Literary Analysis Of Monkey's Paw

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

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.

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).

“The Monkeys Paw” is a heavy gothic short story that teaches a grave lesson. This story is jam-packed with foreshadowing and irony. It also teaches the important lesson on being grateful for what you have, and to be careful for what you wish for.

Published in September 1902, “The Monkey’s Paw,” written by WW Jacobs, used a variety of literary elements to convey horror, suspense, and tension throughout the story. The story is a mystical tale of three different people granted three different wishes by a cursed monkey’s paw. The use of foreshadowing pulled the reader into the dark and cold night when Sergeant Major-Morris visits the White’s home, and told them of the tale of the monkey’s paw and tries to destroy it by throwing it into the fire. Mr. White retrieved the paw and kept it for his own personal use. The use of the wishes from the paw came at a great cost to the family. In W. W. Jacob's, "The Monkey's Paw," he illustrated foreshadowing, imagery, and fate as a theme; thus, it

Every person has an imagination, whether it is very active or rarely shows itself; it has the ability to distort truths and lies. The short story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” follows the White family. They gain a mummified monkey’s paw, which is believed to grant wishes that leave with terrible consequences. The first wish the Whites make is for two hundred pounds, which results in the death of their only son, Herbert. Through fallacy and grief the Whites’ imaginations take control. In the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” author W.W Jacobs uses setting and characterization to suggest that the Whites’ misfortune is not because of the magic of the monkey’s paw, but due to coincidence and their over-active imaginations.

How can people best respond to conflicts is a question commonly asked by people going through a difficult situation without any knowledge of how to respond properly to a certain conflict. The reality is: there is no solid answer to this question. It all depends on what your conflict is, and of course in what position you are. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a conflict is an active disagreement, as between opposing opinions or needs[1], and according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary the definition of conflict is: a struggle for power[2] , so without a doubt, what people want as a result in a conflict is to have power over the problem, to have control.

In the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw”, author W.W. Jacobs portrays the human condition by utilizing the literary devices of foreshadowing, symbolism, and conflict.

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?

Life Lessons in “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken

Protologue to The monkey's paw The Monkey’s Paw Boom! Joe ran over to the monkey, throbbing in pain on the ground. The monkey tried to get up and escape but Joe put his boot on him before the monkey could leave. He dragged the monkey over to his cart and put it in the basket.

Have you ever dreamed of being able to obtain everything you wish for or have a good luck charm that will help you get everything you have dreamed of? There is a famous saying: “Be careful what you wish for”. In the story “The Monkey’s Paw”, by W.W. Jacobs, this saying is very well represented in the plot and in the characters. The family constantly wished for things that at the end, don’t turn out to be what they expected. “The Monkey’s Paw” revolves around a real monkey paw, which the family believed had magical powers.

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.

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

The story ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by W.W. Jacobs best fits the horror genre because of the unknown, unbelieveable, and the unstoppable. The unknown is the suspense that drives our imaginations to start drawing conclusions and, begin forming an ending to the story. The unbelievable is how beyond belief something is such as a man saying a giant frying pan will crush the city in one hour, it's beyond belief and doesn’t fit our expectations. The unstoppable is where you cannot change anything so you try to avoid it as much as possible, such as death, humans cannot escape death so we try to avoid it as much as possible, like height, drowning, planes, car crashes, etc. The elements of horror go on but these three are what makes this scary story.