Category: The Monkey’s Paw

The White family makes a big mistake when they decide to make their first wish, and it has its consequences. The story starts off on a rainy evening with Mr. White, Mrs. White, and their son Herbert sitting together in their living room. Mrs. White is sitting in her chair knitting as she is looking at her husband while he’s playing chess with Herbert. Mr. White suddenly hears the footsteps of someone walking along the side of their house and approaching the door. Someone knocks on the front door, Mr. White gets up and opens the door only to see that it is an old friend Sergeant Major Morris. They sit down together and Herbert decides he is going to call it a day and go upstairs. This paper will analyze the three main characters which are the three members of the White family and their actions throughout the story.

Mr. White is the father of Herbert and married to Mrs. White, he is annoyed at the fact that they do not live in the inner city. “That’s the worst part of living so far out…of all the beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way places to live in, this is the worst” (Mr. White). He is more than excited when he sees that his old friend Sergeant Major Morris comes to his home. When introduced to the Monkey’s Paw he is not sure that he wants to use it at first, he thinks he does not need anything else and he has everything he wants in life. When his son Herbert passes due to the first wish, he is completely against wishing back to life. After the outcome of the first wish he does not want to risk something like that happening again. He evidently uses his third wish to undo the wish his wife has made earlier in the story.

When Mrs. White first learns about the monkey’s paw she doubts the powers of it. She is not convinced that the paw really has supernatural powers. When her son Herbert dies she does not handle it well and gets really depressed. She then starts to overthink and of course like any mother would do she uses the second wish to bring Herbert back from the dead. She is so desperate in fact that she goes against her husband and demands that she wants her son back. Mr. White tries to talk her out of it by using the outcome of the first wish as proof that the paw is pure evil, but she decides to make the wish anyway which is something she will regret later on.

Herbert, unlike his mother is very intrigued by the secret powers behind the monkey’s paw. When he is told it can grant three wishes, he immediately thinks of wealth and fame. He is very unfortunate because his father’s wish eventually leads to his death. Their first wish was to receive two hundred pounds, they did get the money but not exactly the way they imagined. One of Herbert’s co workers came to the White family’s house and delivered the money as a form of compensation from the company because his death was work related. His death took a huge toll on his parent’s life which led to the second wish and third wish.

Conclusion

In conclusion, all of the character’s actions lead up to the ending up the story. The ending is very depressing because Herbert is not coming back, Mr. and Mrs. White are entering a terrible era in their life because their only son is dead and it is because of Mr. White’s first wish. Then Mrs. White’s wish makes everything worse because it now brings him back but not in the same form. Although the ending is not clear, you can conclude that Mr. Whites third wish is to undo Mrs. White’s wish. Now, after the third wish the mood is calm yet very gloomy and sad, they most definitely regret finding the paw and using it to make their wishes become their worst nightmare.

It is a common mindset that when wishes are made with good and not selfish intentions, they are likely to come true and impact positively on our lives. The monkey’s paw is a short story which was written by Jacobs in 1902, the story involves a family set-up.

The author w.w. Jacobs begins the story by setting the scene and the atmosphere by describing the area in which the Whites live. Jacobs describes the night as cold and wet, while inside the house the blinds are drawn and the fire is burning brightly. This is a good contrast , as the house seems to have a warm and safe atmosphere inside , even though the cottage is located in a remote area of the country, with extremely unpleasant and harsh weather. Before Sergeant Major Morris arrives, the atmosphere of the house seems quite tense and dull. Jacobs shows how tense Mr. white is when he writes, “Mr. white, with sudden and unlooked-for violence.” You can easily see that mr.white doesn’t seem to be concentrating on his game of chess. As ”The Monkey’s Paw,” was written over a century ago, Jacobs doesn’t use explicit gory details to create horror like modern scary films and books, instead, he uses subtle hints in most aspects of the story to build up an element of terror and one of these aspects is the way that the author uses setting.

When Sergeant major Morris arrives he begins to tell the family about the monkey’s paw origin, and how he possessed it and that it has the ability to grant wishes. The sergeant throws the monkey paw in to the fire; however Mr. White retrieves it, and insists that he would want to possess the paw since the sergeant did not require its services. However, the sergeant warns Mr. White against blaming him for the consequences that will follow if he uses the monkey paw to grant his wishes.

