The Monkey's Paw Essay

The authors of both stories, last but not leastly, use suspenseful moods, the feeling that the story creates within the reader, and dangerous/mysterious tones, an author’s attitude toward the subject or audience of the story, throughout the story. In The Monkey’s Paw, the author says, “...The clock tick.s. A chair creaks. Finally, a quiet knock is heard. Mrs. White jumps up.” This is an example of a suspenseful mood and mysterious tone. In the

As the plot in both adaptations develop, Morris’ visit to the White’s home is portrayed differently. The use of alcohol in the film prior to Morris displaying the paw to the family could be interpreted as an action taken only after his wits have been inhibited. The film uses flash backs to dramatize the power of the paw when it is mentioned during the conversation with the White family. The potential harm that can be caused by the paw is better expressed in the Lewis film version by Morris when he is asked why he kept it he stated that, “he kept it to guard it”. He never allows any of the family to handle the paw and it is not until Mr. White takes it away from him as he is attempting to throw it in the fire. At the end of the evening when Morris was leaving he tries to get Mr.

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.

“The Monkey’s Paw” Is about the tale a family of 3, Mrs. White, Mr. White, and their son, Herbert White. There is Sergeant Morris, a very sensible and wise fellow, he wished upon the paw and lived to tell it. Herbert White, he is a joyful young man who cares about his family, followed by his old dad Mr. White, the more curious one in the family. He is obviously married to Mrs. White, a strong woman, who is the dominating and smart one of the family. The story starts off on a cold, wet night, the Whites are inside near a warm fire, they are expecting Sergeant Morris who had just arrived from India. He showed the Whites that he brought back a “monkey’s paw”. It is told to grant 3 wishes to the owner of it. Mr. White took the Monkey’s Paw for

W.W. Jacobs creates suspense using a mysterious monkey’s paw. Ricky Lewis Jr. attempted to create similar suspense using different techniques. As told in the story in the book,”He took the paw, and dangling it between his forefinger and thumb, suddenly threw it upon the fire. White, with a slight cry, stooped down and snatched it off. ”Better let it burn,” said the soldier solemnly. “If you don’t want it, Morris,” said the other, “give it to me.”.”I won’t said his friend doggedly.”I threw it on the fire. If you keep it, don’t blame me for what if happens. Pitch it on the fire like a sensible man.”(Jacobs,108) Therefore, W.W. Jacobs fundamentally builds suspense with the dialogue between Morris, who owned the paw initially, and Mr. White, who was interested and curious on what the paw had to offer.

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.

"The Monkey's Paw" is a short story which moves around the edges of a ghost story and the uncanny. In general terms, the narration immerses the reader into a frightening atmosphere in which the reader can realise that there are certain elements that make the reading something more than a spooky tale; for example the way time is treated in the structure of the story. It is peculiar the way W.W. Jacobs manages to create a rather concrete story by making the reader fill so many gaps. In our opinion, that is due to the fact that there is a complete focus on the development of the story since the arrival of the monkey's paw, and that there are several omissions of facts in the beginning and in the end of the story, which is no coincidence. This

The “Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Monkey’s Paw” both convey suspicion and growing fear of what will happen “The Monkey’s Paw” is about a monkey’s paw that grants three wishes, but in the worst way. The “Tell-Tale Heart” is about a man who murders an old man, but his guilty conscience betrayed him by making him hear the old man’s heart after he died. "The Monkey's Paw" creates suspense through a slow paced timeline, and "The Tell-Tale Heart" creates suspense throughout the plot, the murder, and finally the heart beating after death causing him to surrender and confess.

While both short stories can be considered entertaining, W. W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw” does an overall better job at using characterization, irony and foreshadowing to create the long-lasting effect of suspense. Throughout the story, Jacobs creates a theme which can be interpreted in many ways such as: “Be careful what you wish for.” or “Evil can come in the most unexpected forms,“ (such as the paw). If the theme of evil and regret is present before the story is even introduced, the reader is automatically pulled into this preconceived idea that there will be a great amount of suspense. This idea continues to be confirmed as the story develops.

He is often unsure of himself and how to help Monkey. The fact that these two are the protagonists of the story is very telling of Buddhist and Chinese interpretations of heroism.

Suspense is essential to a horror story to keep the reader interested, and “The Monkey’s Paw” has an abundance of suspense. Much of the suspense comes from the question of whether the monkey’s paw will work, and how. Sergeant-Major Morris, who gives the monkey’s paw to the White family, tells them the wishes come true in a way that might be considered a coincidence. Morris also says another man had three wishes, and his third wish was to die. This shows the monkey’s paw will not grant wishes in a cheerful fairy tale way. Additionally, the reader has to wait almost half the story before the monkey’s paw clearly works. Suspense is also built on

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

Jacobs illustrates the strong theme throughout the narrative by using a unique form of structure. The tale is divided into three parts in which each one has its own climatic movement with each one being stronger than the pervious. Part I is classified as an exposition because a detached third person narrator describes the overall setting and characters in the tale. In this part the Monkey’s Paw is introduced which plays a key role later in the text. Moreover, Part II is the rising action of the story because the first tension point is exhibited when the son’s death is revealed, and the company’s compensation is exactly 200 pounds- what the father wished for. This indicates that the Monkey’s Paw is a cursed omen, just as Sergeant- Major Morris said. Lastly, Part III is the falling action because the resolution is finally given in the last sentence of the

The Ways in Which the Writers Create an Atmosphere of Tension, Mystery and Suspense in the Stories The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room

A closer look at the “Monkey’s Paw”demonstrates that Jacobs is creative in building suspense through cause and effect relationships. The Monkey's Paw is a story of a small family in the, what we can infer as, industrial revolution portraying the cause and effect of a mystical paw. Suspense throughout the story is created surrounding the mystery of the Monkey’s Paw. A specific example of such an instance would be in the beginning of the story when the Monkey’s Paw is first introduced and the soldier began to describe the Monkey’s Paw to everyone in the room “He took something out of his pocket and proffered it. Mrs. White drew back with a grimace, but her son, taking it, examined it curiously “(Jacobs 107). This quote shows how one person