The Monkey’s Paw Essay The theme of “The Monkey's Paw” written by W.W. Jacobs, is to love what you have and don’t ask for more that you need or else it might lead get harsh consequences. In the story “The Monkey's Paw”, the story elements of character, setting, and plot all contribute the the theme. These story elements also attract people into reading the story.
First, the character, Mr. White, is very risky and reckless. In the beginning of the story Mr. White’s approach the game of chess makes us predict that when Mr. White sees the monkey’s paw, he will want to make three wishes without thinking about the bad consequences that could happen to him. This makes us very nervous and scared to find out what will happen. In the middle of the story Mr. White even said “‘I don’t know what to wish for, and that’s a fact,’ he said, slowly. ‘It seems to me I’ve got all I want.’” He even proves that he has everything he needs but he still wants to make the three wishes. Finally, he decided to make a wish for two hundred pounds. This was a very bad choice because he didn’t think about the bad consequence, which was his son death in exchange of the two hundred pounds. In conclusion, all of this contributes to the theme
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The conflict attracts the readers to keep on reading. In the story “The Monkey’s Paw”, the conflict is that Mr. White wished for two hundred pounds without thinking of the consequence, which is Herbert’s death. The conflict also makes us over guess what will actually during the story and will create more tension. This will make the story seem even scarier and makes us feel nervous of what will happen next. In conclusion, this contributes to the theme because without the conflict then Mr. White won’t wish for the two hundred pounds and then the story won’t match with the theme. Also, the conflict states that asking for more than you need will lead to harsh
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.
Everything is normal until a man that goes by the name Sergeant Morris comes to visit the Whites. He tells the family about something called The Monkey's Paw. He stated, “It's just a bit of what you might call magic.” (Pg.34) Family listens as Sergeant Morris continues to tell them more about the monkey's paw. He went on to tell them that there is a spell on it and that it is able to grant 3 men 3 wishes. W.W Jacobs adds a mysterious tone to the story because where did this item come from and why does it have the ability to grant wishes.
In the story, there are multiple examples of the conflicts in order to create suspense. An example of a conflict that is present in the story would be man versus fate; this includes all of the White’s Herbert, Mr. White and Mrs. White. This conflict represents the effects of the monkey’s paw and the theme that fate rules people’s life that Jacobs portrays. A worker from Maw and Meggins tells the White family on page 381 that Herbert is “badly hurt,but no longer in pain.” This explained Herbert’s death the day after the paw was wished on. This creates suspense because Herbert’s death also messed with Mr. and Mrs.White’s fate causing them to become sorrowful and slightly insane and the effects lasted for the rest of their life. Another example of conflict is Man versus Machine; this represents Herbert’s struggle against the work machinery.As readers know, Herbert is caught in the machinery at work and is torn apart to his death, which W.W Jacobs makes a gruesome concept to grasp what type of condition Herbert was in and how he looked. However, this creates suspense because when Herbert is wished alive again, readers can only assume along with Mr. White that he is mangled and looks terrifying and might even anticipate an exact description of how he looks. Lastly, the conflict man versus himself and woman versus
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
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 Cursed Talisman Is it possible to bring back the dead? W.W. Jacobs wrote a story called The Monkey s Paw, in which this question is answered. Mr. White, Mrs. White, Herbert, Sgt. Major Morris is the main character in the story. Morris gives the family a talisman known as the monkey s paw.
Jacobs allows many elements, actions, and quotes to show the true theme of the story. Two themes of this story are, again, to be careful of what you wish for, but also be grateful for what you do have rather than what you don’t. For example, after being told to wish for something sensible, the author allows Mr. White to wish for 200 pounds, or 200 dollars, to pay for his house. Little did he know, he would receive the money, but it will cause his only son to be killed in an accident. Another quote W.W Jacobs uses near the end of the story is “He was caught in the machinery...He was badly hurt, but he is not in pain.” This quote shows that the first but most extreme consequence has been made over a wish that was most likely
The Monkey’s Paw is a story about a cursed monkey paw that turned the White family’s life upside down. This family consists of Mr. White, Mrs. White, and their son, Herbert. Mr. White makes a deal with Sergeant Major Morris, an old friend of his who happens to own the monkey’s paw. The white family had three wishes on the paw and didn’t think too much of the curse, even though Major Morris warns them of the tragedies they may face. Nonetheless, the family takes the paw home and Mr. White makes the first wish, he wishes for 200 pounds of money.
In W.W. Jacobs' classic short story, "The Monkey's Paw," the character of Herbert White plays a crucial role in the unfolding tragedy. Through his choices and actions, Herbert sets in motion a series of events that lead to the devastating consequences experienced by the White family. Textual evidence reveals Herbert's role as a catalyst for the misfortune that befalls the family, emphasizing the importance of responsibility and caution when dealing with supernatural forces. Herbert's dismissive attitude towards the monkey's paw sets the stage for the family's downfall.
The stories, “The Monkey’s Paw” and “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish,” are both based on the idea of what someone would do with three wishes. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a short story based on a family which acquires a monkey’s paw that is magical. In the end, it causes many problems for the family. “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish” is a legend about an Israeli boy,Yoni, who is shooting a documentary about what would people wish for if they had a magic goldfish who grants three wishes. One of the interviews goes wrong, and Yoni is killed, but he comes back to life because of a wish granted by a magic goldfish. Although the stories, “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W.W. Jacobs, and “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish,” by Etgar Keret, have different settings and the last wished used are contrasting, the magic talisman grants three wishes in both stories.
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
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
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
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
The third and final major element of the story ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by W.W. Jacobs is the unstoppable. There are many things that are unstoppable in the story. The wishes can not be unwish after,