I.

Introduction:
Monkey’s Paw is an expression that is commonly used in culture. This phrase
depicts a wishful line of thinking that neglects the possible consequences that it may
come with. For example, “You would be monkey pawing if that is what you wish for”.
This expression had compelled us to take a closer look at the short story “The Monkey’s
Paw”, the origin of the phrase.
The Monkey’s Paw is a short story written by W.W. Jacobs. Borned in 1863 in
London, Jacobs wrote many absurd comedies but occasionally he also wrote horror
stories. Of those he wrote, “The Monkey’s Paw” published in Jacobs’s short-story
collection “The Lady of the Barge” (1902) have been the most famous one. The short
story itself is a horror fiction, set in a remote region in England, where the White family
lives. The White family consists of the three main characters of the story: Mr. White,
Mrs. White, and their son - Herbert. These characters were given a monkey’s paw by
sergeant-major Morris who told them about the wishes that it grants but also warned them
about the danger it may come with. Despite the warning, Mr. White and his family used it
to wish for things that lead to horrifying results.

II. Summary:
The story begins with the White family relaxing in their cozy house playing chess
while it is raining outside. This is when a visitor they were expecting arrived, Mr. White
introduces the family to Sergeant-Major Morris. As their guest was welcomed in and
given drinks, he talked about his trip to India. Mr. White then asks to see the Monkey’s
Paw and is given the cursed talisman that can grant three wishes. Despite Morris
throwing it into the fire, the family insists on keeping it.
After their guest leaves the White family discuss what they will use the paw for. It
is when Herbert suggests that they would want 200 pounds to pay off the house. Mr.
White wished for it, but nothing happened. On the next day, after Herbert headed to
work, a representative of the company came to the house informing an unsettling news
that Herbert had lost his life while at work. To compensate for this loss, they were given
200 pounds, the exact amount they wished earlier. The couple was devastated.
Ten days later, Mrs. White got the idea to use the paw to wish their son return. Mr.
White tried to argue knowing that Herbert can no longer be recognized, however, being
pushed constantly by his wife, Mr. White decided to make the wish. A while later, there
was some knocking on the door, Mrs.White believing it was Herbert, flew to the door. Do
not want their son to be in the house, Mr. White wanted to stop his wife from opening the
door, but to no avail. Left with no other choices Mr. White made his final wish. Right
after, Mrs. White opened the door but saw no one outside, the story ended with the empty
street.

III. Analysis:
The first part of the story opens with the White family in their “small living room”
with the “fire burned brightly” where the two characters Herbert and Mr. White “playing
chess” are seen closely by Mrs. White. This goes to show that the family is not wealthy,
shown by the word “small”. However, the house is cozy, and the family is content with
their living style. In the game board that they are playing on Mr. White made a very risky
move “putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils” which led to him losing
the game, this mistake shows that Mr. White is a risk taker and would take chances even
when there are safer options. These characters are also reflected in the later part of the
story when Mr. White uses the paw despite all the warnings. After Mrs. White
commented on his loss: “perhaps you’ll win the next one”, Mr. White turned around to
find out “a knowing look between mother and son” with which he also finds his own
happiness: “he hid a guilty grin in his thin grey beard”, this shows that the family
themselves are very happy being with each other, even if they don’t actively show it.
Afterwards, Sergeant-Major Morris showed up and with the request from Mr.
White, showed the family The Monkey’s Paw, made by "a very holy man. He wanted to
show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their
sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from
it”. These words are rules of the artifact, Morris explained that the users are given three
wishes, but before that he explained that there are dangers that they bring with them.
Morris threw it into the fire afterward to Mr. White's surprise “If you don’t want it
Morris, give it to me”, who immediately took it away; seeing that Morris even said “I
threw it on the fire. If you keep it, don't blame me for what happens. Pitch it on the fire
like a sensible man”. Both the action of throwing it and the warning he gave should show
exactly how much he thinks this will only bring trouble and it better not exist at all.
Despite all these warnings, Mr. White still insists on keeping it. Just as shown before with
the chess board, Mr. White once again took chances with the paw despite already having
everything he needed.
As Morris went away, the White family started thinking of what they could use
the wish for. Herbert suggested "If you only cleared the house, you'd be quite happy,
wouldn't you!", “wish for two hundred pounds, then; that’ll just do it”. Despite just said
earlier, “It seems to me I’ve got all I want”, Mr. White went with this idea anyway. This
once again shows Mr. White takes unnecessary risks even when it is only a small amount
of money that he does not need. This mistake, just like in the game board earlier, resulted
in him losing something very important to him. The last time it was the king which made
him lose the game; this time, it was his son, Herbert. When the well-dressed
representative of Maw and Meggins, the company in which Herbert worked for came in
and told the old couple that Herbert “caught in the machinery” and was offered “Two
hundred pounds”, the two knew that they had doomed their son.
Despite knowing the consequences of their wish, in part three, Mrs. White once
again wanted to bring Herbert back using the paw. Remembering the existence of the
paw, she yelled “THE PAW!”, “THE MONKEY’S PAW!”, Mrs. White shown to have
gone completely mad with the ability of the paw, even Mr. White notices it as he tells her
“Good God, you are mad!”. Despite what her husband had to say, “I could only recognize
him by his clothing”, she insisted on wishing Herbert back: “Bring him back”. Mrs.
White is now completely blinded by the possibility of the paw and neglected all
reasoning. At the end, Mr. White made the wish: “I wish my son alive again.” After a
while, there was knocking on the door, Mrs.White immediately went to open the door for
Herbert “It’s my boy; it’s Herbert!”. Knowing that whatever was left of Herbert would be
unbearable to his wife, Mr. White once again reasoned with his wife “For God’s sake
don’t let it in”, but as mentioned previously, she has stopped listening to what Mr. White
has to say. This left Mr. White had no choice but to find the paw and made his last wish
before his wife opened that door: “If only he could find it before the thing outside got in”.
Luckily, for Mr. White, he got the wish just in time: “He heard the creaking of the bolt as
it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically
breathed his third and last wish”. However, as he is relieved to finish his final wish, his
wife is devastated, shown by “a long loud wail of disappointment and misery” when she
finds no one outside. The story ended with “The streetlamp flickering opposite shone on
a quiet and deserted road”, an empty and lonely view displaying the state of the old
couple alone together without Herbert, and now without any uses for the paw as well.
After the three wishes they made, all they did is trade the life of their son away.

