The White family choose to use the monkey’s paw to wish for two hundred pounds – a not insubstantial sum in 1902 – thus opening themselves up to the charge of personal greed (especially as the money is wanted for nothing more life-threatening than clearing up the house).
Full Answer
What kind of story is the Monkey's Paw?
The Monkey's Paw. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Horror short story about interfering with fate. "The Monkey's Paw" is a supernatural short story by author W. W. Jacobs first published in England in the collection The Lady of the Barge in 1902.
What genre is the monkey’s Paw by Harriet Jacobs?
“The Monkey’s Paw” was published in Jacobs’s short-story collection The Lady of the Barge (1902), and the story’s popularity has been extraordinarily long-lasting. The story has been included in approximately seventy collections, from horror and gothic anthologies to the New York Review of Books ’ collection of classic fiction.
What does Mr White do with the monkey's paw before leaving?
Morris, having had a horrific experience using the paw, throws the monkey's paw into the fire but Mr. White retrieves it. Before leaving, Morris warns Mr. White that if he does use the paw, then it will be on his own head.
Is there a printable version of the Monkey's Paw litchart?
Get the entire The Monkey’s Paw LitChart as a printable PDF. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
What influenced WW Jacobs to write the monkey's paw?
Jacobs drew from a number of widely known literary sources in writing “The Monkey's Paw” to make the story both familiar and unsettling. His most recognizable influence was the tale of Aladdin and the magic lamp, one of the more famous tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, or simply Arabian Nights, as Mrs.
Why was the monkey's paw created?
Sergeant-Major Morris, a friend who served with the British Army in India, comes by for dinner and introduces them to a mummified monkey's paw. An old fakir placed a spell on the paw, so that it would grant three wishes but only with hellish consequences as punishment for tampering with fate.
When did WW Jacobs wrote The Monkey's Paw?
1902The Monkey's Paw, classic tale of horror and superstition, a much-anthologized short story by W.W. Jacobs, published in 1902 in the collection The Lady of the Barge. The story centres on a dried, shrunken monkey's paw that is said to have the power to grant its possessor three wishes.
What is the main point of the monkey's paw?
The central theme of “The Monkey's Paw” concerns the role of fate in human life. When Sergeant-Major Morris introduces the monkey's paw to the Whites, he explains the reason for its conception.
What's the purpose of the monkeys?
Monkeys play an important role in their native habitats by pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds as they travel. Some monkeys can swim; their webbed toes help them paddle through the water, and they may swim across a stream or river to avoid predators or get to food.
What were the 3 wishes in the monkeys paw?
Using the supernatural powers of “The Monkey's Paw”, the Whites make a wish for money, receive the money after their son is involved in a fatal accident, wish for his return, and finally wish for his disappearance.
What does the number 3 symbolize in the monkey's paw?
Symbolism. Monkey's Paw: The talisman symbolizes desire and greed, the evil that comes from tempting fate. Three's: Repetition of three wishes, three separate owners, the White family is three people, three knocks, represent the "magic number" of superstitious or supernatural events.
What was special about the paw?
The monkey's paw is special because it can satisfy three wishes at the same time it curses the person who wished. The story tells us that nobody can change the happenings of life.
What is the plot of The Monkey's paw?
The film centers on Jake Tilton, who acquires a mystical "monkey's paw" talisman that grants its possessor three wishes. Jake finds his world turned upside down after his first two wishes result in co-worker Tony Cobb being resurrected from the dead.
What is the irony in the monkey's paw?
Example- In “The Monkey's Paw,” Herbert White uses verbal irony during his conversations regarding the paw. Jacobs writes, “'Likely,' said Herbert, with pretended horror. 'Why, we're going to be rich, and famous, and happy'” (3).
What is the conclusion of the monkey's paw?
White jumps to the conclusion that the paw has unlimited power. She forces Mr. White to wish to bring Herbert back to life, a wish far more serious than their first. Unchecked greed, therefore, only leads to unhappiness, no matter how much more one asks for.
