THE MONKEY’S PAW by W.W.

JACOBS
The Writer’s Biography

William Wymark Jacobs was born in London, England, and lived as a child in a house on a
Thames River dock. There, he had a chance to hear strange tales of foreign lands told by the
passing seafarers. As an adult, Jacobs made use of this experience by writing strange tales of
his own. Many of his stories combine everyday life with elements of the supernatural. ‘The
Monkey’ Paw’ is one of them. First published in 1902, it was made into a successful play a
year later.

Setting

The house is somewhere far from the city, and there is not many houses around. In the
description of the house, Mr. White says: “That’s the worst of living so far out. Pathway is a
bog, and the road is torrent. I don’t know what people are thinking about; I suppose because
only two houses on the road are let, they think it doesn’t matter.” This isolated area is very
important for the story because it gives us the clue that in the story something horrible will
happen. Also, an isolated area may scare people a lot more than a city does.

Time

This story takes place in the middle age. This time is also very important for the story to be
shaped very well, because the story is about fakirs, magic, spells, wishes and mysterious
things which are very much related to India. In middle age, India was a part of the British
Empire, and British people were really curious about these mysterious Indian things. That’s
the reason why the family listened to Sergeant Major Morris’ stories very carefully, and
wanted to learn something about monkey’s paw. This curiosity is obvious in the situation of
Herbert, although he thinks that the stories are not true, he nevertheless eagerly listens to
his stories.

Atmosphere

The story begins with a description of a very happy family. Even if the night was cold and
wet, there’s a warm atmosphere in the house. At this point, the first word of the story
‘without’ becomes important. By using ‘without’ in the beginning, Jacobs wants to show the
contrast between the safe house and dangerous outside. We can see this safety in the
descriptions like “The fire burned brightly”, “Father and son were at chess”, “white haired
old lady knitting placidly by the fire”. This happy family description shows that it was really
unnecessary for Mr. White to wish for 200 pounds, because they were already happy.
Unfortunately, when Mr. White wishes for the first time, the weather becomes higher than
ever, and more horror scenes are started to be used later in the story. For example, the face
that Herbert saw in the fire in chapter I, the silent and tense time happening after the
second wish, etc.
Point of View

The story is narrated in the omniscient-third person view. It means that the narrator knows
everything; he is like a spider on the wall, and sees the things that happen. Also, he knows
how the people feel, and what they think.

Language

Even if the narrator knows everything, he doesn’t tell us much about them. There are some
events in the story that are not so obvious, and it is us who need to find them. For example,
we do not know how Herbert actually dies, we do not know whether Sergeant Major’s
stories are true or not, or who actually knocked the door at the end of the story, etc. The
narrator also uses tension and suspense to create the story. He successfully makes the
reader be curious about the things, and keep reading it ceaselessly. Also, this story involves
lots of foreshadowing elements. So, actually there is a contrast here. The readers wonder
about the events very much, but actually if they read more carefully, they can predict what
will happen. These suspense and foreshadowing elements will be described later in detail.

Irony

There is a situational irony in this story. Mr. White has a right to wish on the monkey’s paw;
he wishes and he gets them. However, when he gets them, he regrets wishing and the next
time, he wishes in order to destroy the effect of previous wish. For example, his second wish
and third wish are just the opposite.

Conflict

Man vs. Fate: The story shows us the people who are trying to resist their fates, and change
their lives. However, fate stays as the thing which changes when and how it wants. Actually,
Herbert unconsciously supports this situation by joking when Mrs. White says: “How two
hundred pounds could hurt you, father?" He says: “Might drop on his head from the sky.”
So, we cannot know how the fate directs our lives, and cannot change it.

Man vs. Man: When Mr. White gets the monkey’s paw, actually he’s in a situation of
deciding. Will he wish or not? He shouldn’t wish because he heard that it’s wicked, and also
he has got all he wants. He should wish because it’s very unusual, and he may get more than
he has already got. Will he be sensible, or greedy? This situation shows the man fighting with
himself, and trying to resist his desires.

