Destiny And Fate In Short Story : Fate And Destiny

Free will is defined as acting without constraint of fate, as well as the acting at one’s own direction. Fate, however, correlates directly with the concept of destiny where one has no control over the events of one’s life. Therefore, it is argued that free will, rather than fate, determines the outcome of one's life, rather than fate. This is portrayed in the story “The Monkey's Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, as free will, although a struggle, determines the future of the White family. Mr. White, the patriarch of the White family, possesses a monkey’s paw said to offer the owner of the talisman three wishes.

W. W. Jacobs wrote the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” in 1902. A great number of adaptations of the story have since been created using different forms of media. The two which are being compared here are the play adaptation The Monkey’s Paw dramatized by Mara Rockliff and the 2011 film version The Monkey’s Paw by Ricky Lewis Jr. Both the play and film feature the White family receiving a monkey’s paw by which three wishes may be granted. The paw had a spell put on it by a holy man who wanted to show that fate rules people’s lives and that if people try to interfere, they will be sorry. The main differences between the play and the film are that film gives more background information about how and why the paw was obtained, uses more

In “The Monkey’s Paw,” the paw symbolizes temptation and greed which is a flaw in all human beings. It has the power to fulfill 3 wishes to 3 owners, making the use of it tempting to the person who owns it. As an instance, in the beginning of the story, Mr. White is very eager to have the paw when sergeant Morris takes it out; it is in human nature to continuously desire more that the possessions that one already owns which is caused by temptation and greed (the paw). The paw is also symbolically related to the snake in Adam and Eve as it leads Adam and Eve to destruction by using temptation to make them greedy. The message that is conveyed through the paw is that temptation to change one’s fate will end badly, no matter how small the wish might be (in the end the White family loses its only son).

In the story The Monkeys Paw by W.W Jacobs the central theme of the story would be do not tempt fate. This central message is shown by the tragic plot structure, the interpretation of the author’s message which is let fate decide; do not mess with fate and decide for it and lastly that bad fate leads to evil.

White after being given the power of the monkey’s paw. On page three in the story, the writer drops a small clue that describes Mr. White’s thoughts by showing his external facial features. “His father, smiling shamefacedly at his own credulity, held up the talisman, as his son (Jacobs 3)...” The description “shamefacedly” shows that Mr. White had a feeling of guilt for his doing, suggesting that there was a slight internal battle before his abuse of power that granted him his wish. This is all happening a moment before his first wish, showing that he had thought about the idea of exploiting the power coming from the talisman. Provided that Mr. White has not used the talisman yet, it can be seen that he does not feel wrongdoing from completing an action. Instead, the man is incorporating thought into his future actions. The character's thinking can only point to two different directions in the category of the monkey’s paw; he can use the monkey’s paw to wish or he can listen to Sergeant Major’s words and abstain the wish for 200 pounds. This is an internal conflict. The two sides consist of scruples and desire for power. The scruples is the moral consciousness inside of Mr. White’s head telling him to stay away from the monkey’s paw. Opposing this force, is the desire for power that is telling the old man that his inclination is to wish for something greedy. Given all these points, the conclusion can be

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

Although several aspects of life are predetermined, there are moments people have control over their fate. For example, no one has control over death, and even though many refuse their undeniable fate, it cannot be avoided. However, there are choices we make that mold our future, thus, changing our fate. On various occasions, there will be a fork in one’s path, and that person will have to choose which journey to take. In life, there are small, ineffective decisions you have to resolve, but there are also larger, life altering choices. Of course, others may feel the same way about fate, or entirely different. In fact, since the beginning of time, authors of literature have discussed their ideas on such matters, a few examples being Dr. Seuss, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allen Poe. These authors, famous for their thought provoking literary work, provide differing opinions on the fate and destiny of a human being through the use of allegory.

