when she brags to people that the town belongs to her. The author stated "She was seventy-one, Miss Strangeworth told the tourists, with a pretty little dimple showing by her lip, and she sometimes found herself thinking that the town belonged to her." (Page 25) Another example of when Miss Strangeworth seems evil is when she writes cruel, mean letters to a series of people. For example, "She addressed the blue envelope to old Mrs. Foster, who was having an operation next month. She had thought of writing one more letter, to the head of the school board, asking how a chemistry teacher like Billy Moore's father could afford a convertible, but all at once she was tired of writing letters. The three she had done would do for one day. she could write more tomorrow; it was not as though they all had to be done at once." (Page 33) Miss Strangeworth seems evil when she thinks the people of the town are evil, and that they are ruining the town. For instance, "The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet, but people everywhere were lustful and evil and degraded, and needed to be watched; the world was so large, and there was only one Strangeworth left in it." (Page 33) |
Examples of when Miss Strangeworth does not seem evil:
Miss Strangeworth does not seem evil just because of her appearance and how old she is. For example, "She knew everyone in town, of course; she was fond of telling strangers - tourists who sometimes passed through the town and stopped to admire Miss Strangeworth's roses - that she had never spent more than a day outside town in all her long life." (Page 25) Another example of when Miss Strangeworth does not seem evil is when she greets every person she goes by. For instance, "Walking down Main Street on a summer morning, Miss Strangeworth had to stop every minute or so to say good morning to someone or to ask after someone's health." (Page 26) Miss Strangeworth does not seem evil when she asks another character in the story, which is Martha Harper, if she is okay. Miss Strangeworth seems to worry about Martha Harper. The author stated "Martha," she said, "you don't look well." "I'm perfectly all right," Mrs. Harper said shortly. She handed her money to Mr. Lewis, took her change and her sugar, and went out without speaking again. Looking after her, Miss Strangeworth shook her head slightly. Martha definitely did not look well." (Page 28) Another example of when Miss Strangeworth does not seem evil is when she thought about how lovely Don and Helen Crane are and how good parents they are to their baby. For example, "Carrying her little bag of groceries, Miss Strangeworth came out of the store into the bright sunlight and stopped to smile down on the Crane baby. Don and Helen Crane were really the two most infatuated young parents she had ever known, she thought indulgently, looking at the delicately embroidered baby cap and the lace-edged carriage cover." (Page 28) Miss Strangeworth does not seem evil when she is greeted by people in the grocery store. She seems to be a lovely, old lady that is admired by many people. For instance, "When she came into the grocery, half a dozen people turned away from the shelves and the counters to wave at her or call out good morning." (Page 26) |