THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL BY SHIRLEY JACKSON CHARACTERIZATION

THE POSSIBILITY OF EVIL BY: SHIRLEY JACKSON

CHARACTERIZATION How good are you at judging people? What are some characteristics of evil? Are you confident you would recognize evil if you came face-to- face with it?

CHARACTER MOTIVATION Miss Strangeworth, the main character in the story you are about to read, is a sweet and gentle old lady- or is she? As you read the story, you will gradually discover her main character TRAITS. To understand Miss Strangeworth, you will also need to analyze her motivation & why she acts a certain way. To figure out a character's motivation, you often have to look for details in the story. As you read, consider the following: • the narrator's direct comments about a character's motivation • a character's actions, thoughts, and values • your own understanding of human behavior

METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION 1. Author’s direct comments about the character 2. The physical appearance of the character 3. The character’s own thoughts, speech, and actions 4. Other character’s reactions to and comments about the character

TARGETED PASSAGES (LINES 1 -22) How would you describe Miss Strangeworth physically? How would you characterize her? What type of town does she live in? How does she feel about her town?

MAKING INFERENCES How does Miss Strangeworth feel about her town? Why does Miss Strangeworth take time to greet so many people?

MAKING INFERENCES What can you infer from the way Mrs. Harper reacts to Miss Strangeworth’s comments?

TARGETED PASSAGE (LINES 89 -114) Why does miss Strangeworth tell Helen to apologize to her baby? What details does she notice about Billy Moore and Miss Chandler? Is Miss Strangeworth too concerned with things that are not her business? Explain

MAKING INFERENCES AND CHARACTER MOTIVATION What is Miss Strangeworth suggesting in this letter to Mrs. Harper? What moral issue does Miss Strangeworth claim motivates her letters? What other reason for writing the letters is given in the lines 180 -193? Why do you think Miss Strangeworth calls the letters she sends “trash”? If she sees them as trash, why does she send them?

TARGETED PASSAGE (LINES 161 -173) Why does Miss Strangeworth write her letters in childish block print? Think about Miss Strangeworth’s encounters in the morning. To whom is she sending her letter now? How does Miss Strangeworth feel about the letter?

Why would Miss Strangeworth be interested in whether Linda Stewart’s father looked troubles? Why does Miss Strangeworth mail her letters at night? What does the fact that Miss Strangeworth thinks of herself as “Miss Strangeworth of Pleasant Street” tell you about her? Do children seem to like her and think of her as a friendly old lady? How does Miss Strangeworth feel about the trouble she has caused Linda and Dave? Explain your answer

TARGETED PASSAGES (LINES 327 -344) Why does Miss Strangeworth awake feeling happy? Why is Miss Strangeworth surprised to receive a green letter in the mail? What happened to Miss Strangeworth’s roses?

AFTER READING Comprehension Questions 1 -4 Text Analysis Questions 6 -10 (Skip #5)