“The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs

 

Summary

“The Monkey Paws” is a haunting tale of a family that is given three wishes by a magical paw of a monkey. All desires are accompanied by horrible results. Mr. White, who desires money, dies in an accident when his son Herbert dies. The family comes to another wish on how to bring Herbert back through the influence of grief but they soon find out that there are things to be left alone.

 

Characters:

•         Mr. White- The father who has owned the monkey paw and admits the wishes.

•         Mrs. White- his wife, who is desperate to have a reunion with her son.

•         Herbert White- Their happy son who dies with the initial wish.

•         Sergeant-Major Morris- They are introduced to the monkey paw through a friend of the family called Sergeant-Major Morris.

 

Plot Elements:

•         Exposition: The white family are seated in a stormy night when Sergeant-Major Morris comes to them and narrates to them about a magical monkey paw which has the power of three wishes.

•         Rising Action: Mr. White desires two hundred pounds. The following day Herbert is killed at a factory and the family gets the very sum of money as compensation.

•         Climax: Hearts broken, Mrs. White makes her husband make the second wish that Herbert be resurrected.

•         Resolution: When late at night something starts knocking at the door, Mr. White hastily uses the last wish. The knocking ceases and only silence and heartbreak is left behind.

 

Analysis

This is a darker, mysterious and suspense filled story. I also enjoyed the way W. W. Jacobs built up tension using such minor things as the bad weather, the silence of the world after the knocking, and the paw of the cursed monkey itself. All the events led to a terrifying and sad climax.

I believe that the primary theme of this story is, watch what you wish. The Whites believed that they could rule the fate, yet their insatiableness and sorrow became their only sufferings. I pitied them and Mrs. White in particular, who longed to see her son again. Another aspect that the story brought to my mind was how we desire things that we do not deserve.

The shocking conclusion was spooky and effective. Although we do not see the door behind, the suspense and fear make it memorable. The Monkey paws demonstrates that sometimes, attempting to alter fate may result in catastrophe, as well as the fact that certain wishes are indeed not to be fulfilled.