...In the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw” written by W. W. Jacobs, which is a story playing a game of fate and chance. The story has one to believe that a person’s life is destined by fate but in the same time interfered with one’s sorrow. The dirty paw which belongs to a monkey had unusual controlling type of powers. The author provides the audience with many details that alluring fate by making three wishes to the monkey’s paw would be a mistake, not a reward. The story starts off with the characters playing a game of chess adding their own spin to the game with the rule being once a move is made, it cannot be undone. With the game of chess the outcome results are determined by the moves made by each player. When one would make a wish by the lucky charm the wish could not be underdone like the rule pertaining to chess. The first player has made his three wishes with one of those wishes being death. “The first person of the monkey’s paw had wished for death in order to cancel out his first two wishes that he had made. Referring to the game of chess, the writer adds that the father, Mr. White just made a serious mistake which had resulting in the son’s victory. One may not know that this was only the beginning for more foretelling events to come. Fate plays an interesting role as the story begins to unfold. A flash back to the game of chess, Mr. White’s fate was to find a way to interfere with fate. The game of chess showed that his one bad move resulted in a bad judgment call...
Words: 848 - Pages: 4
...In the short story The Monkey’s Paw written by W.W Jacobs there are a lot of themes, the one I feel is the most important theme is be careful what you wish for and do. I say this because there is a lot of irony and suspense. The irony in this story was an example of when Mr.White wanted Herbert back and then he secretly wished for him back without thinking, this was ironic. The suspense in this story builds up when you find you find out that Herbert was wished away to not be alive then at the last second Mrs.White wishes him away. I think these literary devices help build the theme because the irony shows Mr.white making a wish and he wasn’t thinking and later regretting it. He raised his hand, I wish my son alive again”. This is an example of how Mr.White wished for his son to be alive again, he did this impulsively....
Words: 514 - Pages: 3
...Artists creates different styles in their songs, just like when authors create different tones and other things to get the reader attention. The Monkey’s Paw was about a paw that was cursed and had three wishes. Due to W. W Jacob strong language the reader can get glimpse of what the theme is or might be. You get what you ask for is a theme Jacob develops in the Monkey’s Paw through his use of irony, tone and comparison. W. W Jacob uses tone, in the story Monkey’s paw to show that people get what they ask for. The characters throughout the passage comment, on many problems and occasions. The reader can come up with many descriptions about the characters, based on the tone. The narrator claims ” well it just might be of what you call magic ” (Jacob 88). Based on his strong use of language, the reader can realize that he is...
Words: 740 - Pages: 3
...The Monkey’s Paw Character Analysis The Monkey’s Paw is a famous and suspenseful story about the White family and their naive and foolish father, Mr. White. Sergeant-Major Morris, a visitor, warned White about the encursed talisman. Mr. White wasn’t on the same road as Morris, but then Morris “suddenly threw it upon the fire” and Mr. White went diving for it (Jacobs 3). Seeing this in one’s mind can lead them to the idea that Mr. White wants the paw dearly. Mr. White is easily persuaded by his son to make the first wish, which is to pay off the house with £200. This is shown early in the story, when Mr. White’s son, Herbert, says the White family would be “rich, famous, and happy” (Jacobs 3), though Mr. White states, “I don’t know what to wish...
Words: 275 - Pages: 2
...Disguise and Revision Has a person ever wondered how a horror tale and folklore could ever possibly be akin each other? Look no further, here is the paper about horror and folklore being similar. “The Monkey’s Paw”, a horror novella written by W.W Jacobs, is about a small household of a son, a mother, and a father that acquire a mysterious artifact (A Monkey’s Paw) that can grant three wishes to three men. After making their first wish and seeing the outcome, they wonder if changing their destiny with their wishes was a good idea at all. “Aunty Misery”, by Judith Ortiz Cofer, is a short story about a woman who makes a wish for children to stop plucking the pears off from her pear tree. Though the...
