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In A Nutshell
"The Monkey's Paw" is the story of the White family and what happens to them when they get
a mystical, magical monkey's paw that has the power to grant three wishes. We warn you, this
is a scary story, so you might want to do it to the max. You know, read while sitting around a
campfire, or on a dark and story night, when you're all alone.
W.W. Jacobs managed to make a good living writing novels and short stories, but he's most
famous for this one, written in 1902 and first published in Harper's magazine. That same year it
was also published in a collection of Jacobs's short stories called Our Lady of the Barge. Over
the next century it would find its way into dozens of anthologies and be required reading for
thousands of school kids. It was also adapted by another master of horror and suspense,
Alfred Hitchcock, for an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Most writers are influenced and inspired by the books they themselves read. Even the most
famous author of all Big Willy Shakespeare borrowed almost all of his ideas from other
stories and changed them around to create his masterpieces. "The Monkey's Paw" is an
adaptation of another story of three wishes gone wrong, from One Thousand and One
Nights (a.k.a. Arabian Nights), a very famous collection of stories from the Middle East and
South Asia. One Thousand and One Nights is most famous for the character of Aladdin, which
you probably know in its fabulouslyDisney-fied form.
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"The Monkey's Paw" may be less well known to modern readers than some of the stories it
inspired. Stephen King's bestselling novel Pet Sematary, the nightmare-inducing story of a
cemetery that has the power to bring animals (and maybe even people) back to life, is directly
inspired by Jacobs' story. Then there's the Simpsons episode "Monkey's Paw,", which is a
Simpsonesque retelling of this story. This story is so good that when you read it, it might inspire
you to write or film your own scary (or funny) story based on it and we bet W.W. Jacobs
would be happy if you did.
From reading "The Monkey's Paw" you might get the idea that Jacobs wrote mostly horror
stories, like Edgar Allan Poe. Not so. In his day, Jacobs was known as a writer of comedies.
This is why you might detect some humor running between the lines of this spooky tale. As
with stories from Stephen King or any good horror writer, the infusion of a little humor makes
the scary parts even scarier. Okay, now are you ready to read "The Monkey's Paw"?
Here is a video about Arabian Nights as well if you wanted to know where the Monkey and the
Paw came from. Check it out.

Why Should I Care?

Have you ever felt a bit dissatisfied with your life? Have you ever wished that something in
your life would magically change no hard work required?
Admit it: you've made a wish or two in your day. Don't pretend you haven't wished on a
shooting star, some birthday candles, a four-leaf clover, or a dandelion. We all do it.
As we grow up, we're often told that wishes can come true. Just think about the dreamy Disney
theme song: "When you wish upon a star makes no difference who you are/ anything your
heart desires/ will come to you." We are encouraged to dream big and wish for our hearts'
desires.
In "The Monkey's Paw," wishes do come true, but there's a catch. These wishes are granted
with dark, scary magic that involves no Disney happily-ever-afters. (Yep, if you're the kind of
person who can't get enough of Ouija boards, tarot cards, and late-night sances, you're going
to love "The Monkey's Paw.")
This is one of those "be careful what you wish for" stories. It makes us think about everything
we've wished for in the past, and everything we might wish for in the future. Instead of making
us feel more desperate for a new Mustang, though, by the end of the story, we're feeling like
our life if is pretty darn good as it is. Saving up for a car the old-fashioned way sure seems a lot
better than wishing on a cursed monkey's paw. But maybe that's just us.

The Monkey's Paw Summary

How It All Goes Down
"The Monkey's Paw" is set in the White family home in England. It begins on a dark and stormy
night, so we know we're in for a scary story. The Whites Mr. and Mrs. White and their adult
son Herbert are inside enjoying a cozy evening around the fire.
Soon Sergeant-Major Morris arrives. He's been in the army in India for the past 21 years. He
tells the Whites stories of his adventures in that faraway land and shows them a monkey's paw
that has the power to grant three wishes. Mr. White wants the paw, but Morris tells him it's
cursed people get hurt when their wishes are granted. He tries to burn the paw in the fire, but
Mr. White snatches it up and buys it. After Morris leaves, Mr. White, following Herbert's
suggestion, wishes for two hundred pounds, the amount of money he would need to pay off the
bank and own the house outright.
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The next morning, Herbert goes off to work as usual and Mrs. White watches for the two
hundred pounds to show up. In the afternoon, a fancily dressed man pays the Whites a visit.

