THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL | SHIRLEY JACKSON
infatuated adjective
| inspired with an intense but short-lived passion or admiration
indulgently adverb
| acting in an overly generous or lenient manner
rapt adjective
| completely fascinated by what one is seeing or hearing
appropriation noun
| a sum of money or total of assets devoted to a special purpose
degraded adjective
| treated or regarded with contempt or disrespect
reprehensible adjective
| deserving criticism or condemnation
THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL
by Shirley Jackson WHAT TO LOOK FOR
While reading, annotate closely, making a
BEFORE READING: particular note of the following:
Mind-map below any thoughts or questions you have about the TITLE. o Anything which illustrates something of
Think about what each of the words might mean. the main character’s actions, thoughts,
personality, or character traits.
Bullying somebody
Can you be judgmental? judgmental
Disagree Agree
I make a lot of
The Possibility of Evil
negative evaluations
of other people. 1 2 3 4 5
Disagree Agree
I jump to conclusions,
Killing somebody
often believing the
worst in people. 1 2 3 4 5
Disagree Agree
I form opinions of
Doing bad things and not feeling bad people quickly, and
struggle to change 1 2 3 4 5
about it them.
BEFORE READING: Spend time thinking about each of the statements below, & decide if you agree or disagree.
Then give a reason for your opinion.
Statement Agree / Disagree Reason
q Strongly Agree
People are q Agree
inherently good. q Disagree
q Strongly Disagree
q Strongly Agree
We all hide our true
q Agree
identities from those q Disagree
around us. q Strongly Disagree
When we see evil q Strongly Agree
in society, it is our q Agree
responsibility to do q Disagree
something about it. q Strongly Disagree
Read through the vocabulary definitions above; pick one you weren’t familiar with before, and use it in your own sentence:
(c) Stacey Lloyd 2019
THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL | SHIRLEY JACKSON
Having read the story, finish the following sentences:
AFTER READING
critical thinking
At first I thought ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
But now I realize ___________________________________________________________
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Mind-map the significance of the protagonist’s name:
____________________________________________________________________________________
Identify what changed your thinking:
Miss Adela Strangeworth
THE LETTERS A single word to
describe them:
What is the significance of the paper they are written on?
SYMBOLISM
(check all that apply)
How does she feel about her roses?
Humble Proud
A quotation about Miss Strangeworth’s roses:
What might have been in the letter to Linda’s father?
Protective Irritated
Indifferent Discontented
How does this compare to her
A quotation to explain why she writes them: relationship with the town?
How do people find out about her letters?
the Roses
“
the setting
List key words from
IRONY
Definition of “Miss Strangeworth sighed and turned away. There was
the story which SITUATIONAL IRONY
relate to the setting. so much evil in people. Even in a charming little town
like this one, there was still so much evil in people.”
Explain why the above
quotation is ironic.
Is what happens to Miss Strangeworth at the end of the story justified
THEMES
Rank each of the following in terms of how
and appropriate? prominent and significant they are as core
‘messages’ of the story. (1-most / 4-least)
On the one hand, YES because _________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________ A single individual can be extremely
influential in a community.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do not be deceived by appearances;
______________________________________________________________________________________________________ people aren’t always who they seem.
On the other hand, NO because ________________________________________________________ Pride can cloud a person’s judgment,
causing them to do harmful things.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Even good intentions can have
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
negative consequences.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
(c) Stacey Lloyd 2019
QUICK QUIZ
Comprehension
THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL | SHIRLEY JACKSON Read each question and answer carefully, and then
choose the best answer, circling your selection.
1. What is the narrative perspective of the story? 9. Why does Miss Strangeworth write her letters?
A) First-person A) She is extremely bored.
B) Second-person B) She is a mischievous woman.
C) Third-person limited C) She longs to be nasty.
D) Third-person omniscient D) She feels that it is her duty.
2. How does Miss Strangeworth feel about her town? 10. How does she feel about writing these letters?
A) She longs to escape it. A) She takes pleasure in writing them.
