In "The Monkey's Paw”, author William Jacobs conveys the message that fate rules peoples' lives, and that those who try to interfere with fate do so at their own peril. This premise is clearly shown as the plot of this clever story unfolds. Sergeant Morris reluctantly gave Mr. White the monkey's paw, but warned him of the consequences. The White family playfully wished for two hundred pounds and when nothing happened immediately, they dismissed the sergeant's story as a fairy tale. However, the events of the next day show the cruel irony of the wish. A man from the company that the son, Herbert, worked for, arrived at the White's House with the terrible news that Herbert had been killed in an accident on the job. The man went on to say that
With Jacob’s overall message of the dangers of greed throughout the story, someone might perceive the natural eagerness to make one's life better a positive trait instead of a negative trait. However, the first sentence of “The Monkey’s Paw” is the quote “be careful what you wish for, you may receive it” written by Anonymous can be inferred that people can wish for anything they desire, but they are advised to think strongly about their wish. This is because when a wish becomes true it can either make life better, solving current/potential problems, or create a newer and larger problem causing a negative effect on the lives of others in addition to their own. Human nature's natural greed is the root cause of the misfortunes of the White family. Intrigued by the possibility of gaining three wishes, the White’s salivate over the possibility of attaining the monkey’s paw by trying to persuade Sergeant Morris to give it to them. In Part One of the story when Herbert notifies the family of the arrival of Sergeant-Major Morris, Mr. White rises quickly from his chair to open the door and proceeds to offer the guest whiskey in the hopes of loosening him up and make him vulnerable. It can be inferred that Mr. White is interested in attaining the monkey’s paw Sergeant-Major Morris has in his possession. The use of courtesy is just a disguise to take
The Cursed Talisman Is it possible to bring back the dead? W.W. Jacobs wrote a story called The Monkey s Paw, in which this question is answered. Mr. White, Mrs. White, Herbert, Sgt. Major Morris is the main character in the story. Morris gives the family a talisman known as the monkey s paw.
Fate shouldn’t be interrupted with, because those who did usually ended up sad and unhappy. That was what Mr. White and Mrs. White learned after receiving the cursed monkey’s paw. The paw was initially given to Sergeant Morris, but after using his 3 wishes he decided to show it to Mr. White. Unfortunately, he had no idea that this paw was extremely dangerous. The most responsible person for the tragic events resulted from the monkey’s paw was Mr.
Would you want three wishes to be granted to you? You probably said yes, but have you ever thought of anything that could go wrong with your three wishes? In W.W. Jacobs, “The Monkey’s Paw”, the story is about the White family who received a monkey’s paw that allows three wishes to be made. They find out that this monkey’s paw is one big troublemaker that causes havoc and unrest. Overall, “The Monkey’s Paw”, had very distinct and believable characters and a great plot that was fraught with danger and suspense.
The story begins on a rainy evening with Mrs. White, Mr. White, and their son Herbert gathered in the parlor. Mrs. White is sitting in her chair knitting as she looks on as her husband is losing to Herbert in a game of chess. From the inside, Mr. White can hear the footsteps of someone walking along their walkway and onto their porch. Mr. White immediately gets up to answer the door and is happy to see his longtime friend Sergeant-major Morris. Mr. White introduces Sergeant-major Morris to his wife and son and invites him into the parlor where they could have drinks. After a couple of drinks, Sergeant-major Morris begins entertaining the family about his adventures in India, when Mr. White
Suspense is essential to a horror story to keep the reader interested, and “The Monkey’s Paw” has an abundance of suspense. Much of the suspense comes from the question of whether the monkey’s paw will work, and how. Sergeant-Major Morris, who gives the monkey’s paw to the White family, tells them the wishes come true in a way that might be considered a coincidence. Morris also says another man had three wishes, and his third wish was to die. This shows the monkey’s paw will not grant wishes in a cheerful fairy tale way. Additionally, the reader has to wait almost half the story before the monkey’s paw clearly works. Suspense is also built on
In the story, The Monkey’s Paw by WW Jacobs, the author explores the theme of the consequences of interfering with fate. , a sergeant comes to a family's home and tells them about the monkey, the monkey paw gives a man three wishes, sergeant wants to destroy the paw but the husband Mr. White decides to take it and use it , but in the end he messes with fate and kills his son.
Nothing comes easy to people, because working for something is better than wishing for something. In The Monkey’s Paw it just so happens to be that, The White family( Mr. White Mrs. White and Herbert White) gets a talisman from an old friend Sgt. Major Morris. He warns the family about the wishes that the monkey’s paw grants and to be careful what you wish for. The White family overlooks the warning and wishes for something that will comeback to be bad for them. This act of characterization shows that Circumstances influence human behavior.
