Mr. White Was Responsible For The Monkey's Paw

Every year movies come into theaters that are based on popular books and stories. In these movie blockbusters, the general ideas are the same as in the written stories, but the details may contrast from the original plot in the text. In the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw” written by W. W. Jacobs, circles around the idea that this paw of monkeys' holds a special capability to grant three wishes to the person who receives the paw. Coming from India, Sergeant-Major Morris visits the White family and brings the intriguing paw with him. Explaining its purpose and use to them, they are all very fascinated with the idea of what potential power it holds within. Disregarding the warning Sergeant-Major Morris supplied, Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds in the short story, and 300 pounds in the cinematic production.. The consequences would soon become known and affect the White’s stable lives forever. Two other wishes are made to try to reverse the repercussions of the first wish, leaving the White family in despair. When comparing two tellings of the same story there may be many similarities and differences that emerge, providing distinct examples of what is relatively the same and what is definitely not.

Norma is someone who cares about what is going on back home when she is not around. The quote, “She would drive a hundred miles round-trip to visit tribal elders in the nursing homes in Spokane.” (pg 67) shows that she went out of her away to go back home to spend time with the people of her tribe. And because it is obvious that she cares for the reservation, my group created a status update of her resharing the nursing home’s post about someone dying and her writing about how she travelling home to visit the nursing home and saying something nice for the man that died.

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.

He then tells the story. Morris says that the paw was evil, and that fate could rule people s lives if they toyed with their fate. He throws the paw into the fireplace, only for Mr. White to immediately take it out, ignoring the story. The fakir s point was proven when Herbert was brought back to life, Mr. White wanting to change his life by making a wish on the monkey s paw, and finally, Sgt. Major Morris: The story about the talisman coming true.

Have you ever wondered if wishes could be granted? If you have, you probably thought of everything you could get with them. Being rich, unlimited wishes, fame etc. Well in “The Monkey’s Paw,” written by W.W Jacobs, you wouldn’t want to make a wish. This story takes place in England. In this story, a family named the whites has a chance to increase their fortunes with an magical object, a monkey’s paw. This magical paw from India has the power to grant three wishes from three separate men, the downside of this paw was that the wisher would have to pay the price. The simpson’s give the same message in their parody, but in a way different way. In the parody, it imitates “The Monkey’s Paw,” in a dramatic way. The parody takes place on a halloween night, but in a dream. Homer finds a magical monkey’s paw at a shop that has the power to grant four wishes. As you can already see, even though the parody gives the same message, it has it’s own differences to the original story as well. These two versions share both differences and similarities.

In The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs, the reader experiences the greed of the White family and the consequences they are faced with as the White family uses the Monkey Paw for unneeded resources. Herbert is the one who urges his family to use the monkey paw and its powers, and he later loses his life because of it. Some people may think that Sergeant Major Morris is to blame for the consequences of the Monkey’s Paw because he is the one who gave it to the White family. “Hold it up in your right hand and wish aloud, said the sergeant-major, but I warn you of the consequence. ”(Jacobs 2)

I remember when my family got a phone call saying that my first cousin had just died. The whole family was devastated when we all got together. By using the paw Mr. White family was devastated as well. I am sure his family wish Mr. White didn’t have the “Monkey’s Paw.” My family can relate because we all wished he would of went home instead of going to Jackson.

Who was at fault for the consequences and wishes of the Monkey's Paw? In the short story Monkey's Paw, the whites were visited by a family friend one night by Sergeant-Major Morris when he also brought a monkey's paw. When he had given the monkeys to the whites, they used it as a way of greed for wealth which had caused consequences for them. If Sergeant-Major Morris had never brought the paw there would have never been consequences for the whites which is why Sergeant-Major Morris is at fault for the consequences of the monkey's paw. One of the reasons that Sergeant Major Morris is at fault for the bad wishes and consequences of the Monkey's paw, is how he decided to give the paw to the whites even when he knew it was bad luck.