B) She is disillusioned by it. B) She doesn’t enjoy it, but feels a sense of
C) She feels extremely possessive of it. obligation.
D) She feels a sense of generosity towards it. C) She is indifferent to it.
D) She wishes that she didn’t have to write them.
3. At the very start of the story, how is the protagonist
characterized? 11. What is the climax in the story?
A) As an amusing character. A) The protagonist drops one of her letters and it is
B) As a frail and delicate elderly lady. picked up.
C) As an interfering busy-body. B) Miss Strangeworth writes nasty letters to people
D) As a well-respected member of the town. in the town.
C) Miss Strangeworth wakes up to find her roses
4. How does she feel about the fact she has never left destroyed.
her town? D) The protagonist had a nap.
A) She is extremely proud of this fact.
B) She is ashamed of herself. 12. Which type of character is Miss Strangeworth?
C) She feels conflicted. A) Antagonist
D) She displays regret about this. B) Round character
C) Minor character
5. What is Miss Strangeworth’s attitude towards her D) Titular character
roses?
A) She wants the town to benefit from them. 13. The ending of the story is paradoxical.
B) She sees them as a burden she has to bear. A) True
C) She hopes that their beauty will rid the evil in B) False
the town.
D) She is highly protective of them. 14. What is Miss Strangeworth’s view of humanity?
A) All humans are evil and need cleansing.
6. How does she respond to Helen Crane’s worries? B) There is complexity in everyone.
A) She is dismissive and rude. C) Sometimes people do evil things, but they are
B) She tries to reassure her. inherently good.
C) She listens patiently. D) People are all liars and cheats.
D) She is nasty and unkind.
15. Miss Strangeworth’s home-life is characterized as:
7. Which of the following best describes how Miss A) luxurious
Strangeworth feels about her home? B) orderly
A) She feels confined in it and enjoys being out. C) exciting
B) It is the only place she really feels safe. D) chaotic
C) She looks forward to returning to it when she is
out. 16. The title of this short story contains:
D) She takes pride in it, but prefers to be out in A) a metaphor
town. B) foreshadowing
C) irony
8. Why doesn’t Miss Strangeworth write her letters on D) personification
her fancy notepad?
A) She doesn’t wish to waste that precious paper 17. How does Miss Strangeworth respond to the letter
on the townspeople. she receives at the end of the story?
B) She wants the origin of the letters to be A) She is shocked and surprised.
unidentifiable. B) She feels it validates her beliefs about humanity.
C) She doesn’t have enough of it. C) She is horrified by what people think of her.
D) She is embarrassed by how elaborate it is. D) She feels excluded from the town.
(c) Stacey Lloyd 2019
characterization noun THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL | SHIRLEY JACKSON
KEY FOCUS: Characterization
the process by which the writer reveals
the personality and features of a
character in a story
Spend time thinking about how Shirley Jackson has created the character of Adela Strangeworth
through the methods of characterization listed below, finding examples of each.
Tool Example (find a direct quotation from the text)
Direct comment from the narrator
about the character
Miss Strangeworth
Physical appearance of the
character
Character’s thoughts, actions, and
speech
Other characters’ reactions to /
thoughts about the character
characterization
INDIRECT Often we learn about a character through what we INFER about them. For each of
the following traits, explain how we know this about the protagonist’s personality.
Miss Adela Strangeworth is...
We can infer this from... Quotation as evidence
HABITUAL
We can infer this from... Quotation as evidence
SELF-
RIGHTEOUS
We can infer this from... Quotation as evidence
NAIVE
How does Jackson illustrate the fact that Miss Strangeworth is a proud woman?
Literary Analysis WRITING
practice
You should:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ o Make a distinct
claim answering
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ the question.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ o Explain your claim
with embedded
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ direct evidence
from the text.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ o Provide analysis
as to why this
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ aspect of her
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ character is
important in terms
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ of the deeper
themes of the
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ story.
(c) Stacey Lloyd 2019
