ipl-logo

The Monkeys Paw Theme

1181 Words5 Pages

The short story "The Monkeys Paw" is a wonderful story written by W.W. Jacobs. This short story is a symbolic fable with multiple messages including, be carful what you wish for and be thankful for what you have. Another theme that can be derived from the story includes learning from your mistakes.This tale implies many major themes and notable lessons that many readers should already have knowledge of. Many examples of this theme, persist throughout the story, some of which include the warnings from the Sergeant, Herbert's death that grants Mr. White's wish of 200 pounds, and when the couple's desire for their son compels them to make their second wish, that gets cut short when Mr. White realizes the consequences that exist to each and …show more content…

The wife of Mr. White then convinces her husband to wish for their boy back. Mr. White tries several times to convince her of the bad that has already happened but she is persistent. Mrs. White's husband finally gives in and wishes to have their boy back. A few minutes later a match goes out and a quiet knock on the door begins. "She ran to the door, but her husband was before her, and catching her by the arm, held her tightly." The women then began to question why he was keeping her from letting the boy in. The husband then lost his grip and Mrs. White broke free and headed for the door. Mr. White was in luck as she could not reach the top bolt keeping the door locked. Mr. White then fumbled around for the paw until he found it and wished his third and final wish. The knocking stopped and everything went back to normal. I believe that this part of the story shows that we all make mistakes, but we have to learn from them. I think this passage shows that we can't continue to make the same mistakes, we have to learn our lesson and move …show more content…

This story showed us that though it may be far fetched we need to treat everyone with kindness and respect, and we shouldn't wish any harm on them. This tale shows that we have to live for the moment and enjoy every second we have with everyone as we don't know their fate or destiny, we don't know how much time we have left with them. Yes as I have stated time and time again you could believe that this was all a major fortuity and Mr. White's wishes had nothing to do with the known outcome. If that is your opinion and that is the side you choose to stand by that is fine, but never underestimate a wish. And if you don't agree with my claim, still remember to enjoy the moments you have on this earth. It could all be over in a blink of an

Show More
Related
351 Words | 2 Pages

Mrs. Mallard was of course sad but she began to feel relieved. She began to think of her new found freedom and her independence. Louise Mallard would no longer have to live for her husband, she could now live for herself. After an hour of experiencing shock and astonishment she hears the jingle of keys unlocking the door. By surprise, her husband Brently opens the door,

Read More
288 Words | 2 Pages

Authors commonly like to contribute clues and hints throughout their stories to give the reader an indication of a future event. This is called foreshadowing. Foreshadowing can incorporate meaning, suspense, and tension throughout a novel, making the reader more intrigued and eager to know what will happen later on in the story. W.W. Jacobs creates suspense and tension throughout “The Monkey’s Paw” through the use of this writing technique to add to the reading experience. For instance, in paragraphs 18 and 19 from “The Monkey’s Paw” when the Sergeant-Major Morris is asked the question “What was that you started telling me the other day about a monkey’s paw or something, Morris?” by Mr. White, Morris hurriedly replied saying “Nothing’’.

Read More
1176 Words | 5 Pages

First, the husband and boy came together, "They knocked on her door, a big knock and a little, and she would call, ‘Come in.’" (Godwin 3). Then she says, "‘I don't think I can see him anymore,’ she whispered sadly to the man" (Godwin 4). Eventually, she doesn’t even want to see the husband anymore, "‘I'm afraid it's come to that,’ she said. ‘Just push the notes under the door; I'll read them.

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

If you had the opportunity, would you make a wish that you believed would modify your life for the better? What if you were advised that it wouldn’t end as well as you assumed? A book by W.W. Jacobs titled “The Monkey’s Paw”, entertains us with the story of a family who suffers the loss of their son after a wish is made on a monkey’s paw the family attained from a friend. Numerous examples from the text will justify that Sergeant Major Morris is the most responsible for the death of the family’s son, Herbert. The first example that shows Sergeant Major Morris is responsible for the death is found on page 34.

Read More
2073 Words | 9 Pages

Death by the Hands of One’s Loved Ones Whether it be an item, image, idea, or concept, motifs are frequently present within works of literature to create an even greater effect on the reader. Two of which include “The Monkey’s Paw” written by W. W. Jacobs and “The Scarlet Ibis” written by James Hurst. In Jacobs’s short story, the White family is introduced to a monkey’s paw, an item with the capability of granting three owners three wishes, by their friend, Sergeant-Major Morris. The family consists of three members: Mr. White, Mrs. White, and their son, Herbert White.

Read More
726 Words | 3 Pages

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:

Read More
254 Words | 2 Pages

Since they are always changing, people never know what is going to happen. In “The Monkey’s Paw”, Mr. White could have made many different decisions about what to do with the paw. The fact that he chose to make wishes was only one of the few things he could have done with it.

Read More
1566 Words | 7 Pages

Arthur St. John Adcock is an English novelist and poet as well as a journalist. He mentions that “the uncanny grimness of ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by a pathos that is wrought to a pitch of almost painful intensity when the knock comes on the door at night and the heart-broken mother, after struggling desperately with the bolts, flings the door open and there is nothing there” (Adcock 3). The family makes an avoidable mistake by wishing with the monkey’s paw, but when they finally realize that, it is already too late. Their first innocent wish flips their lives upside down and they bring themselves irreversible pain and sorrow through a few words. Carl Mowery, a professor at several universities with a doctorate in rhetoric and composition, gives a great statement about the story as a whole.

Read More
231 Words | 1 Pages

Imagine that you were given three wishes would take the the chance to lose someone or something for them. It's something you have to think about right? Well all of this is in the short story of “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Which is labeled to have the horror genre. Because of the horror included in the short-story of “The Monkey's Paw” by W.W it is a horrifying story.

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
600 Words | 3 Pages

The story starts off with a man who sits in his chair near his fireplace during a lonely night. He grieves about his dearly departed wife who died, Lenore. As he mourns he hears clacking at the door. Then, whenever he checks the loud door, nothing was there... Soon enough the sound banged again; this time, it came from the window.

Read More
582 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

In the short story “My Side of the Story” by Adam Bagdasarian a boy more on the academic side then Athletic side. But he figures out that people don 't always like his answer, and he just may get hurt by that. He learns that actions of someone don 't always get them in trouble but the way you react. In the story, the author shows the reader a very important theme. To show sympathy to as well as thinking of others to maintain and keep a relationship a reputation.

Read More
649 Words | 3 Pages

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality”-Edgar Allan Poe. All great horror stories represent that quote. There is one story that does not. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs is not a horror story because there is not a monster, it is not believable, and it does not have a creepy setting. Classic horror stories usually have some sort of a monster in it, whether the monster is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Frankenstein.

Read More
825 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about The Monkeys Paw Theme

Related Topics

Open Document