The narrator is then told that his gift is a “badge of office.” To him, this makes the gift appear as something very official and honorable, as though it is a badge of his recognition, stating that he “felt an importance that [he] had never dreamed.” The irony here is that this “badge of office” exists as nothing more than another tactic of the whites to emphasize the power that they hold over the narrator: the narrator's “office” is that of the obedient black man, his boss a white man.

The beginning of the story takes place in the living room of the White family’s home where they sat around the fire while Elizabeth White knitted and the father and son enjoyed a game of chess. This was a clear indication that this story took place in an earlier time where families did not have the entertainment resources of modern time. W.W. Jacobs did a great job of presenting the experience of life within that time period as he emphasized traditional family life within the story from the hospitality shown to the family’s guest and throughout the story. Upon the arrival, it was clear that the night was cold and windy as the family waited listening to the sounds of the rumbling winds. Finally, sergeant major Morris came in and was greeted by ways of a seat and a glass of whiskey. As the White family begin to question the sergeant major and his adventurous journey through India, the story goes from the living room setting into his mind as he begin to reminisce. As he began to explain and get on the subject of the Monkey Paw, he starts to tell how he encountered it and Jacobs does a great job of creating the picture within the mind of the reader indicating the horrific event that took place. By this point the reader should be with the impression that, no good should come of the Monkey Paw and this is what helps to create the well thought out plot of the

Picture this, Davie standing there, defenseless, a man pulling a gun out, ready to shoot him. Suddenly there is a gunshot from the bushes and a bullet bounces at the mans feet. Alan and Davie start to run. The man chases them and soon there is another gunshot from the bushes, and the man has been shot in the back. Everyone starts to run… This a scene that the movie Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson contains and the book does not.. The movie contains many different setting changes which makes it both similar and different to the book Due to the movie containing details that the book lacked, the movie Kidnapped is better than the book.

Max Weber has studied and presented work that falls under symbolic interactionism, conflict, and functionalism theoretical models. He focused on social behaviors, ideal types, and relationships, all which help shape society and were studied at a macro level. One of his goals was to seek how systems of class and status brought about social change. This social change is caused by stratification and the legitimacy of the existing system. Max Weber argued that social class was three dimensions of stratification, which are class status and power.

     Another similarity portrayed between Monkey’s world and human civilization are the values and the customs they hold. Chinese moral values are deeply incorporated into the world of Monkey. One lesson represented is the loyalty to one’s family which is a very important part of Chinese culture. The vengeance of a father by his son is twice seen with Tripitaka and King Crow-cock. The audience can relate much better and understand the circumstances, because the same values hold true in human’s life. The author intentionally makes the setting parallel to the ordinary life of humans even though it seems like Monkey’s world is extraordinary.

A man lost all of his money in all of his investments after winning the lottery. That’s the one coincidence people don’t expect because they believe once you gain wealth you can not lose it. The man decided that he had a chance in earning even more money so he took it and lost. Greed is an unnecessary risk to earn more than one could possibly need. All throughout history, people have taken chances with greed such as using cursed artifacts such as Mr. White and the monkey’s paw in the story,”The Monkey’s Paw,” working as hard as possible to get promotions for their jobs such as Tom Benecke in the short story, “The Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets,” and taking risky chances to get land such as Pahóm in the short story, “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” Greed caused people to lose what they loved most.

Murder. Blood. A suspecting officer. A paranoid criminal. These are all ingredients that bring intrigue and suspense to short stories. One short story writer who uses these elements is the famous Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson once said that “Life is a perpetual instruction in cause and effect” (“Life Is a Perpetual Instruction in Cause and Effect.). Short story writers are skillful creators of suspense through their use of characterization, plot, and tension. This cadre of writers includes Edgar Allen Poe and WW Jacobs. The “Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs are two short stories in which the authors demonstrate how cause-and-effect relationships build suspense for the reader.