The monkey’s paw is an interesting story, which creates suspicion for the readers; the flow of events is systematic which creates quality of the contents of the story. The main lesson learnt from the story is that everything comes at a price, and when the deal is too good, the recipient should think through before making any hasty decisions. However, it is disappointing to learn that Mr. White used all the three wishes with genuine intentions but all the consequences were regrettable.

Influence refers to the ability to have a strong impact on others whereas power can eventually lead to chaos and madness. Individuals use their status to persuade, convince and control others for personal gains. In the short story by W. W. Jacobs, the monkey’s paw was used as an object to show the dangers of accepting a foreign object by an authoritative and trusted figure. Whereas in Stars Wars, the physical elements such as the lightsabers and powers of force were adapted by the Jedi, Sith, and other Force-adept’s clan to discuss the significance of good versus evil in human beings. In this essay, I will compare the different outcomes of the main characters and how both of their fate was altered due to social power, the influence of others, and objects used to appease others and themselves. In both the stories, each character had a different sequence of events as one was able to achieve success through influence whereas the others faced failure by trying to obtain power.

The Influence from an Authoritative Figures

Individuals who are influenced can easily change their lives depending on whose guidance they take. Leaders who inspire others have a higher success rate whereas leaders who use their power to show their dominance over others fail. From the beginning, we can see that Sergeant-Major Morris was a notable individual for The Whites’ family. His knowledge of the outside world held greater importance for Mr. White. ‘His manner was so impressive that his hearers were conscious that their light laughter jarred somewhat.’ (Jacobs, 1997) It’s human nature to want to possess something that the other has, and Sergeant-Major Morris took advantage of this opportunity to impress Mr. White into believing that the object he obtained was real. As Morris gives a warning “Better let it burn,” (Jacobs, 1997) he still does nothing to stop Mr. White from taking the object and even goes as far as explaining how to use it. Mr. White was content with he had, yet after hearing stories from his friend, who was considered a highly trusted individual, he had the urge to change the course of his life. He thought that the object would be a chance to fulfill his desires for once. “Power leaders seek to control and often abuse their influence.” (Kuhel, 2017) It is also important to note that Sergeant Morris was entirely in control of the situation. He used Mr. White’s weakness of wanting to travel aboard to exotic locations as a way to present this object. Had he not shown up and or presented this object at all, the outcome for this family would have been entirely different. This family had trusted this individual as they knew him for a long time, yet knowing that the object is dangerous he decided to get rid of it by tossing it on to someone else.

Anakin Skywalker, on the other hand, was a good-hearted hero of the clone wars in the beginning. He was considered to be one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. He believed he was one of the ‘chosen ones’ and superior to everyone else (StarWars, n.d.) Sensing his anger and frustration on being challenged by the council, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine took advantage of his emotions and guided him to the dark side. ‘Influence is the application of power to accomplish a specific purpose’ (Bacon, 2019) Palpatine’s trust and mentorship to Anakin ultimately changed his dream about becoming a Jedi. In order to satisfy his revenge, Palpatine made Anakin believe that his powers would be much more useful and stronger if he trained and guided him. He would then be able to achieve anything he desired. Anakin was made to believe that he was stronger than everyone, and in his ego, he didn’t expect that this would ultimately lead to his death. It was evident in both the stories, there was a strong presence of an individual who was able to control and change one’s mindset to achieve personal gains through any means necessary.

The Inability to Control Your Life

Through these authoritative figures, objects were presented in both stories which had different alluring qualities that changed the characters’ fate. The Monkey’s Paw was used to represent the desire and greed in individuals whereas the Lightsabers exemplified bravery, righteousness, and power. Mr. White was described as a curious and naive individual who acted as if he was assertive and aware of the reality. Despite everything, when the events took place, he made himself believe that the object had taken control of his life. When Mr. White hears that the object has the ability to grant wishes, he laughed it off but couldn’t help but wonder at its magical capabilities. However, it was, in fact, Sergeant Morris who had the ability to make Mr. White believe in the unforeseeable. For example, when Sergeant-Major Morris throws the object into the fire, Mr. White quickly retrieves it, proving that whatever Sergeant Morris had said prior had an ability to control and dominate Mr. White with his words. Despite being warned of its potential dangers; Sergeant-Major Morris does nothing to stop the worse from happening. It’s eventually when Mr. White learns the truth, he has no choice but to live with the consequences and believe in the object.

