If one were to search for meaning in "The Monkey's Paw," it could be argued that the story is meant to teach readers that the grass is not always greener on the side, and there are always certain negatives attached to each decision we make in life. We have all experienced regret at certain decisions we've made and desired to attain something we do not have. In this way, we are similar to Mr. White, who desired to pay off his house. Mr. White mentioned that he already had everything he wanted in life but was influenced by his son to wish for two hundred pounds. By wishing for two hundred pounds, Mr. White attempted to make his life a little better and unknowingly put his entire family in danger.

Mr. White does attempt to slightly alter the trajectory of his otherwise fulfilled life and pays dearly for it. Sergeant-Major Morris mentioned that an old fakir had placed a spell on the paw to prove that fate ruled people's lives and that those who tried to change it would be sorry. By acquiring two hundred pounds without working for it, Mr. White tried to cheat fate and improve his life.

Although Mr. White's punishment was much too severe, readers can learn from his mistake by appreciating everything they have and not desiring more than they can handle. Jacobs is teaching readers that the grass is not always greener on the other side, and there are always certain negatives attached to each choice made in life. Unfortunately, the negatives attached to Mr. White's decision to wish on the monkey's paw resulted in tragedy.

The moral of W. W. Jacobs's celebrated short story "The Monkey's Paw" is that you should be careful what you wish for and that there are no easy shortcuts in life.

When Mr. White inquires about the monkey's paw, Sergeant-Major Morris touches on the moral of the story by saying, "He [the old fakir] wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who tried to change it would be sorry." Fate is something that cannot be altered, and the monkey's paw punishes those who attempt to change their destiny by wishing upon it. When Mr. White holds the talisman in his hand, he struggles to decide what to wish for, because he seems to have everything he ever wanted. It is Herbert who suggests that he wish for two hundred pounds, which is just enough money to pay off the house.

Although Mr. White is perfectly content in life, he foolishly wishes for two hundred pounds, which would seem to make his seemingly perfect life complete. Mr. White attempts to take an easy shortcut to paying off his home by wishing upon the paw. Unfortunately, his wish has tragic consequences and results in Herbert's death. Mr. White quickly discovers the meaning of the old adages "be careful what you wish for" and "there are no easy shortcuts in life." Mr. White's situation is similar to the tragic hero King Oedipus, who foolishly attempted to alter his destiny.

The fact that Mr. White's punishment does not fit his transgression contributes to the evil nature of the paw but also emphasizes the morals of the story. One can apply the morals of the story to their own life by recognizing the importance of appreciating their current situation and valuing hard work. Mr. White could have easily picked up on Morris's hint, discarded the paw, and continued to work to pay off his home. However, he attempted to take a shortcut in life and change his destiny, which turned out to be a disastrous mistake.

It's all too easy to think that we can somehow change our fate. But the nature of fate is such that it cannot be changed. It is what is is; good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fate is ultimately indifferent to anything we might do or say.

Sadly for the White family, this valuable lesson is lost on them. They think that by making three wishes on the monkey's paw, they'll somehow be able to control their fate. Suffice to say, it doesn't work out like that. The magic spell put on the paw by a fakir was intended to teach people the valuable lesson that if you tempt fate, the consequences are likely to be very grave indeed.

As Sergeant-Major Morris tells the Whites, the first man who made three wishes on the monkey's paw wished for death on his third wish. This would appear to confirm that tempting fate by making his first two wishes ended disastrously for him.

Unfortunately for the Whites, they don't take the hint. They think that the monkey's paw is a piece of harmless mumbo-jumbo, so they make a wish on it for some money. They may not be taking this seriously, but that doesn't make a difference; they're still tempting fate. That being the case, they're making a very big mistake indeed, one that will have tragic and horrific consequences.

The moral The Monkey's Paw is explicitly stated by Sergeant-Major Morris when he tells the Whites that "Fate rules people's lives and those who interfere with fate do so to their sorrow." In other words, people are subject to fate, but trying to take control of one's destiny will lead to worse outcomes than if one just let fate take the lead. We see this when Mr. White's wish for money results in the death of his son. This all raises questions about the role of free will in a person's destiny. Was Herbert's tragic death the inevitable consequence of fate, or were the White's responsible for it as a result of their attempt to meddle with destiny? Can the actions and wishes that we make change the course of our lives? The answer to these questions largely depends on how one interprets this story.

This also leads us to another moral of the story—be careful what you wish for. The first two wishes that Mr. White makes do indeed come true. However, the cost was much higher than anyone would willingly pay if they knew of it in advance. Perhaps the moral here is that we can indeed make wishes and see them accomplished, but there will inevitably be costs and sacrifices that we never can truly foresee.

