Monkey's Paw Conflict Essay

The central conflict in the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” is shown to be man versus fate, most important is Herbert’s conflict with fate. Not long after the story starts, the White family gains possession of a mystical “paw “that supposedly grants a man three wish’s. Almost without delay, Herbert challenges fate by convincing his father, the new owner of the paw, to wish for two hundred pounds. The next day, Herbert is killed in a workplace accident, the compensation that Mr. and Mrs. White receive from Herbert’s employer is a horrific two hundred pounds. Other conflicts seen can be man versus self, more specifically Mrs. White and her temptation with the paw. Even after the paw seemed to have killed her son, she still wants to use the paw to resurrect her son from the grave, irrationally thinking that it can bring good and not further misery.

The year is most likely 1902 or close to it, due to the time of the stories publication. This time setting would explain the working conditions for a man like Herbert, as well as Sergeant Major Morris’s deployment to India, which was a British possession at the time. Episode one takes place during a single night, that night the home is warm with a fire and a happy family, the father and son play chess while the mother knits. In the second episode, which takes place the day after, grief has now filled the White residence due to Herbert’s accident. The third episode which takes place ten days after the death of Herbert, shows a much darker house compared to the week before, the villa is now full of shadows and scary noises, the family gathering fire has been reduced to burning out