Miss Strangeworth's town is clean, orderly and well-presented. In the opening paragraph, for example, a heavy night of rain has made the town look "washed and bright." On Pleasant Street, Miss Strangeworth's house has a "washed white look" and a "neat" garden. Even the Post Office is immaculately presented: the narrator describes it as "shiny" with "red brick and silver letters."
In describing the town, Bowen creates strong images of cleanliness and brightness. These images reflect Miss Strangeworth's desire to keep the town free from evil influences. For Miss Strangeworth, keeping the town "clean and sweet" is the only way to prevent "lustful" and "degraded" people from ruining what she believes to be her town.
In the final lines of the story, however, the image of the town is changed dramatically when Miss Strangeworth receives the news that her roses, a symbol of the town's purity, have been destroyed. This act also demonstrates the story's greatest irony: that Miss Strangeworth's poison pen letters have created the very evil which she sought to prevent.
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