We do not need a monkey's paw to make wishes. We are free to make wishes at any time. And some of them come true. Unfortunately, it often turns out that the wishes that do come true result in disappointment—or worse. This fact of life seems to be the theme behind the theme of "The Monkey's Paw." We have all had the experience of getting something we wanted and then finding out that we made a mistake in wanting it. An example of a really serious mistake is marrying the wrong person. A less serious mistake is taking the wrong job. Benjamin Franklin wrote the following truth:

All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse.

Wishing is the same as wanting. We all want something we do not have much of the time.

Samuel Johnson wrote a long poem titled "The Vanity of Human Wishes" in which he offers many examples of how people are disappointed by getting something they want. Macbeth desperately wanted to become king, and that turned out to be the worst mistake he ever made. Both Schopenhauer and Emerson speak of a "law of compensation" which dictates that a price must be paid for everything we want.

What are the moral values of "The Monkey's Paw"?

The Monkey's Paw is a tale of warning. The short story is a warning to us all about what is really important in life. It makes us question our moral values. The Whites have a good life. Once the monkey's paw is introduced to them, everything changes for them. It changes the moral values they each have. The warning of the paw is that you need to be really careful what you wish for. The White's are warned that the outcome of the wishes is not what they think it is.

The Whites live a pretty normal life. They have a home and food and all of their basic needs are met. They are like everybody else in wanting to have what is unattainable to them. They want the money to pay off their house, even though they are financially comfortable. When they make the wish for the money, they have no idea of the nightmare it is bringing to their family. 

This short story is a tragic look into the greed that lays at the bottom of the human heart. We always seem to want what someone else has. The moral of this story tells the reader to beware of thinking someone else has it better than you. 

What are the moral values of "The Monkey's Paw"?

One of the most obvious moral lessons in "The Monkey's Paw" is to be careful what you wish for: It just might come true. The curse of the claw is based on this premise. The paw's wishes always come true, but apparently only in a cruel and, sometimes, deadly manner. The Whites' decision to test fate despite the warning of the paw's previous owner--and the knowledge of the terrible previous results--shows a disregard of the otherwise sensible life they have lived. The family has a good life with little financial worries, yet they, like many people, want what they cannot have. Their first wish is not a greedy one; they only wish for enough money to pay off the tiny remaining mortgage on their home. But the wish backfires in tragic fashion. The second wish is based on love, but it is made quickly and with little thought of the repercussions. The final wish is the only sensible one made, and one can only wonder why a normal family would make the illogical decision to put their trust in such a horrible creature. 

What is the moral of the "The Monkey's Paw"?

The action of "The Monkey's Paw" clearly illustrates the old adage that you should be careful what you wish for—there might be unseen consequences to that wish. Another way of saying this is that you shouldn't tempt fate.

Yet that's precisely what the White family does in relation to the eponymous monkey's paw. They believe that if they make three wishes on this magic talisman, then those wishes will come true, and in exactly the same way they'd hoped.

It isn't very long, however, before the Whites realize, to their horror, that you simply can't control fate like this. They make a wish on the monkey's paw that they will receive £200, quite a princely sum of money in those days. And they do indeed receive this money, but not in the way they expected. For Mr. and Mrs. White's sudden windfall comes in the form of a compensation payment for their son's fatal workplace accident.

Later on, the grief-stricken couple wish for their son to return, and he does. Though Mr. and Mrs. Wright never end up seeing him when he arrives at their door one night, it can be assumed that he is in a state of advanced bodily decay and putrefaction, having been reanimated by the power of the paw. Under the circumstances, all that's left is for Mr. White to make his third and final wish and send their son back to the grave, where he belongs.

What is the moral value of "The Monkey's Paw"?

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When we think about the moral value of the story, I suppose we are talking about what morals or principles the story gives us in terms of how we should live our lives. If we think of this story, the obvious moral value seems to be that we should accept our lot in life and not try to change it or wish for anything different. The way in which the wishes of the White family all go horrendously awry points towards the way that we must be incredibly careful of what we wish for and recognise the dangers that are inherent in meddling with our fate. Let us remind ourselves of what the monkey's paw was created to demonstrate. The sergeant major tells the White family that it was made by a fakir with a specific purpose:

He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow.

Of course, the Whites try to interfere with their fate, and they realise that such an attempt only brings them tragedy and sadness. Thus the moral value of this story seems to point toward an acceptance of our fate. We must not try to endlessly struggle against our destiny, but we must work with it.