Mr. White vs. Mrs. White: This conflict occurs when Mrs. White wants to persuade her
husband to make his second wish. Mr. White thinks that their son will come back in a
horrible situation, and he says: “It’s foolish and wicked.” But his wife makes him wish with
her enormous desire. The second conflict between them occurs before Mr. White makes his
third wish. His wife wants to open the door and see Herbert without thinking how he looks,
but Mr. White is so sure about the situation of Herbert and finds the paw to send him back
to the grave.

Character Analysis

Mr. White: The old man, father, is the one who takes the monkey’s paw and uses it to wish.
There are two important things that we will talk about him. His greedy and dissatisfaction
with his life, and his feature of hen-pecked... Firstly, even if Mr. White says that “It seems to
me I’ve got all I want”, he nevertheless wishes because he is greedy. He has a very happy
family but he seems to dissatisfy with his life a bit. We can see that when he says that they
are living in the middle of nowhere. Also, he wants to go to India like Sergeant Major Morris.
As an old man, he has got desires. Secondly, according to Herbert, Mr. White is henpecked.
He says “We are going to be rich, and famous and happy. Wish to be an emperor, father, to
begin with: then you can’t be henpecked. Actually he is right, because Mr. White does what
his wife wants (for example his second wish). He has the power to resist to his wife’s wishes,
but he doesn’t because he loves his wife very much. However, at the end of the story, Mr.
White starts to learn resisting to his wife, and does what he thinks it’s the best for them, and
makes his last wish.

Mrs. White: The curious mother of the family is very willing to listen to Sergeant Major
Morris’ stories, and learn about the monkey’s paw. For example, when Sergeant Major
Morris told about the monkey’s paw, she says: “Sounds like the Arabian Nights.” Here, the
term Arabian nights is related to magic stories like Aladdin and his magic lamp or One
Thousand and one Nights. However, her curiosity doesn’t prove that she is credulous like her
husband. Actually, she is a very intelligent woman. We can see that when the Maw and
Meggins representative says: “He is hurt, but he is not in any pain.” Even if she
misunderstands the man at first, she understands the truth after a very short time and
before her husband understands. Also we can see that she does not believe in everything
immediately in this quote: “I suppose all old soldiers are the same, the idea of our listening
to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days?” She thinks the monkey’s
paw is just a fake story of Morris. She even doesn’t believe when her husband told that the
paw twisted in his hands like a snake by saying “It must have been your fancy, father “and
“You thought it did.” All these things show that she is not a credulous woman, but her
transformation from an intelligent woman to an insane woman is very tragic. In the third
chapter, she suggests bringing Herbert back to life, and her husband thinks that she is mad.
When Herbert knocks the door, she does not fear and runs to the door without thinking
even one second. Another important thing about Mrs. White is that she is dominant and
mean. Because her husband is very willing to do what she wants, she sometimes can go too
far. She forces him to do the things as in the second wish. Meanly, she tempts her husband.

Herbert White: What we know about Herbert is that he is a nice, smart, imaginative son
who loves his family very much, and enjoys spending time with them. As far as we know, he
is the only one working in the family, and the only child left; we do not know how many
children the family had, and what happened to them. Also, he definitely loves making funny
jokes by using his imagination. Actually, the reason why the death comes to Herbert may be
his funny jokes, and the truth that he does not believe in the monkey’s paw, as well as the
Morris’ stories. Herbert says: “If the tale about the monkey’s paw is not more truthful than
those he has been telling us, we shan't make much out of it." These sentences may very well
provoke the monkey’s paw which is already searching for a reason to hurt the family. Also he
may provoke it with jokes like “I expect you'll find the cash tied up in a big bag in the middle
of your bed, and something horrible squatting up on top of the wardrobe watching you as
you pocket your ill-gotten gains." In short, it may not be certain, but with all these things,
Herbert must have pulled the evil to himself. Another important thing about Herbert is his
transformation, like his father and mother. But of course, his transformation is the most
tragic one. While he is a very nice guy, he turns into a very horrible zombie, and becomes the
ghost of the story. However, we should keep in mind that we do not exactly know who is the
person knocking the door. Maybe, Herbert White has never turned into a zombie.

