16 September, 2015

A Window into a Sociopaths Mind

The ability to read peoples mind is definitely something that would have helped the
residents of Pleasant Street find the source of their anonymous hate. In Shirley Jacksons The
Possibility of Evil the reader is told the story of 71-year old Adela Strangeworth,whose
anonymous hate mail sows discontent within the residents of her small town. Throughout the
story, Jackson uses dramatic irony as a means to foreshadow the latent evil found in Miss
Strangeworths heart. She does this by subtly giving the reader small glimpses of Miss
Strangeworths inner dialogue, which is full of hints and critiques that show her true nature.
Miss Strangeworths thoughts and feelings are sometimes shared by the omniscient
narrator, and it is during these moments that the reader can begin identifying her specific brand
of evil. For example, during her encounter with Miss Chandler; Miss Strangeworth noticed that
Miss Chandler had not taken much trouble with her hair, and sighed. Miss Strangeworth hated
sloppiness (Jackson, 345). This is an early example of foreshadowing, and it shows the reader
just how nosy and critical Miss Strangeworth can be. In this and many other occasions, the
reader notices how receptive she is of others problems, and how she continuously makes
assumptions and judgments about other peoples lives. Most of the time Miss Strangeworth
refrains from making her observations public, meaning only the reader gets to see what is really
going on insider her mind. Another instance of dramatic iron occurs while she is talking with
Miss Harper; she is thinking how Martha Harper was not as young as she used to be, Miss
Strangeworth thought. She could probably use a good, strong tonic (Jackson, 344). This quote
further shows just how obvious Miss Strangeworths critical tendencies were, and how these

negative thoughts constantly plagued her mind. Essentially, the authors use of dramatic irony to
further develop Miss Strangeworths character brilliantly gives the reader ominous clues as to
what this seemingly innocent woman could be hiding.
Through Miss Strangeworths character, the author is trying to convey the idea that looks
can be deceiving. He successfully achieves this by sharing some of Miss Strangeworths darkest
thoughts and feelings, which are not accessible to the other residents of Pleasant Street. The
constant dramatic irony during these brief encounters is used effectively to foreshadow Miss
Strangeworths brand of evil, to which the reader has a first-row seat. The underlying message
ultimately leaves the reader with the sense of distrust of the world, a place where even the most
innocent-looking old ladies can hide skeletons in their closets.