The story, The Monkey’s Paw, written by W.W.Jacobs, talks about the White family who makes three wishes with the Monkey’s Paw and every wish comes true. But there is a twist: with every wish they make a bad thing happen. They got the paw from their “good” friend sergeant-major Morris who wanted to get rid of the paw and tricked the family into having it. They made their first wish for money, which they got by their son’s death and the money was given to make the elders not so sad. Then, Mrs. White felt really unhappy, and made the second wish for their son to come back. But before she had opened the door, Mr. White breathed the third and last wish to make whatever creature at the door disappear.
Greediness can make people suffer, making things a lot worse. We should not ask for more when we have just enough as it can lead people into unseen traps that can make things that were normal turn into something that is quite bad. It starts out normal and for a short time it becomes good, but the suffering can last a lot longer than the good things. Mr. White is the main problem that caused the situation, and it comes to the point where he is taken advantage of by Morris. He is also the reason his son dies and also why his wife makes the second wish. The family were greedy when they had just enough and all they needed. Morris takes advantage of the White family’s trust, curiosity and greed, making them suffer even though Mr. White is the one who has the main problem when he says yes to taking the paw. We learn to not take things that are ours or consequences will follow.
People can take advantage of others when the others are greedy or curious, making them become victims that get taken advantage of. Morris does so so that he would not have to suffer any more, and can finally get rid of the paw. He does this by being careless about it, saying that it’s nothing but magic. Of course then, the family would be very interested and take the paw. Sergeant-major Morris lies to the family by saying all the points about the paw that is very good, and also takes their personalities to help him succeed in his evil plan. He takes advantage of them, using their greed and curiosity to take the paw away from his life. Morris is taking advantage of the Whites’ curiosity, ignorance and trust to him, that’s why it makes him evil. He makes the family think that he is a good friend, but actually cheats on them to throw away the monkey’s paw as it is a burden. Cheating can make people take advantage of their own friends and take what is important in their lives.
Suspense is when there is a mood or feeling that something is about to happen. It usually acts as a reminder that something good or bad might be about to happen. Authors also are likely to use comparison and contrast, making a clear difference outside and inside the sweet home. In the story, Morris had said: I warn you of the consequences. Also, the first wish hadn’t ended well, so it makes us think that the next two wouldn’t be well either. We have a feeling that if the story continued, the family would have their two consequences that are very bad. The first wish had a horrible consequence, with Herbert dying. This gives a sense that evil is coming and the next two wishes that are made would have its consequences too. Suspense is a technique that many authors use to hint that good or bad might be just about to happen, making the background scary or fun.
In conclusion, The Monkey’s Paw is a short horror story that tells of the White family losing their adult son, Herbert, which is all the joy to their lives, but only getting some money in return. They feel very sad and make their second wish for him to come back. Mr. White is not sure that it is his son at the door, so he makes the last and third wish for him to disappear. This story tells us about human nature, as everyone would want a wish giver. There are also some themes which the story teaches us about. First, when somebody is in need of doing something so badly, friends can lay down their lives. The story also leads to an open ending which makes us ponder and be frightened of the paw. The last theme tells us that we always become careless when we hurry very hard. I recommend this story as we can learn some themes and also a good writing method.
Comments