“Greed and lust for something you don't need can lead to tragic consequences - Amoruso”. The story, The Monkey's Paws is about a magical, enchanted monkey's paw, that was given to Mr. and Mrs. White by Sergeant Major Morris. The Sergeant Major has explained to them that the paw had a spell cast. The Sergeant Major warns him about the consequences and then throws it into the fire but then Mr. White pulls it out. After The Sergeant left, Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds to pay off the house. The next day, the couple's son Herbert is killed in an accident at work, and the company pays the couple 200 pounds in compensation (Jacobs, 1-5), This connects to the theme of “Greed and lust for something you don't need can lead to tragic consequences -Amoruso” because the couple did not know what they were getting into but were willing to make a wish even though they did not need it. This theme is conveyed by the literate techniques of description and dialogue to accomplish the goals of creating a setting, building a modd, introducing the characters and building suspense.
Jacobs creates a sense of horror in ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by using a variety of literary techniques. As ‘The Monkey's Paw’ was written in 1902, Jacobs makes the story scary in ways that are very different to modern horror films and books. We can tell that the story was written in the early twentieth century as it contains many details that would have been common in Victorian literature. One of the most obvious features from ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ that tells us that the story was written over a century ago, is the old-fashioned language that Jacobs uses. The language used throughout the story contains words such as ‘rubicund’ and ‘visage’, which are not words that are commonly used today. Also, the fact that £200 was considered to be a lot of
“The Monkey’s Paw,” is a supernatural short story written by W.W Jacobs. The main character of this story is a man known as Mr. White. Mr. White is a rather old man, who becomes the owner of a cursed object that gives the story its name, the Monkey’s Paw. This paw that Mr. White finds himself in the possession of is one filled with amazing powers. This paw has the ability to grant the owner of it three wishes. These wishes of unlimited power, also have equal, or even more sinister consequences Mr. White struggles with the power of this paw throughout the story, to the point where it becomes the cause of his son’s death, and
Author W. W. Jacobs was born in Wapping, London, England in 1863 and died in 1943. His real name is William Wymark Jacobs; W. W. Jacobs is just initials of course. His father worked as a dockhand and wharf manager on the South Devon Wharf. His stories feature mariners working through wild adventures because he drew heavily on his father’s work. Jacobs is best known for his horror story The Monkey's Paw, his body of larger work is known for its humor. Jacobs was born an English writer rather than an American writer which I find interesting. He wrote the collection of Twenty Great American Stories.
“The Monkey’s Paw” is a suspenseful, fictional story by W.W Jacob that teaches the theme to be content with what you have and wish cautiously. The story begins with a cozy, peaceful setting - a fire burned brightly, father and his son were playing chess, and mother was knitting with tranquillity. Further into the story, the family obtains a magical monkey paw capable of granting three wishes to any three people at the cost of substantial consequence. The purpose of this paw was to teach not to interfere with fate, and those who do will suffer with regret. Mr. White’s wish for two hundred pounds is granted at the cost of his last son, Herbert, in addition to the relationship with his wife. Not only does “The Monkey’s Paw” efficiently deliver a tragic story, but it also uses story elements to convey a pivotal theme.
First of all, there was the story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W.W. Jacobs. The Whites were the perfect family, a father, mother, and son. The did not have much, but they were content with their lives. They accepted the reality they were in. That did not last. One day they received a gift from a friend, the Sergeant-Major, that could bend reality. Or at least, it seemed to. The gift was a paw, said to grant three wishes. As stated in the story, “It had a spell put on it by an old
White to rescue the paw from burning in the fire, but choosing to make a wish upon the paw was the most irrational move that he could have made. Before he makes his first wish, it was noticed that Mr. White was reluctant in using the paw. I believe he behaved in this manner because he was reflecting upon the mentioned dangers and consequences that was conveyed to him by S.M Morris and deciding whether it was worth the risk. He then proceeds to say, “I wonder whether we hadn’t better chuck it in the fire?...(Holds up the paw, as if half ashamed) I wish for two hundred pounds” (Jacobs 126). The first half of the quote displays Mr. White doubting his choice in saving the paw. I believe he behaved in this matter because it was a natural instinct for him to feel this way given all the warnings and advice he had received against it. In the second half of the quote, we witness Mr. White’s greed cloud his common sense as he chooses to shamefully wish for two hundred pounds despite knowing that there may be consequences in addition to his wish. I believe that if Mr. White had thought through his actions better and did not wish upon the cursed paw, the tragic death of his son would have never occurred. After all, it was this wish that tampered with the White family’s fate thus resulting in Herbert’s