The Monkey's Paw Essay

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 W.W. Jacobs version, and the Simpson’s version of The Monkey’s Paw were both similar and different. For example, one difference is, in The Monkey’s Paw story by W.W. Jacobs, the wishes made all had bad outcomes. Specifically, In the W.W. Jacobs version, a man comes to their house and tells them Herbert died and they would be given, “[t]wo hundred pounds...” (Jacobs 174). This evidence proves, how the White family wished for two hundred pounds, then the received the two hundred pounds, at the cost of their son’s life. On the other hand, in The Simpson’s version, they became rich and famous from their wish. Overall, In the W.W. Jacobs version of The Monkey’s paw, the wishes all had very bad outcomes; but the Simpson’s version had fairly good

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.

White wishes for two hundred pounds, Herbert says that he doesn't see the money and he bets he never will. This was used to hint at what will happen later in the future, and it might lead the reader to question what Herbert means.

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

David Kherdian’s novel Monkey: A Journey to the West, begins with the creation story of Monkey. On the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, a magic stone is fertilized by the seeds of Heaven and Earth and is impregnated by divine inspiration. Following the embryonic stages of development, a stone egg is revealed. The stone egg instantly undergoes a physical transformation. “Once the egg was exposed to the elements, the wind soon transformed it into a stone monkey, complete in every way in all aspects of its being”(Kherdian 1). The stone monkey soon comes to life, explores his surroundings, and makes friends with other monkeys and other mammals. Monkey and his friends fool around in the forest and spot a curtain of water flowing from a waterfall.

White makes a wish he thought would be innocent and would benefit the family without listening to what Sargeant-Major Morris warned him about the deadly monkey´s paw. Later after he makes the wish, he finds out the monkey´s paw indeed worked, and the thing he wished for costed the life of his beloved son. Mr. And Ms. White, terrifies of the monkey´s paw, decide not to try it ever again. But Ms. White, inconsolable with her only child´s death, decides to take a risk and wish for her son to come back to life. Later at night, someone knocks harshly on the door and Mr. White, full of terror, uses the very last wish to disappear whatever was outside the door

Monkey: Journey to the West is a story of an adventure for enlightenment to India in order to find ancient Buddhist scriptures. The story consists of Chinese legends, tales, and superstitions. Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism play a huge role throughout this story. Monkey: Journey to the West is a story that discusses religion, and moral issues. The monkey acts the way he does due to underlying religious themes played throughout the story. At first understanding why the Monkey acts the way he does may seem difficult. However, after reading deeper through the story one learns that social satire in the Monkey is what gives him his rebellious personality. The end of the story reveals the hidden spiritual meaning behind the monkeys change in

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 1902, W.W. Jacobs wrote his first horror fiction short story, “The Monkey’s Paw” which focuses on the White Family receiving a mysterious monkey’s paw. At the beginning, the White family is anxiously awaiting the arrival of an old friend. Sergeant Major Morris finally arrives at the White’s family home and begins to tell stories about his adventures in India and Mr. White asks him about the monkey’s paw. Sergeant Major Morris warns Mr. White of the cursed monkey paw and suddenly throws it into the fire. Desperately, Mr. White retrieves the paw from the fire and wishes for two hundred pounds.

With Jacob’s overall message of the dangers of greed throughout the story, someone might perceive the natural eagerness to make one's life better a positive trait instead of a negative trait. However, the first sentence of “The Monkey’s Paw” is the quote “be careful what you wish for, you may receive it” written by Anonymous can be inferred that people can wish for anything they desire, but they are advised to think strongly about their wish. This is because when a wish becomes true it can either make life better, solving current/potential problems, or create a newer and larger problem causing a negative effect on the lives of others in addition to their own. Human nature's natural greed is the root cause of the misfortunes of the White family. Intrigued by the possibility of gaining three wishes, the White’s salivate over the possibility of attaining the monkey’s paw by trying to persuade Sergeant Morris to give it to them. In Part One of the story when Herbert notifies the family of the arrival of Sergeant-Major Morris, Mr. White rises quickly from his chair to open the door and proceeds to offer the guest whiskey in the hopes of loosening him up and make him vulnerable. It can be inferred that Mr. White is interested in attaining the monkey’s paw Sergeant-Major Morris has in his possession. The use of courtesy is just a disguise to take

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

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