43 pages • 1 hour read
Shirley JacksonThe Possibility of Evil
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1965A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Miss Strangeworth’s roses are frequently mentioned in this story: tourists remark on them, she has them arranged throughout her house, and she never gives them away. What do the roses mean to her, and why is their destruction is so devastating to her?
What are Miss Strangeworth’s alleged motivations in writing her anonymous letters, the motivations that she acknowledges to herself? What are her deeper, unacknowledged motivations?
The story emphasizes Miss Strangeworth’s domestic routine: her gardening, the tea that she orders on Tuesdays, what she has for lunch and for dinner. What mood does this create in the story, and what picture does it paint of Miss Strangeworth’s life and character?
How is Miss Strangeworth’s letter-writing habit a departure from her normal behavior? How is it a continuation of her normal behavior?
During Miss Strangeworth’s stop at Mr. Lewis’s store, she, Mr. Lewis, and Miss Harper repeat several times that it is a “lovely day.” What is the purpose of these repetitive exchanges, and what do such exchanges say about small-town social life?
Miss Strangeworth believes herself to be revered by everyone around her, as a wealthy woman and a link to the town’s past. What are some clues that this might not be the case?
Toward the story’s end, the focus shifts briefly from Miss Strangeworth to two minor characters, Linda Stewart and Dave Harris. What is the purpose of this sudden shift, and how does it serve the story’s theme and plot?
Related Titles
By Shirley Jackson