What was special about the paw?
The monkey's paw is special because it can satisfy three wishes at the same time it curses the person who wished. The story tells us that nobody can change the happenings of life.
What is the foreshadowing of the monkey's paw?
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.
Why did Mr White throw the paw down after the first wish was asked?
His father drops the monkey's paw because, as he tells his wife and son, it seemed to twist in his hand like a snake as he made his wish. Throughout the story, it is never clear whether the wishes are being granted by the monkey's paw or they only appear to be granted as a result of coincidence.
What is the plot of The Monkey's paw?
The film centers on Jake Tilton, who acquires a mystical "monkey's paw" talisman that grants its possessor three wishes. Jake finds his world turned upside down after his first two wishes result in co-worker Tony Cobb being resurrected from the dead.
What is the monkey's paw about?
Jacobs’ ‘The Monkey’s Paw’. On Tuesday, we summarised ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, W. W. Jacobs’ popular and widely anthologised short horror story about a mummified paw which has the power to grant three wishes to three men.
Why did the White family use the monkey's paw?
The White family choose to use the monkey’s paw to wish for two hundred pounds – a not insubstantial sum in 1902 – thus opening themselves up to the charge of personal greed (especially as the money is wanted for nothing more life-threatening than clearing up the house).
What makes the monkey's paw so unsettling?
What makes ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ so unsettling, and such a masterclass in writing horror fiction, is that Jacobs doesn’t give us a clear reason why Mr White should deserve such a fate. If the monkey’s paw represents the empire striking back (see below), we are given no indication that White or his family is or has been particularly heavily involved in colonial India (and thus, one might argue, fair game).
How many knocks at the door after the Whites use the monkey's paw?
There are three knocks at the door after the Whites use the monkey’s paw to wish for their son to be alive again. The story itself is divided into three parts. ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ was first published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in September 1902 and proved instantly popular, being reprinted later that same year and adapted for ...
What would happen if Mr. White had been an army veteran like Morris who had served in India?
If Mr White had been an army veteran like Morris who had served in India, or if he had made a fortune through colonial ventures, it would have reduced the story to a morality tale about the evils of empire. And in 1902, the British empire still wasn’t problematic for many Britons.
Is the monkey's paw a fairy tale?
You can read ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ here. ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ is a modern fairy tale, and indeed fairy tales and magical stories from the Arabian Nights (featuring djinn, or genies, who can grant wishes, as the story of Aladdin attests) are both mentioned by characters in the story. As in many classic fairy tales, the number three is invested ...
When was the monkey's paw written?
The Monkey's Paw was written by W.W. Jacobs in 1902 and was published in his collection of short stories called The Lady of the Barge. The Monkey's Paw is a short horror story, which is unlike his other humor stories written previously.
What is the monkey's paw about?
The Monkey's Paw is about a small family of three, the White family that receives a monkey's paw from a family friend , Sergeant-Major Morris, a war-torn man who had just gotten back from India. The Sergeant-Major Morris tells the Whites that it has the ability to grant three men three wishes each. The friend throws the paw into the fire but the Mr. White takes it out and asks if he can have it. After trying to persuade him not to keep it, the Sergeant eventually agrees and says Mr. White can keep it. After a few minutes of thinking of what to wish for, the Mr. White wishes for two hundred pounds. Nothing happens right away except the monkey's paw shakes a bit. After this they don't believe that the Sergeant was telling the truth.
Why is the monkey's paw different from other stories?
The Monkey's Paw is different than most of W.W. Jacobs other short stories and plays because it is a horror story rather than his humorous stories about a wharf and sailors. It is difficult to figure out what influenced him because it is so different from other stories of his and nothing seemed to trigger the change in story genres. Maybe he was just bored with humor, or maybe he somehow thought it was still humor, but no one seems to know why he changed.
What did Jacobs do after he graduated from Birkbeck College?