Sergeant-Major Morris:

We do not know whether the stories of Sergeant Major Morris are true or not, but in either
way, we know that he’s not such good. He is described as “beady of eye”, meanly, he is not a
trustable person because he warns the Whites many times, but nevertheless gives the
monkey’s paw and tells how to use it. Maybe, while he was showing the monkey’s paw, he
knew that they would want it because most people would. If we think that the thing about
the monkey’s paw is not real, then he is a liar or psychopathic man. In both situations, he is
the one who shows the way of the family’s house to the devil.

The Maw and Meggins Representative

We do not know much about the representative, but he can show us the working conditions
in the Old British Empire. We can see that how big companies may treat the poor people as
if they were not people. They give 200 pounds for the death of Herbert, do not accept any
liability, and think that the job is over. However, this representative does not seem very bad
because he knows that the company is not doing right things. We can understand it from
this quotation: “I beg that you will understand I am only their servant and merely obeying
orders.” He feels the need to say that he is not like others.

The Monkey

We see the character monkey in the fire, when Herbert is gazing at the fire in the first
chapter. We know that its face is horrible, but it doesn’t prove that it is a bad monkey. It is
very natural that it may get very angry with the family because it has lost its paw just
because of the people’s unlimited greed. How would you feel if somebody got your hand,
and used it for wishes? So, it can be concluded that this monkey is a horrible, angry monkey,
but has the right to be.

Symbols:
The Monkey’s Paw:

The monkey’s paw, as an important symbol, stands for desire and greed, and also guilt. It
shows how people can be greed when they know that they will get what they want. For
example, even Herbert, who doesn’t believe in the monkey’s paw, says jokingly that his
father can wish for money. If their wish came true in a good and normal way, then their
greed would increase and wish for greater and more impossible things. The spell that the old
fakir made on this paw is like a lesson to those who cannot see the beautiful sides of their
lives and always want more. As for guilt, we mean that the people are so ready to blame
somebody or something for a bad event. In this story, the monkey’s paw is also used as an
alibi for Herbert’s death. If the monkey’s paw were not real, then the family would have
accused the Maw and Meggins, or maybe themselves for letting him work in that company.
But they do not even ask how this event happened, because the guilty is obvious: ‘the
monkey’s paw.

Chess

The chess is a very important symbol for this story because it is like a summary of some
events in the story. Some movements in chess actually foreshadow the events which will
happen later in the story. Here is the paragraph the chess game is described:
“Father and son were at chess, the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving
radical changes, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even
provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire."Hark at the
wind," said Mr. White, who, having seen a fatal mistake after it was too late, was amiably
desirous of preventing his son from seeing it.”
Firstly, the father is describes as the one who makes radical changes, and takes unnecessary
perils. These words foreshadow the father’s unnecessary first wish in the story. He wishes
even though it is not necessary. He does not even take account of the suggestion of Sergeant
Major Morris. (“If you must wish, wish for something sensible.”) He risks everything by
wishing although he knows that the monkey’s paw wicked. If he had thought more carefully,
by not making radical changes, maybe he would not have wished. Also, he sees the fatal
mistake after it’s too late, and when he sees his mistake, he tries to make it invisible by
drawing his son’s attention to the wind. As in the story, he understands that he has done
wrong and regrets when he wished for the second time, and tries to make it invisible by
wishing for the third time, and sending Herbert back to his grave. The question here is that if
Herbert is so careful, why did he say the father that he could wish for 200 pounds? Here,
maybe, he just wants to mock the monkey’s paw because he does not believe, or maybe the
enormous power of the paw steps in: ‘desire.’

House:
The house of Whites is described as a very safe, warm house in the first paragraph; it is like a
Garden of Even. That’s why the house’s name is ‘Laburnum’ which is a very suitable name to
describe this house. However, when Sergeant Major Morris comes to the house like a devil,
and gives the monkey’s paw, the things dramatically change. Mr. White has a nice family and
doesn’t need anything else, just like Adam didn’t need anything else in the middle of the
heaven. But Mrs. White tempts Mr. White to wish on the monkey’s paw which is wicked, just
like Eve tempted Adam to eat the apple which is not allowed. Then, the monkey’s paw twists
in his hands like a ‘snake.’ Meanly, the snake comes to home and brings troubles, just like
the serpent invaded the Garden of Even.

Themes

Fate directs people’s lives.

