W. Jacobs 'The Monkeys' Paw
“A very holy man”. He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and whoever interfered with it did so to their own sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three different men each had three wishes from it.” If you were given three wishes, what do you think you would wish for? The story “The Monkeys’ Paw” by W. W. Jacobs, is about a family that is given a monkey’s paw with a spell cast on it to give them three wishes. The family was warned by an old friend that they might not want to keep the paw because of the things it has done to him, but they did not listen. The first wish they used was for 200 pounds, and they got it at the cost of their only son. The second wish was made by the mother, Mrs. White, 10 days after burying her son. Her wish
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Jacobs uses the setting throughout the story to create an eerie feeling for the reader. Setting is first introduced at the beginning of the story, on page 13. “The night was cold and wet, but in the small parlor of Laburnum Villa the blinds were drawn, and the fire burned brightly.” This shows a sad and dreary feeling on the outside of the parlor but on the inside, it is cozy and calm. When the sergeant-major comes into the parlor, he breaks the calm and coziness. Another way Jacobs used setting in the story is when the sergeant-major first shows the family the monkey paw. “To look at,’ said the sergeant-major, fumbling in his pocket, ‘it’s just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy.” This creates an image of the paw in the readers mind, seemingly unharmful, to later find out it is the reason their son is dead. One other quote found in this story that correlates to the setting is once the family decides they want the paw. The sergeant-major knows it will bring the family harm, so he throws it in the fire, but Mr. White ignorantly takes the paw out to keep. “He took the paw, and dangling it between his forefinger and thumb, suddenly threw it upon the fire. White, with a slight cry, stooped down and snatched it off.” On page 16, Jacobs’ word play in this section of this story, allows the reader to draw in opinion on why they think Mr. White wants the paw so badly. W.W. Jacobs uses character development throughout the story in
Jacobs uses the setting throughout the story to create an eerie feeling for the reader. Setting is first introduced at the beginning of the story, on page 13. “The night was cold and wet, but in the small parlor of Laburnum Villa the blinds were drawn, and the fire burned brightly.” This shows a sad and dreary feeling on the outside of the parlor but on the inside, it is cozy and calm. When the sergeant-major comes into the parlor, he breaks the calm and coziness. Another way Jacobs used setting in the story is when the sergeant-major first shows the family the monkey paw. “To look at,’ said the sergeant-major, fumbling in his pocket, ‘it’s just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy.” This creates an image of the paw in the readers mind, seemingly unharmful, to later find out it is the reason their son is dead. One other quote found in this story that correlates to the setting is once the family decides they want the paw. The sergeant-major knows it will bring the family harm, so he throws it in the fire, but Mr. White ignorantly takes the paw out to keep. “He took the paw, and dangling it between his forefinger and thumb, suddenly threw it upon the fire. White, with a slight cry, stooped down and snatched it off.” On page 16, Jacobs’ word play in this section of this story, allows the reader to draw in opinion on why they think Mr. White wants the paw so badly. W.W. Jacobs uses character development throughout the story in