The Possibility of Evil Themes

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. Throughout the story, Miss Strangeworth remains steadfast in the belief that she is helping to purge her community of evil, while remaining completely oblivious to…

Although Miss Strangeworth describes her letter-writing process as a necessity to cleanse evil from her community, it is actually a way for her to release her own repressed thoughts and feelings. In particular, Miss Strangeworth is fixated on two things: money and sex. Miss Strangeworth is regularly critical of people who she thinks are flaunting their wealth. This includes Don and Helen Crane, who like to buy their child expensive garments, and Billy Moore…

“The Possibility of Evil” is a study of an individual who is at once deeply involved in her community and remarkably isolated from it. Miss Strangeworth is familiar with everyone in town: she knows where the strawberries come from at the grocery store, she is part of the bridge club, she donates to the local library, and she knows everyone’s secrets—or at least she thinks she does. In addition, Miss Strangeworth’s family has lived in…