Words: 1231 - Pages: 5
...Introduction: “The Monkey’s Paw” is a short story that was written by W.W. Jacobs. The story is based on a mysterious talisman that is supposed to grant three wishes, but it turns out to be more than the White family bargained for. The events that occur in the story give it an eerie and suspenseful mood. Although it was also published into a video and a play, the video gives it a larger sense of mystery through the different scenes that it shows. Based on three major events in the storyline, the video does a better job of giving the viewers a more broad understanding of what’s happening, and it also leaves viewers on the edge of their seats wanting more. The video adaptation of “The Monkey’s Paw” enhances the suspense of the original story because of the interesting events that happen within the story. Body:...
Words: 541 - Pages: 3
...While a lot of people say that humans are naturally curious, “The Monkey’s Paw” proves that the situation in that story is because of greed. The story is about an elderly couple and their son, and the trials they went through because of being overly greedy and the effect it had on them. Because of greed, they went through a lot of heartache and suffering. First of all, when they asked for money, as it says in the story “ “Well, wish for two hundred pounds, then; that’ll just do it.” “, it was pure greed. They did not need this money because they had already paid off the house, so they wanted money mainly to have it. That was not curiosity, only greed. Second, when they wished again for their son to be alive again, that was greed as well....
Words: 269 - Pages: 2
...In the two stories, "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl and, "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W Jacobs, there are similarities and differences. During the reading of the two it is possible to see things that can relate to both stories, but one can also see things that are completely different. Even without delving deeper into the plot it is possible to see things that can relate to both. Comparing and contrasting the setting, characters (the landlady and Mrs. White to be specific), and the mood was fascinating because both were written so well. First off, comparing the two was quite simple because they are both set between the 1960's to the 1970's, although the monkey's paw is set in the woods, the White's house, and mostly at night, the landlady was set...
Words: 690 - Pages: 3
...Do you like the feeling of suspense? Suspense draws us in and makes us want to go on, to find out what is going to happen. Many authors use suspense to urge readers to continue reading. In the stories "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Monkey's Paw" the authors use cause and effect to create suspense for the readers. What cause and effect relationships happen in “The Monkey’s Paw”? In the story, the White family obtain an enchanted monkey’s paw when they have Sergeant-Major Morris over to their house, and he explains to them that the paw is cursed, but they take it anyway. They then wish for two hundred pounds, and later get it, because their son had an accident at work and passed away. The monkey’s paw always grants the person who owns it what they ask for but often in different ways than...
Words: 610 - Pages: 3
...how would you like everything you wished for with out know there was a catch attached to it . for example in the store monkey's paw it shows a dark ,and evil side by showing that temptation can lead to greed and a form a kind of karma from gaining one thing important to losing something you love the next. Like in the story herbert wished for two hundred pounds ,but didn't realise he be losing something worth more than money when he gain money. They also show darkness with them explaining the way the setting is in the story and by adding sound to see or feel what the character is feeling . The monkey's paw show a sort of karma by each event showing something going wrong for each time there was a wish something unfortunate happens. like for...
Words: 358 - Pages: 2
...The Monkey’s Paw, by W.W. Jacobs, is a dramatic story about how one family comes into the possession of a seemingly harmless yet powerful antique from India. With this premise, Jacobs was able to effectively set the stage for his story and the idea he wanted to convey. Through the characters’ actions, thoughts and the plot, he revealed man’s desires. The actions of the story’s characters, particularly those of Mr. and Mrs. White. When Morris, the soldier, tries to try throw the Monkey paw into the fire after telling the Whites about it, Mr. White, “...with a slight cry, stooped down and snatched it off.” At this point, Mr. White doesn’t even know if the paw grants wishes yet he saves it from the fire. This moment is a representation of man’s...