After attending Birkbeck College, Jacobs became a clerk in civil service in 1879, "a job that he hated" (www.enotes.com). From 1883 to 1899 he worked in the savings bank department. "A regular income was a welcomed change from his childhood of financial hardship." (www.online-literature.com) He started submitting sketches to Blackfriars in 1885.
What is the theme of the last monkey's paw?
The last theme in The Monkey's Paw is that greed and selfishness can destroy your life. Since the Whites were greedy, they wished for the money and only thought of themselves when they made their first two wishes. These two wishes did not turn out well because of their intentions. The third wish was made selflessly and had a better outcome than that of the other two.
What are the main characters in the story of the Whites?
The main Characters of the story are the Whites. The Whites seem to be an everyday family that seems to get along well. They spend a lot of time together and
When was many cargoes written?
Many Cargoes was the W.W. Jacobs first collection of short stories in 1896 . In 1897, The Skipper's Wooing was written and in 1898 Jacobs wrote another collection of stories, Sea Urchins. "By 1899 Jacobs was confident enough to resign from the civil service to devote his full time to writing." (www.online-literatre.com) After quitting work he said:
What book did Stephen King write about monkeys paw?
Stephen King wrote about “The Monkey’s Paw” in The Dead Zone (1979) and Apt Pupil (1982) and based his novel Pet Sematary (1983) on its themes.
What books did Jacobs write?
Jacobs’s works include The Skipper’s Wooing (1897), Sea Urchins (1898), Light Freights (1901), Captains’ All (1902), Sailors’ Knots (1909), and Night Watches (1914). All told, Jacobs published thirteen collections of short stories, five novels, and a novella, many of which sold tens of thousands of copies. He also wrote a number of one-act plays.
What is the name of the short story by Jacobs?
While modern readers associate Jacobs primarily with his suspenseful and frequently anthologized short story “The Monkey’s Paw” and, to a lesser degree, with his short story “The Toll House,” his contemporaries primarily knew him as a comic writer. Like many comic writers of the day, Jacobs explored the lives of the lower and middle classes ...
What did Jacobs do in his early life?
The success of Jacobs’s fiction enabled him to escape his scrappy, hard-luck childhood and dull life as a civil servant. His early experiences benefited him greatly, however. He had spent a lot of time hanging around the wharves in London, and many of his short stories and novels concern seamen’s lives and adventures.
Where was William Jacobs born?
W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs was born in 1863 in London, England, to an impoverished family. His mother, Sophia, died when Jacobs was a young boy. His father, William Jacobs, managed a wharf in South Devon. After receiving his degree from Birkbeck College, the satirical magazines the Idler and Today published some of his stories in the early 1890s. Jacobs’s first short-story collection, Many Cargoes (1896), won popular acclaim, prompting him to quit working as a clerk and begin writing full-time. Jacobs wed Agnes Eleanor, a prominent suffragette, in 1900, and they had five children together.
When did Jacobs start writing?
After receiving his degree from Birkbeck College, the satirical magazines the Idler and Today published some of his stories in the early 1890s. Jacobs’s first short-story collection, Many Cargoes (1896), won popular acclaim, prompting him to quit working as a clerk and begin writing full-time.
Who was the comic book writer who rewrote just one sentence?
Jerome K. Jerome , a popular comic novelist of the day, was a great fan of Jacobs’s and praised his strong work ethic and painstaking approach. He said that Jacobs would often rewrite just one sentence for hours at a stretch.
What are the parts of the mystery of the monkey's paw?
This story had three main parts. These parts were the first wish, the second wish, and the third wish. The first wish was the only tragic wish that was granted. Mr.White, his son Herbert, and an old man were sitting around playing chess.
What is Mr. White's last story?
His last story was about a magical mummified monkey’s paw. The sergeant-major tells the family that the old dried-out monkey’s paw has a spell put on it by an old fakir. The story continues and then Mr.White and the sergeant-major trade. Later Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds.
