Full Answer
What genre is the Monkey's Paw by WW Jacobs?
The Monkeys Paw, WW Jacobs. The Monkey’s Paw was written by W.W. Jacobs in 1902 and was published in his collection of short stories called The Lady of the Barge. The Monkey’s Paw is a short horror story, which is unlike his other humor stories written previously. The Monkey’s Paw is about a small family of three,...
What is the message of the monkey’s paw?
The message that is displayed with this theme is that being curious can get you into trouble and harm you. The last theme in The Monkey’s Paw is that greed and selfishness can destroy your life. Since the Whites were greedy, they wished for the money and only thought of themselves when they made their first two wishes.
What did Mr White ask Morris about a monkey's paw?
They're waiting for Mr. White's old friend Sergeant-Major Morris, a war vet of 21 years. When Morris arrives, the family offers him a drink, and after a few more, Mr. White inquires about a monkey's paw Morris had mentioned in a previous conversation.
What influenced W. W. Jacobs to write the monkey's paw?
Jacobs drew from a number of widely known literary sources in writing “The Monkey's Paw” to make the story both familiar and unsettling. His most recognizable influence was the tale of Aladdin and the magic lamp, one of the more famous tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, or simply Arabian Nights, as Mrs.
Why was the monkey's paw created?
Sergeant-Major Morris, a friend who served with the British Army in India, comes by for dinner and introduces them to a mummified monkey's paw. An old fakir placed a spell on the paw, so that it would grant three wishes but only with hellish consequences as punishment for tampering with fate.
What is the main point of the monkey's paw?
The central theme of “The Monkey's Paw” concerns the role of fate in human life. When Sergeant-Major Morris introduces the monkey's paw to the Whites, he explains the reason for its conception.
When did W. W. Jacobs wrote The Monkey's Paw?
1902The Monkey's Paw, classic tale of horror and superstition, a much-anthologized short story by W.W. Jacobs, published in 1902 in the collection The Lady of the Barge.
What's the purpose of the monkeys?
Monkeys play an important role in their native habitats by pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds as they travel. Some monkeys can swim; their webbed toes help them paddle through the water, and they may swim across a stream or river to avoid predators or get to food.
Who is the monkeys paw written by?
W.W. JacobsThe Monkey's Paw / AuthorWilliam Wymark Jacobs was an English author of short fiction and drama. His best remembered story is "The Monkey's Paw". He was born in Wapping, London, on 8 September 1863, the son of William Gage Jacobs and his wife Sophia, née Wymark. His father ran the South Devon wharf at Lower East. Wikipedia
What was the final wish in the monkey's paw?
Using the supernatural powers of “The Monkey's Paw”, the Whites make a wish for money, receive the money after their son is involved in a fatal accident, wish for his return, and finally wish for his disappearance.
Who is telling the story in the monkey's paw?
the third person"The Monkey's Paw" is narrated in the third person. The narrator is like a spider on the wall inside the Whites home, conveying and commenting on the events taking place there, but never joining in on any of the action.
What is Mr White's third wish?
Sergeant-Major Morris told the Whites that the first man's third wish was for death, and that is how he got the monkey's paw. The man's wish for death is an apt example of foreshadowing because it highlights the danger of the monkey's paw.
What is the monkey's paw about?
Jacobs’ ‘The Monkey’s Paw’. On Tuesday, we summarised ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, W. W. Jacobs’ popular and widely anthologised short horror story about a mummified paw which has the power to grant three wishes to three men.
Why did the White family use the monkey's paw?
The White family choose to use the monkey’s paw to wish for two hundred pounds – a not insubstantial sum in 1902 – thus opening themselves up to the charge of personal greed (especially as the money is wanted for nothing more life-threatening than clearing up the house).
How many knocks at the door after the Whites use the monkey's paw?
There are three knocks at the door after the Whites use the monkey’s paw to wish for their son to be alive again. The story itself is divided into three parts. ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ was first published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in September 1902 and proved instantly popular, being reprinted later that same year and adapted for ...
What would happen if Mr. White had been an army veteran like Morris who had served in India?
If Mr White had been an army veteran like Morris who had served in India, or if he had made a fortune through colonial ventures, it would have reduced the story to a morality tale about the evils of empire. And in 1902, the British empire still wasn’t problematic for many Britons.
Is the monkey's paw a fairy tale?