In the story, whatever the family wishes for, it causes a bad event because it is fate which
directs our lives, and we cannot interfere with it. Yes, maybe our wishes may come true, but
they may not come true in the way we wanted. This information is directly given by Sergeant
Major Morris while he is introducing the monkey’s paw. “It had a spell put on it by an old
fakir, 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 says. So, the cause of all these bad events are
just the greed of people, and the desire to direct their lives just like they wanted. About this
theme, there is a point which is needed to be thought: the second wish. If Mr. White had
been more careful when he wished for the second time, for example if he had said “I wish
my son to be alive just like in the situation before he was caught in the machine”, what
would have happened? Actually it seems that nothing bad would have happened, but we
cannot know it. Maybe Herbert would have caused a very bad event the night he came,
maybe he would have died again because of something else. We never know how our wishes
may hurt us as Herbert says: “It might fall on your head” about 200 pounds. Here, the
danger of wishing comes out: “Be careful about what you wish for; you may receive it.”

Motifs

The Number Three

Jacob uses the number three throughout the story. He makes the events and some details
occur in threes because the number three is generally thought as bad luck. There are various
reasons for it. One of them comes from Christian religion. According to Christianity, the God
is composed of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and if you believe in something which is not
true for a religion, for example the monkey’s paw, you can see the bad luck. Another belief is
from literature. In nature, most things are composed of the number of two, so the number
three is a sign of bad luck. In the story, here are the situations in which W. W. Jacobs uses
the number three to create this bad luck. There are three members in the family. In the
story, there are three chapters, and in each chapter there is a different weather condition,
meanly, there are three different weathers. The old fakir makes a spell on the monkey’s paw
for three different men to wish for three times, and Mr. White is the third man who gets it.
Sergeant Major Morris begins talking after the third glass of whisky, and he warns Mr. White
three times not to use the monkey’s paw. In the second chapter, the representative from
Maw and Meggins pauses three times at the gate, and then he walks again. Mrs. White
pushes her husband three times to wish for the second time, to bring Herbert back to life.
Lastly, Herbert knocks the door three times before his mother hears the knocking.

Foreshadowing

The writer uses lots of foreshadowing elements in the story. The first one is, as explained in
symbols in detail, chess. From the description this game in the first paragraph, we can
understand that the father is going to do something unnecessary without thinking wisely.
The second foreshadowing occurs when Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds. After he wishes,
and says that it twisted like a snake, Herbert says: “Well, I don’t see the money, and I bet I
never shall.” Yes, he is right; he will never see the money. From this statement of Herbert we
can predict that the money comes with the death of Herbert. The third foreshadowing is the
sentence of Sergeant-Major Morris about the second man who gets the monkey’s paw: “I
don’t know what the first two were, but the third was for death.” This sentence foreshadows
Herbert’s death again; Mr. White’s third wish is for death, too. This sentence also makes
clear that the monkey’s paw will bring terrible and wicked things for the family. The fourth
foreshadowing is about Herbert’s death again, and occurs when Herbert is watching the fire
in the first chapter. He sees faces in the fire, and the last face becomes so horrible and
simian. So, as we can understand from ‘simian’, he sees the owner of the paw: the monkey.
The monkey’s face is horrible because it is very angry with the family because of its lost paw,
and this scene becomes the foreshadowing of Herbert’s unluckiness. The trouble comes to
him. These are the main foreshadowing elements, but actually we can say that most of what
Sergeant Major Morris told foreshadow that the evil will come to the family.

Suspense

The writer also creates suspense and tension during the story, and this is one of the most
important things that make this story a horror story. The first one is when Morris throws the
monkey’s paw to the fire, and when Mr. White snatches it off. From this movement of Mr.
White, we understand that he will certainly use it, but we do not what he will wish for, and
what will happen after that. The second suspense is created when Mr. White wishes for 200
pounds. As soon as he wishes, the paw twists in his hands like a snake and the piano crashes.
The third suspense is when Mrs. White notices a stranger approaching to the door. What will
he say, something bad or good? Is it about 200 pounds Mr. White wished for last night? The
fourth suspense is when Mr. White wishes for the second time. Here, the writer creates
suspense very successfully. For example, the clock ticks, a stair creaks, a squeaky mouse
scurries noisily through the wall, Mr. White drops the matches while he is going downstairs
for a candle, etc. The fifth, and probably the most important suspense, occurs when
knocking sounds are heard at the end of the story. The events happening in that moment
create a really good suspense. Will Mrs. White be able to open the door? If she opens, what
will happen? What will Mr. White wish when he finds the paw on the floor? All these things
are some of the basic things that cause the reader to finish the story without noticing.

