The Possibility of Evil
An appreciative analysis of the short story by Shirley Jackson
First published in 1965, the first of Shirley Jackson's short stories to be recompiled in Penguin’s Dark Tales anthology deals with Miss Adela Strangeworth, whose worth is indeed strange.
The story’s hook is catching. Strangeworth walks through town being friendly and warm. Why is everyone so nervous? Why are they so distracted? Why is she seemingly the only one who is not?
Strangeworth presides over her town—yes, hers—and her townfolk by being warm, friendly, and inquisitive in person, but by sending anonymous poison pen letters in private, to care for her townsfolk and protect them from the possibility of evil by spreading suspicion and casting aspersion.
The themes in this story include:
The casual cruelty that can be done in the twisted name of protecting people and society itself from the possibility of evil.
The delusion of goodness and the self-image of innocence and benevolence in the cruel-doer.
The evil inherent in supposedly protecting others from evil.
It seems rather allegorical of many social or political movements, doesn’t it?
What makes the story so entertaining as well as dark and meaningful are the humorous side-bars of light relief. This is a stylistic trait of Jackson’s, to comment on the lighter side of human oddities. Everyone is so formal, calling each other by title and surname, even when they once used first names. Youth is derided. (“That Crane boy!”) Tea is bought on Tuesdays.
I will not spoil the twist in the ending. Not on this occasion. It might be harder to avoid when appreciating other stories. Let’s just say it’s what you might expect in Tales of the Unexpected.
Jackson offers some interesting symbolism in Strangeworth's roses. They mean something, of course, but as with all symbolism, she is not explicit about what. That, my dears, is what we are supposed to think about, and while all symbolism is open to some ambiguity, it's not that difficult.
Humour. Darkness. Symbolism. Allegory. A twist. There is little more one could ask of a short, dark tale than is splendidly delivered here.
This article is part of a series appreciating and analysing Shirley Jackson’s short stories as published in Penguin’s Dark Tales and other compilations.