You can read ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ here. ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ is a modern fairy tale, and indeed fairy tales and magical stories from the Arabian Nights (featuring djinn, or genies, who can grant wishes, as the story of Aladdin attests) are both mentioned by characters in the story. As in many classic fairy tales, the number three is invested ...
What book did Stephen King write about monkeys paw?
Stephen King wrote about “The Monkey’s Paw” in The Dead Zone (1979) and Apt Pupil (1982) and based his novel Pet Sematary (1983) on its themes.
What books did Jacobs write?
Jacobs’s works include The Skipper’s Wooing (1897), Sea Urchins (1898), Light Freights (1901), Captains’ All (1902), Sailors’ Knots (1909), and Night Watches (1914). All told, Jacobs published thirteen collections of short stories, five novels, and a novella, many of which sold tens of thousands of copies. He also wrote a number of one-act plays.
What is the name of the short story by Jacobs?
While modern readers associate Jacobs primarily with his suspenseful and frequently anthologized short story “The Monkey’s Paw” and, to a lesser degree, with his short story “The Toll House,” his contemporaries primarily knew him as a comic writer. Like many comic writers of the day, Jacobs explored the lives of the lower and middle classes ...
What did Jacobs do in his early life?
The success of Jacobs’s fiction enabled him to escape his scrappy, hard-luck childhood and dull life as a civil servant. His early experiences benefited him greatly, however. He had spent a lot of time hanging around the wharves in London, and many of his short stories and novels concern seamen’s lives and adventures.
Where was William Jacobs born?
W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs was born in 1863 in London, England, to an impoverished family. His mother, Sophia, died when Jacobs was a young boy. His father, William Jacobs, managed a wharf in South Devon. After receiving his degree from Birkbeck College, the satirical magazines the Idler and Today published some of his stories in the early 1890s. Jacobs’s first short-story collection, Many Cargoes (1896), won popular acclaim, prompting him to quit working as a clerk and begin writing full-time. Jacobs wed Agnes Eleanor, a prominent suffragette, in 1900, and they had five children together.
When did Jacobs start writing?
After receiving his degree from Birkbeck College, the satirical magazines the Idler and Today published some of his stories in the early 1890s. Jacobs’s first short-story collection, Many Cargoes (1896), won popular acclaim, prompting him to quit working as a clerk and begin writing full-time.
Who was the comic book writer who rewrote just one sentence?
Jerome K. Jerome , a popular comic novelist of the day, was a great fan of Jacobs’s and praised his strong work ethic and painstaking approach. He said that Jacobs would often rewrite just one sentence for hours at a stretch.
The Monkey's Paw
The story opens on a rainy night in England. Herbert White and his father Mr. White are playing chess as his mother, Mrs. White, knits by the fire. They're waiting for Mr. White's old friend Sergeant-Major Morris, a war vet of 21 years. When Morris arrives, the family offers him a drink, and after a few more, Mr.
Wish Becomes Tragic Reality
The next morning, the family laughs at their childish fears of the talisman and wonder how a silly wish could harm them. Herbert heads to work, while Mr. and Mrs. White sit down for dinner. That afternoon, Mrs. White notices a man by the front gate, struggling to decide whether or not to enter.
Wish for a Miracle
In the third part of the story, the couple buries their son, and soon after, Mrs. White falls into a state of hopelessness. One night, Mr. White is woken by the sound of his wife's voice yelling about the monkey's paw. She begs him for it, and demands Mr. White wish for their son to be alive again. Mr.
One Last Wish
Meanwhile, Mr. White feverishly searches for the monkey's paw as the knocking becomes louder. As Mrs. White grabs a chair from the kitchen and begins to unbolt the door, Mr. White wishes his third wish. The door opens, and the couple looks down a deserted street. Can you imagine what would have happened if Mr. White had not made his final wish?
What are the parts of the mystery of the monkey's paw?
This story had three main parts. These parts were the first wish, the second wish, and the third wish. The first wish was the only tragic wish that was granted. Mr.White, his son Herbert, and an old man were sitting around playing chess.
What is Mr. White's last story?
His last story was about a magical mummified monkey’s paw. The sergeant-major tells the family that the old dried-out monkey’s paw has a spell put on it by an old fakir. The story continues and then Mr.White and the sergeant-major trade. Later Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds.
Who was Mr. White's son?