What happened really?

Jacobs writes the story in such a style that it is not possible whether the spell of monkey’s
paw is real or not because he never says something which implies that the monkey’s paw is
responsible for all those bad events. For example, we know that Sergeant Major Morris told
that the monkey’s paw is real, but how can we trust him? He is describes as ‘beady of eye’,
so maybe he is a liar. However, when Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds, it twisted in his
hands like a snake. It could have proved that its spell is real if it wasn’t Mr. White saying that
it moved. The writer does not say anything that supports Mr. White’s statement, so we can
think that it’s just an imagination as his wife says. The next day, Herbert dies and the
representative gives 200 pounds to the family. Again, this could have been a big proof for
the monkey’s paw reality. But we don’t know for sure how Herbert dies; maybe it is just a
big coincidence. Even in the last part of the story, the writer does not say anything about its
reality. He just tells that Mr. White wishes Herbert to become alive, and after a short time,
somebody knocks the door. Well, how can we be sure that it’s Herbert? Because there are
two more houses near the Laburnum villa, it may just be a neighbour who can have enough
time to go to her house until Mr. White wishes for the third time and open the door. Also,
even if it’s Herbert, we do not know whether he is mutilated or not. Maybe he was just like
in the situation before he was caught in the machine. Consequently, because of Jacob’s style
of writing, it’s us who need to decide what happened really: Do you believe in the monkey’s
paw or not?

Activities
Activity 1: Characters and Statements
Here, the students are given papers in which there are some statements told by Mr. White,
Mrs. White, Herbert White and Sergeant-Major Morris. But these statements are imaginary.
They need to match the characters with the statements.
Instructions: There are four major characters in the middle, and nine statements around.
Each statement is told one of these characters. You need to find the owner of the statement,
and match them. But they are not from the story; they are imaginary. So, you will try to
predict who might have said them. Think about the general characteristics of the people.

It‘s all your fault! You didn’t let me I had told you! You two got what
open the door. Maybe he was you deserved! (After the story
normal! (After the story finished) finished)

The road is very horrible. I

There is a man here. Maybe Mr. White could hardly find the home.
it’s about 200 pounds. (From (From chapter 1)
chapter 2)

Mrs. White You go to sleep. I’ll stay here

and wait for the monster to
You need to play more
bring the money with his huge
wisely. You always hurry and
I always win. (From chapter
Herbert White backpack. (From chapter 1)

1)
The candle ended. I am
Sergeant-Major
going downstairs to get
Thank you for giving this. another. (From chapter 3)
How much money do you
want for it? (From chapter
Open the door! I walked
1)
two miles.(From chapter 3)

Activity 2: The Man and the Paw

Instructions: You will work in pairs. One of you will become a man who finds the monkey’s
paw. You have the right to wish three times. And the other one will become the paw who
makes the wishes come true in a wicked way. So, the man has to wish by thinking wisely.
And the paw has to find ways to hurt the man.

First wish ..............................................................................................................................

Consequence .......................................................................................................................
Second wish .........................................................................................................................
Consequence .......................................................................................................................

Third wish ............................................................................................................................

Consequence .......................................................................................................................

Activity 3: Board Game

Rules:

1-Each player takes turns to throw the dice and move their token a corresponding number of
squares around the board from Start to Finish.
2- If the player lands on a blank square; they simply stay where they are until their next turn.
3- If a player lands on a square with an instruction, they should follow the instruction.
4- If a player lands on an F or Q square, they should take the top card of the F or Q pack,
read the question out loud, and answer it. If they get the answer right, they stay where they
are. If not, they go back two squares.
5-The other players decide if the F or Q answers are correct. If there is a dispute, they can
find the answer from the story.
6-The players must throw the exact number on the dice in order to reach the end.