The Lightsabers were powerful weapons used to create a distinction between groups and show one’s dominance over the other. ‘Anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter—but to use a lightsaber well as a mark of someone a cut above the ordinary.’ (Wookieepedia, n.d.) Kenobi shielded and kept his apprentice’s lightsaber before passing it down to Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker. ‘The lightsaber also became synonymous with the Jedi Order’s values to uphold peace and justice throughout the galaxy.’ (Wookieepedia, n.d.) The acceptance of this sword paved way for Luke and Anakin differently as they both used this weapon to protect their clan and fight for dissimilar purposes. Luke would make use of the lightsaber, both as a Rebel freedom fighter and Jedi trainee, and protect his clan from the dangers whereas Anakin created havoc and destroyed everything in his path. The difference between both of these main characters was due to their mentees. One guided Luke to protect his loved ones and achieve better outcomes whereas the other was taught to take revenge and destroy anyone he detested. It wasn’t the objects that influenced these individuals, but it was their difference of views that made them believe in their leaders. Through guidance and leadership obtained from others determined how they would change their destiny.

Changing Attitudes through Persuasion

Although in The Monkey’s paw the object was made to seem like it had supernatural abilities, the omnipotent powers may have been misperceived and overlooked by Mr. White. Connecting the death and return of his son to the object could have merely just been his difficulty in accepting his reality. His coping mechanism might have influenced him to accuse an object in order to take away the blame from himself. What Sergeant Morris said about this object affirmed his beliefs and made him accept that the events taking place were real. However, the object, in reality, may not have had any supernatural abilities at all. ‘Your thoughts are powerful and they frame the triumphs or tragedies of your life.’ (Sanders, 2014) Sergeant Morris and the previous owner have had their wishes granted. However, these stories may have been Morris’s attempt at creating fabricated lies that would get Mr. White’s attention and make him seem superior. Evidently, the six wishes that were granted on the previous owners all could have been attributed to mere coincidence, but as readers, we can only believe in what Morris has to say. ‘Common sense and reason tell us that there is no such thing as an object that has the power to grant wishes.'(Delaney, n.d.) It is just something we would like to believe or become influenced by as it is much to find such objects that have the ability to change your life.

Similarly, in Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker’s weakness was his inability to protect those he loved the most. Palpatine used this fear of losing Padme and leveraged a suggestion into taking his side. His indecisiveness of showing his loyalty as a Jedi altered as he was constantly battling with his own identity. He felt as though he did not belong in the council and felt abandoned when others were chosen over him. The events that took place prior such as the murder of his mother and the killing of Jedi trainees would have altered his perception about those who were trying to help him. ‘Star Wars fan would recognize Skywalker’s identity issues and uncertainty about who he was. His fateful turn to the dark side and change of name to Darth Vader could represent the ultimate sign of such identity disturbance.'(Hsu, 2010) Sergeant Morris and Palpatine seized the opportunity to get Mr. White and Skywalker to follow in their direction and manipulated them. One was told to carry out the acts that would benefit himself whereas the other projected his views onto someone else knowing that such weak-minded individuals would obey and trust in his beliefs.

Social influence refers to the way in which individuals change their ideas and actions to meet the demand of an authoritative figure or a group that holds exercises influence over the majority. The power of social influence can shape one’s opinion, belief, and behavior. Some individuals are manipulated and used for other purposes to meet their goals and demands that they cannot conquer alone. Objects alone cannot influence individuals, but how they think and perceive information can ultimately affect the choices they make in the end.