Mr.White, his son Herbert, and an old man were sitting around playing chess. There was a knock at the door and Mr. White answered it to let the man in. His name was Sergeant-Major Morris. He sat down in the seat nearest the fire, and after several glasses of whiskey, he began to talk. He talked about some of his war experiences, and then of India. ...
Does the author say he wishes he had never made his second wish?
The author never really says, but one can assume that he wished he had never made his second wish. The end of the story is open and leaves you to come up with an end of your own. In conclusion, the storyline was well written and cleverly thought out.
Why did Morris put a spell on the monkey's paw?
Morris reveals that the mummified monkey’s paw came from a fakir, an Indian holy man, who put a spell on the paw in order to teach people that fate ruled everyone’s lives, and those who tried to alter fate would suffer. The spell grants three separate individuals three wishes each.
What does Herbert say about the paw?
When Morris leaves, Herbert teases his father for giving Morris a small bit of money in exchange for the paw, which Herbert says must be an invented story like the rest of Morris’s tall tales. Mr.
Who throws the paw into the fire?
Morris reports that he has, and another man, the first to possess it, used the third of his wishes to cause his own death. Then Morris throws the paw into the fire, but Mr. White saves it from burning. Morris tells him he should destroy it.
What was the first play Jacobs wrote?
His literary efforts thereafter were mainly adaptations of his own short stories for the stage. His first stage work, The Ghost of Jerry Bundler, opened in London in 1899, was revived in 1902 and was eventually published in 1908. He wrote 18 plays altogether, some in collaboration.
What is the name of the book by Jacobs?
Literature. Jacobs is remembered for a macabre tale, " The Monkey's Paw ", (published 1902 in a short-story collection, The Lady of the Barge) and several other ghost stories, including "The Toll House" (from the 1909 collection Sailors' Knots) and "Jerry Bundler" (from the 1901 Light Freights ). Most of his work was humorous.
What was Jacobs' political position?
Jacobs stated that his youthful left-wing opinions, his political position in later years was " Conservative and Individualistic ". On 7 January 1914, in King's Hall, Covent Garden, Jacobs was a member of the jury in the mock trial of John Jasper for the murder of Edwin Drood.
What was Jacobs' first job?
Early work. In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the Post Office Savings Bank. By 1885 he had his first short story published, but success came fairly slowly. Arnold Bennett, writing in 1898, was astonished that Jacobs had turned down £500 for six short stories.
What was the name of the book that was published in 1897?
Many Cargoes was followed by the novel The Skipper's Wooing in 1897, and another collection of short stories, Sea Urchins (1898), confirmed his popularity. Other titles included Captains All, Sailors' Knots, and Night Watches.
Where did Jacobs go to school?
Jacobs was educated at a private London school and at Birkbeck College (then Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London ). While there he became friends with William Pett Ridge .
Where was Jacobs born?
Early life. Jacobs was born in Wapping, London on 8 September 1863 and raised there, the son of William Gage Jacobs and his wife Sophia ( née Wymark). His father was a manager on the South Devon wharf at Lower East. He and three siblings were still young when their mother died.
Overview
"The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by author W. W. Jacobs, first published in England in the collection The Lady of the Barge in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate.
It has been adapted many times in other media, including plays, films, TV series, operas, stories and comics, as early as 1903. It was first adapted to film in 1915 as a British silent film directed …
Plot
The short story involves Mr. and Mrs. White and their adult son, Herbert. Sergeant-Major Morris, a friend who served with the British Army in India, comes by for dinner and introduces them to a mummified monkey's paw. An old fakir placed a spell on the paw, so that it would grant three wishes but only with hellish consequences as punishment for tampering with fate. Morris, having h…
Notable versions in other media
The story has been adapted into other media many times, including:
• On 6 October 1903, a one-act play opened at London's Haymarket Theatre, starring Cyril Maude as Mr. White and Lena Ashwell as Mrs. White.
• A 1907 stage adaptation by Louis N. Parker starred John Lawson.
Variations and parodies
A great number of novels, stories, movies, plays and comics are variations or adaptations of the story, featuring similar plots built around wishes that go awry in macabre ways, occasionally with references to monkeys' paws or to the story itself.
See also
• Unintended consequences
External links
• W. W. Jacobs. “The Monkey's Paw”, The Lady of the Barge at Project Gutenberg
• "The Monkey's Paw" public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• "The Monkey's Paw"; full short story text
• Gaslight edition of the story