Hochadel 1
John Hochadel
Mr. Hochadel
English 2 Honors, Period 1
3 February 2014
The Possibility of Good
Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Possibility of Evil” creates an unlikely character in the
form of Miss Adela Strangeworth. Her misguided inner reality is masked by her stereotypical
little-old-lady exterior. While Strangeworth believes that she is on a mission to fix her town, in
truth, she leads her neighborhood on a journey of worry and pain. Imagine the possibilities if
Miss Strangeworth was to have a change of heart and discover the reality of her actions. Instead
of tearing the town apart, she could have strengthened her community.
As Miss Adela Strangeworth strolled daintily along Main Street, past the library, she took
note of Miss Chandler. “Miss Strangeworth noticed that Miss Chandler had not taken much
trouble with her hair this morning, and sighed. Miss Strangeworth hated sloppiness” (Jackson).
She then remembered the little note that she had scrawled just yesterday and sent to Miss
Chandler. The note that was intended to rid this town of evil, and Miss Chandler, if left
unchecked, would certainly be snatched up by evil’s temptation. Then, a glimmer of realization
sparked from deep within Miss Strangeworth. She wondered, nearly aloud, “If I am supposed to
protect this helpless little town, why does everyone seem so troubled?” Mr. Lewis and Mrs.
Harper in the store, Helen Crane, the little Stewart girl—they all seemed so unhappy. She
marveled: could the root of her beloved town’s problems be something other than evil? Could
the town actually be breaking apart from within because of her own actions?
This is just two sample paragraphs to help you understand what I’m looking for.