Miss Wormwood is Calvin's elderly world-weary teacher, named after the apprentice devil in C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. She perpetually wears polka-dotted dresses, and is another character who serves as a foil to Calvin's mischief. As Spaceman Spiff, Calvin sees Miss Wormwood as a monstrous alien, and as Stupendous Man, she is seen as the arch-nemesis 'Crab Teacher.' Although there is a definite progression of time in the Calvin and Hobbes universe, mainly exhibited by the changing seasons, Calvin (and Susie) return to Miss Wormwood's first-grade class every fall.