Fate is a mysterious force. There are the non-believers, saying that you are responsible for your actions and not controlled by this so called ‘destiny,’ able to change your life at any point you wish to. Demonstrated in stories such as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, these tales showcase how a crabby old miser and a mysterious man change the course of their futures. Meanwhile, there are many stories, myths, and even religions that emphasize how fate controls your life; that you are on a predestined path. Edgar Allen Poe seems to share this view on the subject. His short story, The Masque of the Red Death, exemplifies how no matter what you do to protect yourself, fate will find you and do its bidding. Despite his

Jacobs also uses symbolism to elaborate on the theme of the human condition. Jacobs uses several throughout the hectic timeline; the first symbol brought up being the fire. The White’s use the fire for warmth at the beginning of the story, but later, Sergeant Major Morris uses its flames to rid his hands of the corrupting paw. Mr. White is quick to retrieve the paw from the fire’s destruction despite the negative effects it has on the lives of its handlers. In an analysis of “The Monkey’s Paw”, it states, “Another common truth about the human condition is that people’s best qualities often turn out to be their worst,” (Chesterton 150). Similarly to the fire’s blaze being used as a source of comfort and to incinerate the evil paw, Mr. White’s reasonable curiosity leads him into a lethal predicament. Another symbol presented in the story is the monkey’s paw itself. The monkey’s paw reveals to the reader the aspect of aspirations. Sergeant Major Morris explains the origins of the paw and states, “[The fakir] wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and those who interfered with it did so to their own sorrow,” (Jacobs 378). It was the fakir’s goal to prove the desire for what one does not have that resides within the brain. This greed drives people into shameful situations. Fate can not be manipulated by humans, yet it is in our nature to at least try. An additional symbol that Jacobs uses is light. The story takes place during an evening storm, one deterring any possible shred of sunlight. As the story intensifies, Mr. White finds himself in a frantic situation where he drops a box of matches. In an alternate analysis of “The Monkey’s Paw”, it explains this event as this: “...this loss of light means they have lost their direction; that they have lost hope,” (Chesterton 152). As Mr. White desperately struggles to locate the box of matches in the dark of night, he has a gut-wrenching feeling that whatever is knocking on the door will be a horrific scene.

Mr. White took the paw out of the fire when Sergeant Major Morris threw it in the fire. Morris told him, “Better let it burn.” Mr. White insisted on keeping the monkey’s paw. Morris explained all the possible things that could go wrong. He tried telling Mr. White that the paw would literally give him what he asked for, even if it is not what he wanted. Even though he took the paw, he also made the wishes.

In the suspense story, The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs, the theme is don't mess with fate. For instance, when Mr. White ignores the sergeant on how he says "​but I warn of the consequences," which is foreshadowing that something could go wrong when Mr. White uses the monkeys paw. For example, that his first wish was for 200 pounds. This proves the theme because since Mr. White messed with fate, he lost his son in got 200 pounds for his death. Another example is when they wished their son back alive, he wasn't really functional. Also, he was more zombie like that human like. This illustrates that since they wished for their son to come back he was worse than before. He was better much dead and in a grave peacefully than walking around wholesomely.

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?

Taking place in a countryside home, W.W. Jacobs’s short story “The Monkey’s Paw” illustrates the White family’s two-day interaction with a seemingly innocent mummified monkey's paw. Each character presented in the short story represents natural human traits that can prove to be negative when greed and curiosity are involved. The use of symbolism throughout the story proves to be vital to the reader, as it allows him or her to understand the importance of every action done to the monkey’s paw has an opposite consequence. This correlates to everyone on Earth’s predetermined fate and the problems that an individual could face when greed overcomes their needs, even when it is for a better or worse life. When individuals are consumed by greed, like the White family, they must accept the consequences no matter how severe it is when it is something they truly seek in life.

Don’t attempt to change your fate, I’m warning you. “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Monkey’s Paw” are examples of why not to mess with your fate. In both stories, the characters attempted changing their fate and ends in a very bad outcome. The characters, both learned that if you try changing your fate there is going be a horrific consequence.

Next, I will be contrasting the differences between the way the characters use their wishes. I think Mr. White uses his wishes in a curious kind of way because he isn’t really sure whether The Monkey's Paw is real or fake. First Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds, and isn’t taking the paw seriously, so consequences are his son dies in a machinery