The True Themes of "The Monkey 's Paw"
More and more horror stories are written and published, but one of the most meaningful stories is "The Monkey 's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. Although Jacobs spent most his career writing humorous stories, he is always known by this frightening story. "The Monkey 's Paw" is set in the UK after the World War I, and its plot looks like a three wishes tale; someone appears and gives the main character three wishes. However, the monkey 's paw does not only give people wishes, it also gives brutal consequences. That makes this story the most horrifying. Some people suppose that the theme of this story is the narration of the Sergeant - Major Morris, "A very holy man wanted to show that fate ruled people 's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow." Actually, the tale has three themes which are the greed of the youth, the curiosity of the White family, and the consequences of people 's wishes.
First, Jacobs expresses the avarice of young adults through the description of Herbert White. Although Mr. and Mrs. White are poor, they are old, and the things they only need are a shelter and peaceful life. However, their son is still young and very ambitious. The author describes this character as being quite clever. For instance, he plays chess very well with his father. Because of his cleverness, he suggests what Mr. White should wish for enthusiastically, although before that, he still suspected the possibility of this