Who was Mr. White's son?
Mr.White, his son Herbert, and an old man were sitting around playing chess. There was a knock at the door and Mr. White answered it to let the man in. His name was Sergeant-Major Morris. He sat down in the seat nearest the fire, and after several glasses of whiskey, he began to talk. He talked about some of his war experiences, and then of India. ...
Does the author say he wishes he had never made his second wish?
The author never really says, but one can assume that he wished he had never made his second wish. The end of the story is open and leaves you to come up with an end of your own. In conclusion, the storyline was well written and cleverly thought out.
Why did Morris put a spell on the monkey's paw?
Morris reveals that the mummified monkey’s paw came from a fakir, an Indian holy man, who put a spell on the paw in order to teach people that fate ruled everyone’s lives, and those who tried to alter fate would suffer. The spell grants three separate individuals three wishes each.
What does Herbert say about the paw?
When Morris leaves, Herbert teases his father for giving Morris a small bit of money in exchange for the paw, which Herbert says must be an invented story like the rest of Morris’s tall tales. Mr.
Who throws the paw into the fire?
Morris reports that he has, and another man, the first to possess it, used the third of his wishes to cause his own death. Then Morris throws the paw into the fire, but Mr. White saves it from burning. Morris tells him he should destroy it.
Where do the Whites bury their son?
The Whites bury their son in a cemetery two miles from their house . Days pass and the couple resign themselves to their grief, barely speaking to each other. About a week after the funeral, Mrs. White has the idea to use one of the remaining two wishes on the paw to bring Herbert back to life. Mr. White hesitates, first saying that it was only a coincidence that the paw seemed to work before, and then saying that she would not want to see her son now, because he has been dead for ten days and his body was horribly disfigured by the accident that killed him.
Who reads the monkey's paw?
John Lithgow Reads "The Monkey's Paw."#N#Lithgow (from Public Radio) has the perfect voice for this story. Rest your tired eyes and have a listen. (The story begins at about minute 29.)
What is The Monkey's Paw About and Why Should I Care?
Have you ever felt a bit dissatisfied with your life? Have you ever wished that something in your life would magically change – no hard work required?
Who wrote the book Our Lady of the Barge?
W.W. Jacobs managed to make a good living writing novels and short stories, but he's most famous for this one, written in 1902 and first published in Harper's magazine. That same year it was also published in a collection of Jacobs's short stories called Our Lady of the Barge. Over the next century it would find its way into dozens of anthologies and be required reading for thousands of school kids. It was also adapted by another master of horror and suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, for an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Overview
"The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by author W. W. Jacobs, first published in England in the collection The Lady of the Barge in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate.
It has been adapted many times in other media, including plays, films, TV series, operas, stories and comics, as early as 1903. It was first adapted to film in 1915 as a British silent film directed …
Plot
The short story involves Mr. and Mrs. White and their adult son, Herbert. Sergeant-Major Morris, a friend who served with the British Army in India, comes by for dinner and introduces them to a mummified monkey's paw. An old fakir placed a spell on the paw, so that it would grant three wishes but only with hellish consequences as punishment for tampering with fate. Morris, having h…
Notable versions in other media
The story has been adapted into other media many times, including:
• On 6 October 1903, a one-act play opened at London's Haymarket Theatre, starring Cyril Maude as Mr. White and Lena Ashwell as Mrs. White.
• A 1907 stage adaptation by Louis N. Parker starred John Lawson.
Variations and parodies
A great number of novels, stories, movies, plays and comics are variations or adaptations of the story, featuring similar plots built around wishes that go awry in macabre ways, occasionally with references to monkeys' paws or to the story itself.
See also
• Unintended consequences
External links
• W. W. Jacobs. “The Monkey's Paw”, The Lady of the Barge at Project Gutenberg
• "The Monkey's Paw" public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• "The Monkey's Paw"; full short story text
• Gaslight edition of the story