The Monkeys Paw Foreshadowing Analysis

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Suspense, the state of tension, anxiety, and uncertainty, like waiting for an outcome that comes very slow. Authors usually create suspense by using story elements. In the story “The Monkeys Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, he uses story elements such as foreshadowing, conflict, and surprise ending. Foreshadowing is one of the biggest ways that expresses suspense in the story. For example Sergeant Major Morris states that the first owner of the paw wished for death. That creates suspense because the reader wants to know why he wished for death. It foreshadows that the paw brings bad luck. Sergeant Major Morris also tells the Whites “…don’t blame me for what happens” (Jacobs 91). It foreshadows that something very bad is going to happen. Herbert foreshadows his death by saying the quote “Well I don’t see the money…and I bet I never shall”(134-135 Jacobs). That quote is a big part of the foreshadowing in this story. Foreshadowing is most likely one of the biggest ways to create suspense …show more content…

It makes the reader want to figure out the way that things are solved. One example of conflict in the story is man versus fate. The man would be Mr. White and fate would be the consequences of the paw. This was a very big conflict because it lasted throughout the whole story. Man versus Machine is another way of conflict in the story. The man is Herbert and the Machine is the piece of machinery at Maw and Meggins. It is very suspenseful because it doesn't give out a lot of information and makes one wonder. Another good example is the fight of mr. and mrs. White. They have a very big fight about if they should let Herbert in or not. The conflict in this particularly suspenseful and