Analysis Of The Monkey's Paw And The Third Wish

The night is crisp and black as the moon lets off an eerie glow, leaves rustle and fall somewhere in the distance. A silhouette dwarfs the blackberry bush in the corner as one’s footsteps refrain, they move closer; you run. Suspense is a state of tension and anxiety which was used in the sentence above and is common in books and short stories. In the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W Jacobs suspense is created in a variety of ways. Jacobs demonstrates this by using foreshadowing, conflict and surprise endings.

Greed is a sin of excess that every single human being has at least a little bit of. When someone has the opportunity to get as much of something as they possibly can, they will go to great lengths to get everything out of it. In the story “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W. W. Jacobs, the White family experiences a big test of greed, and they even tamper with their fate to get it. Before the Whites even knew about the paw, they were living a normal, but decent, lifestyle that got them by day-to-day without any troubles. Once they received this one idol in their life that could grant any three wishes that they could possibly think of, their mind set was altered and their greediness to change their fate kicked into play. Jacobs uses themes of

     If one is making a wish then it must be a smart one or don't make one at all. Weeks after their son’s death Mrs. White thinks to use the monkeys paw. She suggests that her husband wish for their son to be alive again with their second wish. He raised his hand "I wish for my son alive again" (Jacobs 8). He made his son come back to life in the same way he was killed. To bring his son to life was a mistake because he does not know what he will be like when he's brought back. The first wish had a negative effect to getting the wish granted so it is only natural that the others will have some kind of consequence to them. To use the monkey's paw again to wish for Herbert to be alive after the talisman had killed him was the biggest mistake. Wishing their son back from the dead will probably result in he not being the same person that he once was. Making a reckless wish to try and make up for the mistake that had been caused by the first wish was a total and utter waste. If Mr. White had listened to the warning that was given to him he wouldn’t have had so much anguish.

White wished for 200 pounds because Morris warned of the consequences so they wished for something that wasn’t insane but wasn’t small. This greed for money caused consequences. “Herbert says, ‘Why, we’re going to be rich, and famous, and happy. Wish to be an emperor, Father, to begin with; then you can’t be henpecked.’” In this sentence, you see that Herbert was already being greedy with the paw as soon as they acquired it. He was trying to use it to his advantage and abuse the power of the paw. The whites wish for 200 pounds and it came true which was good, but there was also a negative consequence. With the good there was also the bad. The wish for 200 pounds came true, but the money came because their son died. He had died from a machine accident at work that day and they got money because the company didn’t want them to sue so they payed compensation for his death. The wish they made with the Monkey’s Paw had come true, but killed

From ending up dead to killing your own son, wishes can have some extreme consequences. After reading “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” it is clear that they are similar and different in many ways. Both Characters learn lessons that are very important to their current situation. However, the two characters get their wishes in two different ways. Although they are two different stories, we can still easily compare and contrast them.

Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions.

In the story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, the author uses irony to highlight how important it is to be happy with what you already own, and to not want things that you don't really need. After the White’s family learns about the wishing abilities of the Monkey’s Paw, but also are given a warning not to use at as it is evil, Mr.White proceeds to wish for a good deal of money and uses one of the paws three

Imagery is used very often in “The Third Wish”. Joan Aiken frequently uses imagery in his writing piece. Imagery can describe how the man wants things he does not need and takes things others do not want. Joan Aikens shows his use with Imagery in certain ways that help prove his theme and help readers get a better understanding of the theme and purpose of his writing. One piece from the text on page (105) is, “He stooped down and kissed her goodbye, then took another leaf from his notecase, blew it out of the window, and used up his second wish. Next moment instead of Leita there was a sleeping swan lying across the bed with it’s head under it’s wing,” This piece of evidence from Aiken’s piece shows that not everybody wants what you want, and just because you want it does not mean you need it. The wife that the man was granted with, was living a miserable life while she was his wife as a human, because that time was spent doing whatever the man wanted her to do. Another piece from the text that shows imagery is, “But I miss the old life in the forest, the cool grass and the mist rising off the river at sunrise and the feel of the water sliding over my feathers as my sister and I drifted along the stream” (105). This piece of evidence shows that not everyone around the man wants exactly what he does. His unwilling wife was miserable while doing exactly what Mr. Peters asked for. The man did

Things that we take for granted are the things that Jacob struggles with the most. For example, when Jacob was little, it was extremely hard for him to be in a loud room and socialize with other kids. Now that he’s fifteen he’s able to play basketball in front of large crowds at the Special Olympics games. It may not sound like a lot, but it is a huge accomplishment for Jacob.

Throughout the novel Jacob changes a lot, he goes from the quiet one to a leader for his friends, Jacob’s actions proves that he changes, from Jacob’s change he learns he is really loyal to all his friends, he cares for each one of them.

The Monkey’s paw by W. W. Jacobs is an eerie short story about a son who dies in a horrific way and a family who wants to bring him back. It focuses on an enchanted monkey’s paw that grants three wishes. The paw was enchanted by an old fakir that wanted to prove that fate controlled life and going against it would only lead to regret and sorrow. This plot point can be noted as an underlying theme, but the main theme is “be careful what you wish for, because you might get it”. While this story is superb, a question comes to mind: Would could be learned from this short story?

Jacobs allows many elements, actions, and quotes to show the true theme of the story. Two themes of this story are, again, to be careful of what you wish for, but also be grateful for what you do have rather than what you don’t. For example, after being told to wish for something sensible, the author allows Mr. White to wish for 200 pounds, or 200 dollars, to pay for his house. Little did he know, he would receive the money, but it will cause his only son to be killed in an accident. Another quote W.W Jacobs uses near the end of the story is “He was caught in the machinery...He was badly hurt, but he is not in pain.” This quote shows that the first but most extreme consequence has been made over a wish that was most likely

What would a typical person do if they had three wishes and knew that there would be a price that they would have to pay in order for them to fulfill their wishes? This is the question that overcomes the main characters, Mr. White and Mr. Peters, in the stories “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken. In these two stories, two men were allowed to create three wishes each and had consequences that followed, therefore, they learned a valuable lesson about life.

When you make wishes, you have to pay for the outcome. Sargent Major Moris wanted to destroy the monkeys paw at the Whites house. he told them that the monkeys paw granted wishes at a huge price, but they decided to use it anyways ultimately paying the huge price. the suspense builds as the prices are paid for each wish. Herbert

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