William Wymark Jacobs was born in 1863 in London, England. He is a short-story writer. In 1896, he created his first volume, Many Cargoes and it was a major success. However, he is best known for his horror story that is called “The Monkey’s Paw” that was first published in 1902. It outstands all the short stories written by other authors. Indeed, this short story should remain in the course pack due to the historical events, the motifs, and the use of poverty in the story. Jacob uses important historical events to link the characters in the story. The motifs of the groups of three and the cold wind are expressed in the story. Also, he uses poverty to demonstrate the risks that the citizens are taking to earn money and the significance of family in the story. The author uses important historical events to link the characters background, because he wants to show to the readers about how the society was back then.

Jacobs’s story takes place during the period called “The Victorian Era.” It is a period where the British being extremely greedy. During this time, the British East India Company took control of India. A large amount of rebellions made by the Indians and the wars for the territory explains why British soldiers were in India. It lasted 200 years. In the story, when Sergeant Major came to visit the White’s Family, Mr. White says to his family: “Twenty-one years of it (…) When he went away he was a slip of a youth in the warehouse.” (60 Jacobs). With the help of the historical event, we can understand why Sergeant Major was away for 21 years. Furthermore, during the same period, the working condition was terrible. Indeed, workers get more often caught in the machinery than today’s date. They do not have any safety when working. Similarly, in the story, Herbert gets caught in the machinery and dies. When the visitors came to visit Mr. White, they said: “He was caught in the machinery” (64). The historical fact like the Indian rebellion and the working condition are one of the reasons that makes this story interesting and it should remain in the course pack.

Furthermore, the author portrays the motifs of the groups of three and the cold wind are another reason for why this makes the story more interesting. The structure of the story is full of number 3. The number represents bad luck comes in threes. When Major Morris shows to Mr. White the monkey’s paw, he tells Mr. White three times no to wish on the paw (61), because the paw is cursed, and it will bring bad luck to the family. Moreover, the cold wind is constant throughout the story. The wind is a foreshadowing of bad luck. Also, it is a warning to the White’s as they interfere with fate. In the story, when someone comes at the door of Mr. White’s house, there is always bad luck. One of the moments was when Sergeant Major brings the paw to the White’s house, he shows to Mr. White and says:” Hold it up in your right hand and wish aloud, but I warn you of the consequences” (61). Then author’s ability to demonstrate the motifs of the groups of three and the cold wind in his story is why we should keep the story in the course pack. The author uses poverty to demonstrate the risk taking to earn money and the significance of family in this story are more reasons for this short story to be interesting and remain in the course pack.

For the people who struggle with money, they are willing to take any risks to earn more money even if it is a dangerous job. When Mr. White had the monkey’s paw, he says clearly: “I wish for two hundred pounds” (62). Mr. White is willing to take the risk even though the paw is cursed, and it could bring him a negative consequence. On the other hand, poverty brings the family closer. Indeed, there are many families where they could not afford any luxuries. Therefore, their family values much more. In the story, when Herbert dies, Mrs. White says to Mr. White that she wants him to wish their son back to life. Mr. White takes the paw and says: “I wish my son alive again” (66). Even though it could have bad consequences, they are willing to take the risk because they have a strong bond and they care about him. Overall, the author uses poverty to show to the readers about how poor civilians will take dangerous risks to earn money and how family is important to them.

The story should remain in the course pack because he uses the past to relate to the story plot, its motifs and the use of poverty in the story. Jacobs uses the past periods to demonstrate the storyline, the motifs of the groups of three and the cold wind along with poverty for which poor families will do anything to earn money even if it is not safe and being poor brings the family to have a stronger relationship. The purpose of this story is to explore the dangers of wishing with the use of the paw.

“Sometimes, no matter how bad you want something it just does not become possible” (citation). In life everyone wants and thinks they can get whatever they want, but thinking too big will make your dreams very unlikely. In W.W Jacobs short story, “The Monkey’s Paw”, the White’s family are awaiting a good friend of Mr. White’s, Sergent-Major Morris. When visiting he brings a monkey’s paw from his tour in India and shows it to the family. While advising them not to use it, Morris tells them that the paw has the ability to grant three wishes, but also emphasizes the catastrophic side effects. Mr. White ignores his advice and, within their first wish, they find out about their sons fatality. Through Mr. White, Jacobs develops the idea that when an individual is faced with temptation, one may react by the influence of greed, resulting in creating one’s own adversity and the destruction of self.

