Examples Of Dramatic Irony In The Possibility Of Evil

Irony
“The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.” -Robert A. Heinlein. In the short story, “The Possibility of Evil”, the author Shirley Jackson uses irony to develop the traits of the protagonist, Miss Strangeworth, in her small hometown. Throughout the story, there are many examples of irony as Miss Strangeworth goes through her normal day. Irony is an engaging literary device used by authors to expose underlying intentions which become critical to the development of the plot.
The author uses situational irony throughout the story to show underlying traits of Miss Strangeworth. For example, when Miss Strangeworth starts writing her rumor-filled anonymous letters, “Although Miss Strangeworth’s desk held a trimmed

For instance, when Miss Strangeworth gets to her house,“She decided that she would like to write another letter, perhaps to Mrs. Harper...Miss Strangeworth never concerned herself with facts; her letters all dealt with the more negotiable stuff of suspicion” (347). Dramatic irony is shown through the quote because Mrs. Harper and other people that receive Miss Strangeworth’s letters don’t know that it is her. In addition, the letters aren’t factual but are rather based off of rumors, thus making them only to stir up conflicts. Miss Strangeworth is a gossip and troublemaker as shown through her actions. Her underlying characteristics develop the central conflict in the plot. Also, when Miss Strangeworth goes to mail her anonymous letters, “The third caught on the edge and fell outside, onto the ground at Miss Strangeworth’s feet… “It’s for Don Crane,” the Harris boy said, “this letter. She dropped a letter addressed to Don Crane. Might as well take it on over.”...they wandered off down the dark street, the Harris boy carrying Miss Strangeworth’s pink envelope in his hand. Miss Strangeworth awakened the next morning with a feeling of intense happiness and, for a minute, wondered why, and then remembered that this morning three people would open her letters” (350). Miss Strangeworth didn’t know that she dropped the letter, and the characters don’t know what the contents of the envelope are; by giving it to Don Crane,