The Monkey's Paw

People are often told not to judge a book by it’s cover, although they do anyways. However, by only referencing the surface of the book, a person misses out on the deeper moral of the story. In the analysis, “What Is the Horror Genre?” written by Sharon A. Russell, it explains that the true definition of the horror genre is deeper than the stereotype of just looking at the surface of paranormal activities, and that it includes phenomenons behind it. Sharon included different elements that can be used to evaluate stories to be in the horror genre. They are supernatural world, parallel world, suspense, setting, and the source of the horror. In the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” by William Wymark Jacobs there are different elements that are

In the short story, the author splits the story into three parts. In the first part, the readers meet Mr. and Mrs. White, Sergeant-Major Morris, Herbert, and the monkey’s paw, which Mr. White wishes for two hundred pounds with. In part two, the Whites wait to receive their money. A fellow employee of Herbert’s comes to give Mr. and Mrs. White a compensation for Herbert’s death. Mortified, Mr. White falls to the ground. Part three consists of Mr. White using his second wish to bring Herbert back, there is knocking at their door, chain rattling, and a echoes of voices all through their house. Mr. White makes one last wish and and the knocking suddenly stops. At the end of each part, it feels like the story left the reader hanging, or the reader just wants to know more. Therefore, the author creates suspense in the way of having different parts to the story. Jacobs left information out at the end of the parts and makes the reader feeling like they need to keep reading. The author wrote, "Mr. White, who, having seen a fatal mistake after it was too late" (pg 1). The author foreshadowed this statement. The author wrote this in the beginning of the story, but Mr. White didn’t understand the mistake he made until further into the story. This foreshadow Jacobs develops, creates suspense of what mistake Mr. White makes in the story. Again, having the reader guess and needing to keep

In “The Monkey’s Paw,” there are a lot of supernatural events that happen because of the monkey’s paw. The monkey’s paw comes from a supernatural background. This is because it is cast with a spell causing it to be able to grant any wish the owner wants granted. Mr. White wishes for resurrection, which would normally not be able to happen in real life, but the monkey’s paw is able to grant any wish, realistic or not. The author writes, “‘I wish my son alive again.’...A loud knock resounded through the house...There was another knock, and another” (pg 11-12). As soon as Mr. White wishes for his son to come back, loud knocking comes from the front door. The monkey’s paw has the power to kill and resurrect. Mrs. White wants to wish for Herbert, her son, back. If this were to happen in real life, there would be no resurrection because there is no such thing as supernatural abilities. The story says, “...he found the monkey’s paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish. The knocking ceased suddenly, although the echoes of it were still in the house” (pg 12). Not only did Mr. White ask for Herbert to come back, but the readers can infer that he also wishes him away. Again, the monkey’s paw wouldn’t be able to wish something away because abilities like this are