Mr. White is a man who believes he is always right and can never be defeated. He would completely disregard his mistakes and never take responsibility for his actions. In the exposition of the story, Mr. White and his son, Herbert were playing a game of chess. During the game Mr. White makes an incurable move that will cost him the game but hopes nobody notices it. The inevitable happens and his son Herbert ends up winning the game. Mr. White quickly and efficiently manages to change the topic from the losing the game of chess to where they live. This shows what kind of man Mr. White truly is. He finds joy in being right and when he is not, he never wants to take responsibility for his wrong-doings. Mr. White is also a very careless man who takes many risks. In the game of chess it requires a careful strategy and the ability to predict consequences of your actions. When Sergeant-Major Morris introduced the monkey’s paw to Mr. White, he warned him about potential consequences when used. When heard by Mr. White he completely disregarded what he said and continued with his wishes. This demonstrates Mr. White’s negligence. Mr.White could not resist the temptation of the paw, showcasing what is really important to him, which is power. He is clearly warned about the repercussions of the paw but continues resulting jeopardizing his family’s well being.

Mr. White has everything he has ever wanted, but when encouraged by greed he is tempted to use the paw to wish for the unnecessary. In the text, Mr. White says that he has everything he needs and is having trouble of what to wish for. His son, Herbert suggests to wish for two hundred pounds and Mr. White agrees. This demonstrates his extremely greedy attitude. He was not able to think of a wish but when his son recommends the money, he impulsively acts upon by the influence of greed. This shows how much power the paw really has. Mr. White wishing for money shows that that’s all he cares about in life, he doesn’t have real values and morals. The paw has the ability to make people wish for things with or without knowing about the consequences. The paw symbolizes power, greed, and brings out selfishness and greed out of the most satisfied people. Mr. White’s wish ends up being granted but the unexpected consequence occurs. His poor decision of making a little wish led to the death tragic death of his son. When the wish was made for two hundred pounds, the very next morning one of Herbert’s employers came to the White’s house to inform them about the death of their son with a two hundred pound compensation to go along with it. AfterPost to the event, Mr. White finally realizes that the monkey’s paw is evil and cursed and any wish asked end’s with a tragedy. He realizes that his greed and selfishness created his own despair in his life.

Mr. White now knows about the evil in the paw, he tries to deny his actions by wishing for his son back. Nonetheless Mr.White is afraid of his sons physical state when he returns back to life. Sergeant Morris warns Mrs. White that they will not be able to recognize their son only by the clothes he wears. Of course Mr. White pressures him into granting his second wishth which he does. This shows how far Mr. White will go before ever taking liability for his actions. Mr. White had a chance to dispose of the paw, but instead he kept it. His tremendous selfishness and greed forbade him from admitting his mistakes and understanding the repercussions that come from his actions. Readers may infer that after wishing to bring his son back, Mr. White felt the need to undo the wish, leading to more misery in his life. In the story, as Mrs. White was having trouble opening the door Mr. White was desperately looking for the monkey’s paw and when he found it he wished his third and final wish. He wished to have the knocker on the door disappear, leading to Mrs. White left in complete shock. This is significant to show Mr. Whites helpless attempt to deal with the repercussions he made. He ended up failing which resulted in sufferingrage and extreme woe. Mr. White believed that instead of taking liability he could take back his actions hoping everything would go back to normal but ended up in a horrific disaster.

Conclusion

When an individual is faced with temptation, one may react by the influence of greed, resulting in creating one’s own adversity and the destruction of self. Mr. White was influenced and blinded by greed into taking the monkey’s paw which led to the cessation of the his son. He tries to deal with the repercussions but could not handle it resulting in pure failure. Greed is the inventor of injustice as well as the current enforcer.

In ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ the author W.W.Jacobs begins the story by setting the scene and the atmosphere by describing the area in which the White’s live. Jacobs describes the night as cold and wet, while inside the house the blinds are drawn and the fire is burning brightly. This is a good contrast, as the house seems to have a warm and safe atmosphere inside, even though the cottage is situated in a remote area of the country, with extremely unpleasant and harsh weather. Before the Sergeant-Major arrives, the atmosphere of the house seems quite tense and dull. Jacobs shows how tense Mr. White is when he writes “Bawled Mr. White, with sudden and unlooked-for violence”. You can easily see that Mr. White doesn’t seem to be concentrating on his game of chess. As ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ was written over a century ago, Jacobs doesn’t use explicit gory details to create horror like modern scary films and books. Instead, he uses subtle hints in most aspects of the story to build up an element of terror and one of these aspects is the way that Jacobs uses setting. The setting of part I begins with a cliché common to most gothic horror stories. “The night was cold and wet but in the small parlour of a Laburnum villa…” The wet and cold atmosphere has an unpleasant affect on the reader as it makes them immediately feel uneasy about the situation. Cold and wet as a combination are both largely used clichés to set the scene of a story, similar to ‘To Build a Fire’, by Jack London, which did however have a more intense description of the setting which was successfully suspenseful and eerie. Pathetic fallacy at the very beginning conveys the idea that the story will contain dark or evil connotations. The use of the word, ‘but’ has been purposely selected to show there is more to the situation, implying that it is liable to a twist. The first paragraph has a great ambience of normality across it; this had been done to allow the reader to empathise the characters, as it has been set in a fairly common area. However, by setting it in a common place, such as a home – Jacobs is defying the orthodox Gothic Horror genre setting. Most stories or novels which follow the rules of this genre are set in deserted places or a more enchanted/fictional region.

In addition, the transition between each part of the story shows large changes in mood. After Herbert retires for the night, the second part begins, which has a very customary, “prosaic” mood to it. The contrast of mood between the start of part II and the end of part I is very large and keeps the reader alert. The huge amount of tension built when Herbert gazes into the fire is dropped instantaneously, keeping the interest of the reader. The following day, the mood is very calm and relaxed, the reader may feel as if the mood were too normal, and become suspicious, waiting for some action to occur. Following the Gothic Horror genre, there is a cliché that sunlight has a large impact on the mood of a story, as everything seems more controlled and calm during the day.

“Magic is the power to use supernatural forces to move impossible things happen, such as making people disappear or controlling events in nature”(Collins dictionary). The Monkey’s Paw is a short story about a family that is given the chance to receive a magical Monkey’s Paw, but the family has been warned about the magic. The family interferes with the magic, even though being warned many times, which that interference leads them into many regretful consequences. Magic is powerful source to not be messed with, and when a person does not know how to use this powerful source bad things may happen because magic interfere with fate and results of bad luck.

Magic is a powerful source to not be messed with because magic may cause interference with fate. In the story The Monkey’s Paw W.W Jacobs writes about how can this magical source ruined the family’s life. “They admit no liability at all, but in consideration of your son’s services they wish present you with a certain sum”(Jacobs 9). The White’s family has overlooked the Monkey’s Paw which has caused them their son’s death. The White’s family should have not messed with the magical paw, and in the results of them using the Paw they have lost their only son . When people mess with magic that is powerful and these people had been warned, it can cost in many consequences. The White’s family had been warned multiple times but decided to ignore the warnings which cost them their son.

Magic is powerful source to not be messed with because of bad luck. In the story The Monkey’s Paw W.W Jacobs writes about how bad luck can be caused even from the little things. “Mr. White dropped his wife’s hand, and rising to his feet, gazed with a look of horror at his visitor. His dry lips shaped the words, ‘How much?’ ‘Two hundred pounds.’ was the answer”(Jacobs 10). The amount that was stated in the example was two hundred pounds, which was the same amount the family asked from the Monkey’s Paw. Situations like these may happen from playing with luck which can result in bad luck. The White’s family had been warned many times, but instead of listening, the White’s family interfered with their luck.

Some people that make the decision to play with magic like the White’s family can lead to many consequences. As presented, there are many consequences. Magic is powerful power to not interfere with, and when one does not know how to use this powerful power shall not try to use so. When one mortal being interferes with fate, it may cause loss, bad luck, and death. When one uses magic in a careless way, one could get hurt. The examples that were shown in the book tell the reader people shouldn’t use magic in careless way, which may happen with ignorance.