The Possibility of Evil

by

Shirley Jackson

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Everyday Evil Theme Analysis

Themes and Colors
Everyday Evil Theme Icon
Repression Theme Icon
The Illusion of Utopia Theme Icon
Community and Isolation Theme Icon
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Possibility of Evil, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Everyday Evil Theme Icon

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 the harm she is causing. Central to Miss Strangeworth’s concerns—and to the story’s critique of Miss Strangeworth—is the idea that evil crops up everywhere, even in places one does not expect it. Miss Strangeworth sees evil in how Don and Helen Crane pamper their child and in the romantic relationship forming between Linda Stewart and Dave Harris. Meanwhile, the story sees evil primarily in Miss Strangeworth herself. Though she is confident in the virtue of her letters, the evil contained within them is apparent to anyone else who reads them. Nowhere in her letters is Miss Strangeworth offering constructive criticism, nor is she relying on facts. (As the narrator observes, Miss Strangeworth prefers “the more negotiable stuff of suspicion” over facts.) She spreads venomous gossip—much of which has the potential to destroy relationships—only to provide herself with a sense of satisfaction. Furthermore, while a couple of her accusations are serious offences (adultery, murder), some are minor infractions (shoplifting), and others—such as those pertaining to Dave Harris—appear to be entirely unfounded. As she writes her destructive letters, Miss Strangeworth points the finger at everyone around her, failing to notice that she is the perpetrator of the most pervasive evil in her neighborhood.

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Everyday Evil ThemeTracker

The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Everyday Evil appears in each chapter of The Possibility of Evil. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Everyday Evil Quotes in The Possibility of Evil

Below you will find the important quotes in The Possibility of Evil related to the theme of Everyday Evil.
The Possibility of Evil Quotes

Miss Adela Strangeworth stepped daintily along Main Street on her way to the grocery. The sun was shining, the air was fresh and clear after the night’s heavy rain, and everything in Miss Strangeworth’s little town looked washed and bright. Miss Strangeworth took deep breaths and thought that there was nothing in the world like a fragrant summer day.

Related Characters: Miss Adela Strangeworth
Page Number: 1
Explanation and Analysis:

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.

Related Characters: Miss Adela Strangeworth
Related Symbols: Roses
Page Number: 2
Explanation and Analysis:

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.

“That little girl is going to grow up expecting luxury all her life,” she said to Helen Crane.

Related Characters: Miss Adela Strangeworth (speaker), Helen Crane, The Crane Baby
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:

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. Miss Chandler, the librarian, and Linda Stewart’s parents would have gone unsuspectingly ahead with their lives, never aware of the possible evil lurking nearby, if Miss Strangeworth had not sent letters to open their eyes.

Related Characters: Miss Adela Strangeworth
Page Number: 6-7
Explanation and Analysis:

There was so much evil in people. Even in a charming little town like this one, there was still so much evil in people.

Related Characters: Miss Adela Strangeworth, Dave Harris, Linda Stewart
Page Number: 10
Explanation and Analysis:

Miss Strangeworth was a Strangeworth of Pleasant Street. Her hand did not shake as she opened the envelope and unfolded the sheet of green paper inside. She began to cry silently for the wickedness of the world when she read the words: Look out at what used to be your roses.

Related Characters: Miss Adela Strangeworth
Related Symbols: Roses
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis: