ipl-logo

Greed Depicted In 'The Monkey's Paw'

603 Words3 Pages

Do you let greed control you and make decisions that you regret later? In the story "The Monkey's Paw” The family is happy with what they have but when the opportunity arises to have more than they could wish for, will they regret the decisions they have made? In the story we read about a mother and father who have a son and are very happy. They are then greeted by an expected visitor. The visitor is a old friend who was a general in the military and has just come back from India. The man brings a paw that is supposed to be cursed but has a gift where it will give three wishes, the family is warned but ignores the advice and the family takes advantage of it. As a consequence for their actions, their son dies and are they very devastated. In the story “The Monkey’s Paw” The father learns that greed can control you and courage makes you act on behalf of others.

The theme of greed controlling people first appears when the old family friend appears with a magical items that can grant you three wishes. The father takes the monkey's paw and makes his first wish to receive 200 pounds. In the text it says, "If you could pay off the mortgage you would be quite happy, wouldn't you?" stated his wife. The father is perfectly happy but then …show more content…

W. Jacob’s the father learns you cannot let greed control you and to act on behalf of others best interests instead of yourselves. First the father was introduced to a paw that had magical powers and makes a wish to get 200 pounds. The father then receives 200 pounds at the cost of a son dying and he soon learns that him being greedy, is why his son died. When he hears knocking at the door after making a wish for his son to be alive again, he does an act of selflessness and makes a last wish for his son to rest in peace. Now as you go about your day I want you to remember to be happy with what you have and to do simple acts of kindness for other people because we cannot let greed control

Show More
Related
764 Words | 4 Pages

The person responsible for the misfortune to the White family in the Monkey's paw is Mr. White. The Monkey’s Paw is a short story by W.W. Jacobs is a story about a paw that grants three people three wishes. The family gets the paw but the catch is that each wish comes at a cost. The family's first son causes their son's death.

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

If you had the opportunity, would you make a wish that you believed would modify your life for the better? What if you were advised that it wouldn’t end as well as you assumed? A book by W.W. Jacobs titled “The Monkey’s Paw”, entertains us with the story of a family who suffers the loss of their son after a wish is made on a monkey’s paw the family attained from a friend. Numerous examples from the text will justify that Sergeant Major Morris is the most responsible for the death of the family’s son, Herbert. The first example that shows Sergeant Major Morris is responsible for the death is found on page 34.

Read More
94 Words | 1 Pages

In the vignette “The Monkey Garden”, Cisneros continues the theme of losing one’s innocence through imagery. Being one of the last vignettes, the reader knows the struggles like losing one’s innocence and feeling shameful that Esperanza continues to experience throughout the novel. Cisneros continues these themes when Sally is quite willingly tricked into kissing a couple of friends. Esperanza attempts to come to her rescue; however, Sally doesn’t want to be saved. Since Sally has completely thrown away her innocence by this point, Esperanza in turn feels shameful because of her still abundant innocence.

Read More
692 Words | 3 Pages

In the story, “The Monkey’s Paw”, the White’s acquire a monkey’s paw from an old friend. The friend reveals that the paw is considered magic and then gives it to the Whites, starting a chain of events that brings sorrow to the family. However, just who is responsible for the misfortune that came to the Whites? Sergeant-

Read More
726 Words | 3 Pages

Thesis: In The Monkey's Paw by W.W Jacobs, the realistic essence of the monkey's paw made it fundamentally creepy. Point 1: The monkey's paw is a symbol for inclination for greed, exposing our superior wants as people, even the most humble. Point 2: Consequences for the actions of those using the paw develops the image of regret and fear. Point 3:

Read More
460 Words | 2 Pages

Did you know greed will corrupt and change people? Take the Whites for example, they wish for money while knowing there would be consequences and they lost their son. Through the story The monkey's Paw, the Whites are visited by a friend with a magical item, the Whites makes the decision to wish while knowing there will be consequences. Greed takes over people, Mr. White wished for money and his son was killed in a factory and he got his money Mrs.White wished her son back to life, but then Mr. White wished his son back to rest because you knew there would be more consequences. The whites were the same as any other family only if they weren't corrupted by an evil force of greed.

Read More
629 Words | 3 Pages

“Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over you”. This quote describes how money and “stuff” can’t bring happiness. This is a story about a local fisherman named Kino who must team up with Juana, his wife, and Coyotito, his son, to overcome greed and jealousy and all people infected by it. The symbols, including the pearl, the town members and even Kino himself, represent greed and anger. So, In The Pearl by John Steinbeck develops the theme “greed and materialism can lead to immoral behavior like violence” through Kino’s infatuation with his pearl.

Read More
401 Words | 2 Pages

"The Monkey's Paw" is a short story by W.W. Jacobs tells the story of a family who comes into possession of a cursed monkey's paw that grants wishes, but with deadly consequences. The story's tone is somewhat ominous, evoking a sense of dread as the characters unfold the dark forces unleashed by the paw. Through his use of great imagery and foreshadowing Jacobs creates a really suspenseful atmosphere that grips readers from beginning to the end of the story. The tone in the "The Monkey's Paw" is established from the beginning of the story. Jacobs uses vivid and evocative language to describe the setting and characters, creating a sense of unease.

Read More
1566 Words | 7 Pages

Arthur St. John Adcock is an English novelist and poet as well as a journalist. He mentions that “the uncanny grimness of ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by a pathos that is wrought to a pitch of almost painful intensity when the knock comes on the door at night and the heart-broken mother, after struggling desperately with the bolts, flings the door open and there is nothing there” (Adcock 3). The family makes an avoidable mistake by wishing with the monkey’s paw, but when they finally realize that, it is already too late. Their first innocent wish flips their lives upside down and they bring themselves irreversible pain and sorrow through a few words. Carl Mowery, a professor at several universities with a doctorate in rhetoric and composition, gives a great statement about the story as a whole.

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

Two stories and two magical wishes. The Monkey’s Paw and the Story of an Hour share several similarities throughout the passage. In the beginning of each passage, the author creates a sense of mystery and curiosity for the readers. As each passage reveals the characters in the story, the reader begins to relate the characters role from each story and how they act towards the conflict in the text. These different events, conflicts, or plot in both stories connect with death and wishes.

Read More
902 Words | 4 Pages

(paraphrase) “ Those who have more than enough have the desire for more so they lose all they have.” Analysis: This story reveals that the man’s greed and impatience had cost him all he had. This was the way that greed backfired on him. Clincher:

Read More
156 Words | 1 Pages

What is Ambition? Ambition is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, but is it good to be ambitious or is completely wrong? In this case Mr.White ambitious lead to his family destruction. It all started when one of Mr.White old friend came to his house with a Monkey paw which can grants 3 wishes. Mr.White first wish was for 200 pounds which was the wish the lead to all the destruction and pain in his family, you might ask why, and here is why.

Read More
582 Words | 3 Pages

The conflict in the story is not only the monkey’s paw but was somewhat Mr. White’s attitude. If he never was that greedy the story would have changed he would have agreed with Morris and burned the monkey’s paw but he didn’t want to do that creating the plot. Any change in the plot could have/ would have altered the course of the story but also altering the theme. In “The Monkey’s Paw,” the downfall of the White family is when they receive the two hundred pounds as a compensation for the son’s death which was actually caused by messing with fate.

Read More
459 Words | 2 Pages

1. The theme of the story “The Monkey’s Paw” is fate and greed. I believe that the moral of the story and the overall message is do not alter with fate. In the short story, Mr. White uses the power of the monkey’s paw to wish for money to pay off his mortgages. Mr. White is tampering with fate and is using the paw for his own greed.

Read More
825 Words | 4 Pages

Have you ever watched a suspenseful movie about magic? Have you ever wished you had your own genie that would grant you three wishes? However, the three wishes aren 't exactly what you wished for? Well in the story the Monkey’s Paw that pattern seems to be happening a lot.

Read More

More about Greed Depicted In 'The Monkey's Paw'

Related Topics

Open Document