The Monkey's Paw

In W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," Mr. White makes three wishes with dire consequences. The first wish for 200 pounds results in his son Herbert's death, as the money comes as compensation for the...

"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs employs foreshadowing to hint at the tragic outcomes of the wishes made with the cursed talisman. Sergeant-Major Morris's warnings and actions, such as throwing the...

"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs presents several conflicts, primarily man versus the supernatural, as the Whites contend with the cursed talisman that grants wishes with dire consequences. The...

In "The Monkey's Paw," suspense and irony are central elements. The climax occurs when Mr. White makes his final wish to prevent the return of his son Herbert, whose death ironically fulfills their...

At the end of "The Monkey's Paw," Mrs. White drives her husband into using the second wish to bring their son back from the dead. Though terrified of this wish's consequences, Mr. White makes his...

Examples of irony in "The Monkey's Paw" include the wish for 200 pounds, which is granted through the tragic death of the Whites' son, Herbert, in an accident that results in a compensation of...

Mr. White in "The Monkey's Paw" is depicted as a dynamic, major character who undergoes significant change throughout the story. Initially skeptical of the paw's powers, his attitude shifts from...

"The Monkey's Paw" qualifies as a horror story due to its eerie atmosphere, the supernatural element of the cursed paw granting twisted wishes, and the suspenseful, ominous events leading to tragic...

"The Monkey's Paw" is told from a third-person omniscient point of view, which allows the narrator to describe the thoughts and feelings of all characters. This perspective enhances the suspense and...

In "The Monkey's Paw," Herbert White exhibits a playful and skeptical attitude towards the paw, dismissing its supposed magical powers as superstition. Despite his sarcasm, he inadvertently prompts...

Sergeant-Major Morris, a character in W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw," views the paw as a dangerous and malevolent object, having experienced its harmful effects firsthand. He acquired the paw from...

The setting in W. W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw" is crucial for establishing the story's suspenseful, Gothic atmosphere. Set in the remote Laburnam Villa in England during cold, rainy weather, it...

After Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds in "The Monkey's Paw," his son Herbert dies in a workplace accident, and the family receives 200 pounds as compensation. This tragic event underscores the...

In W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," Mr. White is depicted as a content retiree, motivated by curiosity and a desire to maintain his family's comfort. Despite his skepticism and rationality, he is...

The author of "The Monkey's Paw" leaves it ambiguous who appears at the door. It could be Herbert's decomposed body, suggested by the knocking's coincidental timing with the father's wish. However,...

In "The Monkey's Paw," Sergeant-Major Morris's advice to "wish for something sensible" foreshadows the tragic outcomes of the wishes made by the White family. His warning highlights the monkey's...

In "The Monkey's Paw," W.W. Jacobs uses alliteration to enhance the story's mood and emotion. Examples include the repetition of the "s" sound in phrases like "sightless man" and "senseless heap"...

In "The Monkey's Paw," Herbert initially dismisses the paw's powers, joking about it despite his parents' interest. However, after seeing disturbing images in the fire, he becomes uneasy. Tragically,...

In "The Monkey's Paw," imagination, metaphors, and imagery significantly enhance the story's suspense and horror. Imagination allows readers to visualize the paw's mysterious powers, while metaphors...

An alternate ending for "The Monkey's Paw" could have Mr. White not using his final wish to send Herbert back to the grave. Instead, the Whites discover a weary traveler at the door, to whom they...

In W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," indirect characterization reveals key traits of characters through their actions and dialogue. Herbert White's playful and naive demeanor is shown through his...

"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and interfering with fate. The White family receives a cursed monkey's paw that grants three wishes, but each wish...

The number three motif in "The Monkey's Paw" is significant because it represents fate and the consequences of interfering with it. The talisman grants three wishes to three different people,...

The family initially reacts to the monkey's paw with skepticism and curiosity. Mr. White is intrigued but cautious, while Mrs. White is more dismissive. Their son, Herbert, treats it as a joke....

In the short story "The Monkey's Paw," the phrase "hark at" means to listen or pay close attention. Mr. White uses it in an attempt to distract his son from a mistake he made during a game of chess....