Words: 455 - Pages: 2
...carries a certain theme. The story “The Monkey's Paw,” is about a sergeant who came to a family's home and gave them a supposedly cursed monkey’s paw that could grant three wishes. The family decided to take advantage of this opportunity, so they selfishly and thoughtlessly wished for wishes that would solely benefit them. In “The Monkey’s Paw,” many themes are portrayed, which include “be careful what you wish for,” “make sure to wish specifically so nothing backfires and is misjudged,” “greediness almost always leads to terrible consequences,” and many more. Nevertheless, the most powerful and common theme portrayed in this story is “one careless thought can lead to huge consequences.” To support this theme and idea, one piece of evidence found in the text was the area of the story where Sergeant-Major Morris warned the Whites that the use of the Monkey’s Paw is extremely dangerous and it should not be done. ““If you’ve had your three wishes, it’s no good to you now, then, Morris,” said Mr.White. “The Sergeant took the paw, and dangling it between his front finger and thumb, suddenly threw it upon the fire. White, with a slight cry, stooped down and snatched it.” “Better let it burn,”...
Words: 1000 - Pages: 4
...would you still consider using something evil, even though someone already warned you about the dangers that will come? If you would still accept it what would you wish for? What would you do if things don’t turn out how you thought it was going to be? So would you or would you not accept the artifact? In the popular story “the monkey’s paw” by W.W Jacobs a family is broken apart after they are given a cursed talisman that grants you wishes. But little of what they know that every wish would have a bad consequence. Mr. White friend major Morris has given them the paw to make wishes but explain to them that the paw is evil and they shouldn’t have helped. The evidence will show that major Morris is responsible for Herbert’s death. He...
Words: 419 - Pages: 2
...Throughout the tale of The Monkey’s Paw, the weather, similar sinister contrasts in atmosphere, death and fore-shadowing in the re-incarnation of another, are constantly intertwined to provide the perfect detail in aspect of tension and horror surrounding ‘The Monkey’s Paw.’ The use of such outlooks creates an in-sight into the life of the White family without necessarily stating the obvious, allowing us to understand their undulating journey through mystery and misery combined. Weather and overall environment play a huge role in this somewhat staged life belonging to the White family. As soon as you commence scrutinizing the first page, without having even to deduce the sly connotations imprinted, the weather springs out in your mind to set the ideal scene: darkness, dreariness and death. From the very first to the very last, contrast is used to constantly unsettle your mind, most specifically in the turbulent weathering systems: “Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnum Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly.” The striking definition and distinction betwixt both internal and external night ‘life’ is most certainly one of eeriness. The hostility of a stormy night that is almost automatically referenced to the damp and bitterness of the evening creates an apprehension of misfortune and death; the era in which the novel was written was also one of suspicion and most likely would have regarded such a night to be as arid...
Words: 980 - Pages: 4
...Tempting Fate Throughout the short story “The Monkey’s Paw”, the idea of magic, wishes and fate are casually introduced by Jacobs. Fate is a development of events that is beyond a person’s control and is predetermined by supernatural powers. Jacobs raises a genuine chill by underplaying the threats that will arise when tempting fate. Through greed, and supernatural events Jacobs weaves a tale to show that fate rules people’s lives and that those who interfere with it will suffer the consequences. The idea that the monkey’s paw is of supernatural origin is first brought to light by the sergeant-major who informs the White Family that “It has a spell put on it by an old fakir a very holy man” (Jacobs 2) which allows three wishes to be made by three separate men. The Sergeant-Major continues to tell the White family that the monkey’s paw has supernatural powers, he foreshadows through the words “He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow” (Jacobs 2). Through this quote, “The ominous threat of the paw is presented” (Brantingham). The Sergeant-Major warns the White family that wishing on the monkey’s paw and changing their destiny will not appeal to the supernatural world and they will suffer the consequences. Continuing on with the idea of the supernatural, there are a few instances within the short story that support the idea of the monkey’s paw coming from an uncanny universe. The first instance is that everything...
Words: 911 - Pages: 4
