the monkey paw

The Monkey’s Paw” was written by William Wymark Jacobs, or W.W. Jacobs. Jacobs was a comedic writer, and his stories fascinated both his readers and listeners. It would be interesting to dissect the story of “The Monkey’s Paw” to reveal the use of symbolism and imagery. These two elements of literature could provide the reader with a deeper understanding of Jacob’s work. The Whites family had three people, namely Mr. White, Mrs. White, and their son Herbert White. They are a happy family with a safe and cozy home that is very separate from the outside world. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs is a symbol of desire and greed - everything that its owner could possibly wish for and the unrestricted ability to make it happen. Sargent-Major Morris, a man who has travelled to some parts of the world, breaks peace and simplicity in the Whites’ family. Morris had gone to India and came back with a monkey’s paw. He went to visit the Whites with the paw in his pocket. The paw is supposed to answer all the wishes that anyone made, but they had to buy it first. Morris forces Mr. White to make a wish before he is given the paw. He wishes for two hundred dollars. The paw symbolizes the greed and desire that is part of human nature. Mr. White has a good home, a happy family, but he wishes to have money that he may not use. People want to have an unrestricted capability of making things happen. Mr. White has everything, but he is forced by greed to wish for more money. The Whites are granted their desires; they get the money they wished for; but as a result of this, Herbert dies and his corpse comes to knock at the family door. This paw shows a twist of fate, maybe it was not Herbert’s corpse which was knocking or Herbert had passed on coincidentally not necessarily under the influence of the paw’s omnipotent power. The destruction of the Whites’ family cautions people on their wishes, which clearly shows how the author uses imagery and symbolism in this story.