Who Was At Fault In The Monkey's Paw

“Greed blinds us from recognizing the true value of what we already possess.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist (1988). In The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs, Sergeant-Major Morris comes to visit his old friend, Mr. White, he introduces and tells him about an old tale of a monkey’s paw. The monkey’s paw has old magic where 3 men get 3 wishes but to have the wish work there are consequences. In this story, the wish was for 200 pounds but what they didn’t know was that for them to get the money their son had to die, and about 10 days after their son was buried Mrs. White remembers that her husband still has 2 wishes left. Therefore, Mrs. White forces her husband to wish for her son back and so he complies but shortly after, he realizes it was a mistake and
Some might think that the sergeant is at fault for this happening, but who’s really at fault? The son Herbert White is at fault for everything that happened and the consequence was his death. Is the sergeant at fault for the consequences, or is it Herbert White's fault for pressuring his father? Sergeant Major Morris was originally telling Mr. White after he told the tale that he’d get rid of or burn the paw if it was him, but Mr. White did not take his advice. “Better let it burn, said the soldier solemnly” (Jacobs 2). This is where the sergeant tells the White family that he would get rid of it, and they don’t listen. Another example is “If you must wish, he said gruffly, wish for something sensible” (Jacobs 2). This is another one of the many times Sergeant tries to warn them and they don’t listen. Throughout the story, many events show the son Herbert White is at fault for all the consequences that happen. Herbert pesters his father to make a wish, saying things like “Why, we’re going to be rich, and famous, and happy” (Jacobs