The Monkey’s Paw is a short horror story written by W.W. Jacobs in 1902. The plot revolves around a happy family of Mr. and Mrs. White and their adult son, who have been given a mummified monkey’s paw from India that supposedly grants three wishes. However, as the family was warned, the wishes come with a great price and punishment for interfering with fate. W.W. Jacobs wrote The Monkey’s Paw to show the terrifying consequences of greedily wishing for more than what one needs.
The happy family has everything they need for a comfortable life yet wants more despite being warned of the price. The Whites are described as a loving household that does not lack any necessities. It is shown through their well-decorated house and free evenings for chatting by the fire and drinking. When they are presented with the monkey’s paw, they ignore the warnings and refuse to get rid of the wish-granting item. Their friend’s sorties of the trouble the paw has brought were irrelevant compared to the possibility of having their wishes fulfilled. They spend the rest of the evening discussing what they want, such as a pair of helping hands or becoming an emperor (Jacobs, 1979). The wishes the family considers are excessive, reflecting the absence of something they really need. Eventually, Mr. White decides that money would not be unwanted, thinking that a small sum of two hundred pounds cannot hurt anyone. Despite lacking any serious desires, the family still decides to wish for more, tempting the fate (Ratna, 2021). As such, the White family is evidently happy and comfortable; however, they continue wanting more than they need, ignoring the danger.
The consequences of whishing on the monkey’s paw do not hesitate to knock on the door of the White family. The comings of the horrors of wishing more than needed were presented to the readers before they appeared. Throughout the story, the symbol of three is shown through three wishes, three warnings, and three knocks (Ardiansyah & Mandarani, 2018). Before Mr. and Mrs. White find out about the link between the paw and the tragic events, the reader already knows about the upcoming tragedy due to the symbolism. Prior to the son leaving for work that he will never return from, he jokes about how a bag of money could still hurt someone if it fell on their head. This joke can be considered a foreshadowing of the subsequent events (Sobirovna, 2021). The cheerful morning turns into a nightmare when the family suffers a tremendous loss yet receives their desired money. This directly demonstrates how the White family is punished for ignoring the warnings, playing with fate, and greedily wishing for more than they need.
Through the story of The Monkey’s Paw, W.W. Jacobs conveyed the message of the dangers of desiring more than needed, facing horrible consequences for succumbing to greed. The family did not lack anything in their lives; they were happy and comfortable in their home. Despite that, they refused to let go of the possibility of having their wishes fulfilled. Having nothing serious to wish for, they asked for money, yet they received it for the price of their son’s life. Such was the result of interfering and playing with fate, ignoring the warnings, and joking about the consequences.
References
Ardiansyah, N. M., & Mandarani, V. (2018). An analysis of figurative language elements upon an American short story entitled “The Monkey’s Paw”. Journal of English Educators Society, 3(1), 13-22.
Jacobs, W. W. (1979). The monkey’s paw. Samuel French, Inc.
Ratna, A. (2021). Careless choices, dreadful consequences: a comparative study of W.W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw and Richard Matheson’s Button, Button. Humanika, 27(2).
Sobirovna, T. U. (2021). The interpretation of zoosemy through the symbol of Monkey in the stories of N. Eshonqul “Maymunyetaklaganodam” (The Man Leading the Monkey) and W.W. Jacob’s’ “The Monkey’s Paw”. Middle European Scientific Bulletin, 12, 364-370.