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Analysis of the monkeys paw
Analysis of the monkeys paw
Horror significance of the monkey's paw
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White caused his son’s death, many people who have read “The Monkey’s Paw” may believe that Sgt. Major Morris was to blame for the family’s misfortune; this however, is completely untrue. An argument to support this claim may be that since the Sgt. Major was the one to bestow the cursed paw upon the family and even instructed Mr. White on how to activate it, he was the root cause of the trouble. Quite contrary to this belief however, the Sgt.
Furthermore, when asked if his wishes came true, he replied, “I did”. ( 9). This started all sorts of ideas and possibilities in the Whites’ minds, thinking of how with the paw they can get all they ever wanted. Knowing what happens to the family later in the story, if we think about it, if Sergeant-Major Morris had never told the story behind the paw or that it worked they would have never wanted it. In short, if Sergeant-Major Morris
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:
As the tension builds up, the White family dismisses Morris' warnings and makes their first wish. The casual, almost flippant manner in which Mr. White wishes for two hundred pounds is in marked contrast to the ominous mood established earlier. The result of its juxtaposition shows the seriousness of the consequences at hand. Jacobs uses the eerie coincidences that crop up subsequent to the wish to foreshadow the impending doom. The crashing of the piano and then the sudden, unbroken silence, before Mr. White nervously exclaimed to confirm that the paw had indeed moved, contributes towards the taut feeling of dread.
In the monkey’s paw was supernatural events. The suspense in the monkey’s paw was that sergeant major Morris goes to tell the people in the house about the monkey’s paw, and shows the paw , and tells them
#1 about “The Monkey's Paw” The cause is that Morris said If you keep it, don't blame me for what happens. Sargent-Major Morris was the when Mr. White the paw, that night he gave it to him because he wanted it for it's power, Morris told Mr. White that the last wish will be evil. The fear in the charters words what they say it is like they
The Monkey's paw was face down in the fireplace which might have been the cause to the bad things that happened. An example of foreshadowing was shown when Sergeant-Major said ¨“Hold it up in your right hand, and state your wish out loud so that you can be heard, but I warn you of what might happen¨ (W.W. Jacobs 3). He already knew that the Monkeys paw brought bad luck and it was very important to be careful what was wished for. I think that Mr. White understood that it was important to wish for practical things so he told his wife, ¨If you must wish, wish for something sensible¨ (W.W. Jacobs 3). After making the first wish and what the outcome was for it, I think that Mr. White understood why
Imagine you were granted three wishes; and that's all. You can make whatever wishes you desire, but if not justifiable or reasonable, there could be a price to pay. The short story "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs discusses the alarming tale of an older couple being granted "three wishes" from a monkey's paw given to them. However, the purpose of the paw isn't to grant wishes; it is to show that you shouldn't change your fate. The film adaptation of the short story by Ricky Lewis Jr. also showcases that moral.
In W. W. Jacobs’ short story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” the White family’s innocent want for a better life is challenged when a magical talisman plagues their family through its wishes. When faced with death, humans have different ways of dealing with the rollercoaster of feelings that accompanies it. The family has to overcome grief, disappointment, and anger as they live their lives without their son. Through these emotions, the characters are being taught not to act foolishly, but they never learn. Through foreshadowing and situational irony, the story “The Monkey’s Paw” conveys the theme of how innocent intentions can have terrible repercussions.
The weather and Mr. and Mrs. White’s behavior, in the beginning of the story, affect the mood of the story in various ways. The weather is,”cold and wet,” according to The Monkey’s Paw, the evening that Sergeant-Major Morris shows up. This means that it is raining, possibly storming, the evening that the White’s discover the monkey’s paw and, its dark, grave secrets. The White’s, specifically Mr. and Mrs.White, behavior was very light hearted yet, at the same time, suspicious, as Mr.White and Herbert, his son, were simply playing a game of chess. Mrs.White was knitting in her chair watching amusingly the game.
People do not think about the consequences of their actions and only acknowledge the immediate reward or happiness they will receive. Mr. White asked Sergeant Morris about the Monkey's paw he had, ¨telling me the other day about a monkey's paw¨(Jacob 2). In Chinese culture monkeys symbolize fortune and luck which are more magical, further symbolizing the wishes. In other Asian cultures, a monkey symbolizes more positive ideas like joy and happiness. The White family was happy because they believed their wishes might come true.
In The Monkeys Paw, Mrs. White used the magical object (monkey’s paw). One out of the three wishes granted using the monkeys paw was to have her son back. The outcome of this was pounding at the door, not knowing exactly who was behind the door. The Monkeys Paw is all about granting wishes and not expecting its outcome. This is comparable to The Story of an Hour because Mrs. Mallard wished to have her husband back in her life, but she didn’t expect the outcome of actually seeing her husband alive.
With Morris’s face whitening, it tacitly tells the audience that something terrifying happened when Morris made his wishes. This foreshadows that something dreadful will happen once the Whites make their wishes. Question 2: Compare Mr. White’s feelings about the monkey’s paw when he makes the first wish, second wish, and third wish. How does his attitude change?
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.
In the short story, The Monkey 's Paw we are first introduced to the White, the Mrs.White, Mr.White, and their son, Herbert White. Later in the story, we are introduced to Sergeant Major Morris who brought the mummy-like monkey’s paw to the Whites house. The theme of the Monkey 's paw is to never interfere with fate. The theme is shown through many forms in the short story. The forms are the events, the foreshadowing, and the actions.