The father and son playing chess at the start of "The Monkey's Paw" serves to characterize and symbolize the story's themes. Character-wise, it shows Mr. White as reckless and Herbert as careful....

The first hint that the monkey's paw is not a good thing comes when Sergeant-Major Morris tells the Whites that the first man who possessed the paw asked for death as his third wish. This is a clear...

In "The Monkey's Paw," Sergeant Major Morris is a complex character whose reactions and actions reveal the ominous nature of the paw. His pale face and grave demeanor suggest fear and past trauma...

In W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," the monkey's paw symbolizes the power and danger of fate, emphasizing the futility of humans trying to control it. The White family, who use the paw to make...

Mr. White refuses to help his wife open the front door because he fears the sight of their son Herbert's decaying, zombie-like corpse, which would traumatize them both. After wishing for Herbert to...

Mrs. White's reference to The Arabian Nights in "The Monkey's Paw" has hidden significance. It alludes to the magical and exotic elements of the story, foreshadowing the consequences of the wishes....

In "The Monkey's Paw," a fakir is a holy man, often associated with Hinduism or Islam, who possesses mystical powers. In the story, a fakir casts a spell on a monkey's paw to demonstrate that fate...

In "The Monkey's Paw," Mr. White's fear of letting "it"—his resurrected son, Herbert—into the house stems from the horrific consequences of previous wishes. After Herbert's death, Mr. White fears the...

The quoted lines from “The Monkey’s Paw” foreshadow the horrific acts that follow through the words “face,” “dying,” and “horrible.” Later in the story, it is Herbert who dies. His death is horrible...

The first man who made his three wishes in "The Monkey's Paw" used his third wish to wish for death. This ominous outcome foreshadows the disastrous consequences of using the monkey's paw, which was...

The meaning and function of the monkey's paw in Indian culture is to show that fate rules people's lives and that anyone who interferes with it "does so at their sorrow."

The events in "The Monkey's Paw" can be partially explained as coincidence. Herbert's death and the subsequent compensation of two hundred pounds could be seen as unrelated to the wish, as workplace...

In W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," Sergeant-Major Morris can be seen as untrustworthy due to his physical description and actions. His "beady eyes" suggest malice or suspicion. Despite knowing the...

In "The Monkey's Paw," Sergeant-Major Morris throws the paw onto the fire because he is aware of the dark side of the power that it holds. Nobody directly gives the paw to Mr. White. He retrieves it...

In "The Monkey's Paw," the characters' responsibility and key decisions revolve around their choices to use the paw despite warnings. Mr. White's decision to wish for money leads to tragic...

In W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," Mr. and Mrs. White experience conflict due to differing reactions to the consequences of their wishes. Initially, Mr. White complains about their isolated home,...

The monkey's paw in W. W. Jacobs' story is not explicitly cursed but rather enchanted by a spell cast by an old fakir. The spell was intended to demonstrate that fate governs people's lives, and...

Initially, Mrs. White is skeptical about the monkey's paw, considering it to be a silly superstition. She dismisses its supposed magical properties and does not take it seriously until later events...

Mr. White complains about the weather to distract his son during a chess game, but this also serves a deeper narrative purpose. His grievances emphasize the isolation and harshness of their...

Mr. and Mrs. White initially believe their second wish hasn't come true because nothing happens immediately after wishing for their son to return to life. They forget that their first wish also...

Mr. White faints upon learning about the compensation from Maw and Meggins because it is exactly the amount he wished for with the monkey's paw—two hundred pounds. This realization confirms the paw's...

"The Monkey's Paw" does not feature a traditional flashback, but it includes a significant recounting by Sergeant-Major Morris. He explains how he came into possession of the cursed paw, originally...

After Mr. White's first wish, the family's mood remains light-hearted and skeptical, filled with playful sarcasm. Herbert jokes about becoming rich and famous, while Mrs. White pretends to be...

In "The Monkey's Paw," the moving paw is not an example of personification because it is compared to a snake, not given human traits. However, the face seen in the fire is an example of...

In part 3, Mrs. White wakes up in the middle of the night and reminds her husband about his first wish. She asks him to wish for their son to return back to life. She naively believes that a second...