Comparing The Monkey's Paw And The Third Wish

“Be satisfied with what you have” is a common theme in both stories, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken. The two main characters from both stories, Mr. White and Mr. Peters, have many similarities and differences. Both Mr. White and Mr. Peters were greedy. The difference is that Mr. White was not careful when making his wishes and not thinking about the consequences. On the other hand, Mr. Peters carefully thought about it. Mr. White was still no happy at the end while Mr. Peters was. In “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish,” the theme and the characters had many similarities and differences. The two short stories, “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” both express an important theme. The theme they both

White and Mr. Peters although they have similarity between them, they also differ in many ways. Mr. White, at the beginning was thoughtless and reckless when making his wish; while on the other hand, Mr. Peters was careful and carefully made his wish. In “The Monkey’s Paw” on page 98, it states “‘I won’t,’ said his friend doggedly, ‘I threw it on the fire. If you keep it, don’t blame me for what happens. Pitch it in the fire again like a sensible man.’” Sergeant-Major Morris chucks the monkey’s paw in the fire but Mr. White takes it. Morris gave Mr. White a warning but he disregards it. After, his son told him to wish for 200 pounds so he did it without putting further thought into it. In “The Third Wish “on page 103, it states, “He decided to use his first wish and keep the other two in case of an emergency.” He was careful when making his first wish. He knew things could go wrong so he kept his other two wishes just in case. This shows that Mr. Peters was more thoughtful than Mr. White. Moreover, at the end of the story, Mr. White was still not happy because he had lost his son and had gained nothing. Mr. Peters had died happily with a smile on his face. Mr. White and Mr. Peters were very different in several

The short stories both teach a lesson that was learned by both protagonist, Mr. White and Mr. Peters. The theme “Be satisfied with what you have” is a similar theme among the short stories. Mr. White realized that after the first wish that one wish was enough. Mr. Peters knew that wishes may not make you happier so he didn’t use his last wish. The protagonists were similar because they were both greedy. Mr. White despite the sergeant’s warning took the paw for himself. After Mr. Peters saved the Forest King, he demanded three wishes from him. They were different because of the fact that Mr. White was thoughtless when making his wish. However, Mr. Peters was careful. Mr. White didn’t think much of the sergeant’s warnings. Mr. Peters on the other hand thought about the warning of the Forest King before making his wish. At the end, Mr. White was still not satisfied with his life because his son had died. Mr. Peters, unlike Mr. White, died happily. There were many similarities and differences in the two short