The Monkey's Paw Essay

Three wishes are all one needs, because being too simple may be the opposite of what one wants. Wishing for the wrong thing can completely change a person’s life forever. The author, Jacobs was widely remembered for “The Monkey’s Paw” as some people consider it to be one of scariest stories in American Literature. Jacobs came from a poor family, and could be where the White family forms some of their greed. In the short story, The Monkey’s Paw, by W.W. Jacobs, the theme of twisted fate is conveyed through the wishes of the characters. The story starts on a cold, wet night at the England home of the White family. Mr. and Mrs. White and their son Herbert receive a wish-granting paw from a family friend. The Sergeant tried to warn the White family about the paw and even proceeded to throw it into the fire. However, Mr. White grabbed the paw from the fire and asked the sergeant how to wish with it. The first wish, Mr. White asked for two hundred pounds, (which was their currency). When Herbert went to work the next day, he died of a horrendous accident that his company would not take responsibility for. To help the family with their fatality the company offered them two hundred pounds of compensation. After Mr. and Mrs. White heard the answer of the man, they both knew what they had done. After the death of their

White was suspicious about making a second wish it didn’t take much for Mrs. White to convince him. “We’ll have one more. Go down and get it quickly, and wish for our boy alive again” Mrs. White said to her husband frantically as she cried to him (Jacobs 6). “I wish for my son alive again” said Mr. White (Jacobs 6). They both waited for Herbert to return, until Mr. White saw a rat pass him on the stairs. Mr. White knew it was Herbert, and Mrs. White ran to the door with excitement to let her son in. Mr. White didn’t want to let the rat inside, but Mrs. White insisted. She couldn’t resist her need to have her son back even if it means as a