IV. Theme:
The Monkey’s Paw explores the theme of desire and greed that is shown in the
paw’s user. Through the opening of the story, we see that the White family was happy
with what they had and there is nothing that they would need. Hearing the story about the
monkey’s paw can make all wishes come true, Mr White retrieved the paw from the fire
even though he admitted that he desired nothing: “I don't know what to wish for, and
that's a fact". Despite that, Mr. White still wished for 200 pounds. The money that he
asked was not needed, thus this wish is out of greed rather than a necessity. This
unnecessary greed is what caused the death of Herbert, this tragedy forced the old couple
to be alone, a worse situation than if they had never made it. The second wish that Mr
White made was to revive Herbert. This wish shows her limitless desires, knowing that
the dead cannot be resurrected by normal means, Mrs White decided to use the magic of
the paw to wish for something that wouldn’t be possible. When witnessing the
consequences left after the first wish, she still not realizes the danger of making
unreasonable wishes and is excited when the Monkey’s paw was not destroyed as it
means they can wish for more: “She cried and laughed together, and bending over, kissed
his cheek”, and this time their wish is even more ludicrous than the first time, which is to
make her son alive again. This too would have been a tragedy, with Mrs. White now
having to put up with the mangled body of Herbert, if not for Mr. White using his final
wish. The prevented tragedy still, however, led to disappointment for Mrs. White: “a long
loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife”. Through all these things above, it
can be seen that greed and desire will only lead to tragedy and disappointment.
At the same time, the paw itself represents the ability to manipulate one’s fate.
Like how Sergeant-Major Morris stated when talking about the talisman and the fakir
who created it: “He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who
tried to change it would be sorry”. Even earlier, from the beginning of the story, the
readers can see Mr. White as someone who does not accept his fate. In the first part of the
piece, Mr. White plays chess with his son, and when he realizes it is too late that his son
will win. He tries to disturb Herbert by telling him to listen to the storm outside "Hark at
the wind," and discuss their expected guest "I should hardly think that he's come tonight,
" but Herbert wins anyway. Although at first, Mr White did not believe in the
arrangement of fate, but with the death of the son and the unbelievable coincidence of
200 dollars, Mr. White really believed in Morris’s words about people’s fate which
compelled him to make his final wish in fear to prevent the supernatural force coming
from his second wish. With this revelation, it can be seen that the story also shows that
any act that intentionally alters fate in an unreasonable way will pay an unforeseeable
price.

V. Conclusion:
In conclusion, the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” has shown the theme of fate
and how tampering with fate will only lead to tragedy, especially when it comes from
greed and desire. Through the short story, W.W. Jacobs wanted the reader to understand
that it is important to value what they already have and to not be wishful thinking. These
are teachings that have always been relevant, which helped the story to stand the test of
time.
 REFERENCE

Jacobs, W. W. (1902). The Monkey's Paw. Short Stories and Classic Literature.
Retrieved from: https://americanliterature.com/author/w-w-jacobs/short-
story/the-monkeys-paw?
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DSIyaRUOCvoZqyqRueXpwDm3EXw.