He is from Maw and Meggins, the company Herbert works for. The man tells the Whites that
Herbert has been killed in a machinery accident. (We aren't given details of Herbert's work, but
the clues suggest that he works in some kind of factory.) The man says that the company takes
no blame for Herbert's death but wants to give the Whites some money to help with their loss.
You can probably guess how much money the man gives the Whites. That's right, two hundred
pounds. Mrs. White screams and Mr. White faints.
Full of sadness over Herbert's death, Mr. and Mrs. White bury him in the cemetery two miles
from their home. One night Mrs. White gets a bright idea: use those other two wishes to bring
Herbert back! She shares her plan with Mr. White. He thinks it's a bad idea he could barely
look at Herbert's mangled body when he went to identify it. His wife really turns up the heat,
though, and he caves in. Mr. White pulls out the cursed monkey's paw and wishes Herbert
back to life.
Nothing happens, so the Whites go back to bed. Soon after, someone or something starts
pounding on the door. (Have you seen Pet Sematary? This cannot be good.) Mrs. White is sure
it's Herbert it just took him a minute to get there from the cemetery. Mr. White is sure it's
Herbert too, and he doesn't want his son to get in the house, so he makes his third wish on the
monkey's paw. (We aren't told what it is.) The knocking stops. Mr. White hears Mrs. White open
the door. He hears her scream out in agony because Herbert is not there. He goes outside with
her and sees that the road is completely empty.

The Monkey's Paw Chapter 1 Summary

"The Monkey's Paw" starts off the way many good scary stories start with a dark and
stormy night.

We're in England, inside Laburnam Villa, where things are not dark and stormy.
Actually, they are quite cheery there's even a fire burning in the fireplace.

Now we meet the White family. The father and mother both have white hair. Their
grown son, Herbert White, is probably in his mid-20s.

Mr. White and Herbert are playing chess, while Mrs. White knits near that fire we were
talking about. What could be more homey and comfy than this?

Mr. White makes a wrong move and Herbert wins the game, putting Mr. White in a bad
mood, but just for a second.

Soon Sergeant-Major Morris arrives. The Whites welcome him and offer him some
whiskey. The alcohol makes Morris talkative, and he tells the White stories of his time
in India.

Apparently he has been away in India for the past 21 years, serving in the British Army.

Mr. White brings up something from an earlier conversation with Morris a monkey's
paw.

Morris says the paw is "magic" (1.21). As he takes it out of his pocket, he says, "To look
at, it's just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy" (1.23).

Mrs. White is grossed out by the paw, but Herbert holds it and checks it out, then Mr.
White takes it.

Morris tells them the legend of the 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 put a spell on it so that three separate men
could each have three wishes from it" (1.26).

Morris says he got the paw from the first man who wished on it. Guess what that man's
third wish was. It was "for death" (1.33). (Hmm. Bad sign.)

Morris says he made three wishes on the paw too, and his wishes came true, but he
isn't sure he would wish again if he had the chance.

Suddenly, Morris chucks the paw into the fire.

Mr. White grabs it out before it burns. He asks Morris to let him have the paw.

Morris warns him against it, but then he gives him instruction on using the paw: 1. Hold
paw in hand. 2. Make wish. (Definitely not rocket science.)

After Morris leaves, Mr. White holds the paw and says, "I don't know what to wish for,
and that's a fact [] It seems to me I've got all I want" (1.54). Oh really? Then why did
you want the cursed paw in the first place?

Herbert suggests wishing for two hundred pounds (pounds are English currency, just
like the dollars are American currency). Two hundred pounds is the amount Mr. White
needs to finish paying back the bank for his house.

Mr. White holds the paw and makes the wish. The paw moves in his hand eek! He
screams.

Herbert makes some jokes about the paw. He doesn't believe it's magic.

After his parents go to bed, Herbert sees (or thinks he sees) the "horrible" face of a
monkey in the fire. He throws water on the face, then gives the paw a squeeze and
goes to bed.

The Monkey's Paw Chapter 2 Summary

Things don't look as scary to Herbert in the bright light of morning. He feels silly for
letting a dirty little paw spook him last night.

He makes some jokes about the paw and then leaves for work.

Mrs. White doesn't believe in the power of the paw either, but she can't help thinking
about the possibility of the money magically appearing.

Later in the day a fancily dressed man pays the Whites a visit. He says he comes from
Maw and Meggins, the company where Herbert works. (We never learn exactly what
kind of work Herbert does.)

The man tells the Whites that Herbert "was caught in the machinery" (2.21). Their son
did not survive the accident.

(From this detail, we can guess that Herbert worked in some kind of factory. In the 19th
and early 20th centuries, it wasn't uncommon for factory workers to be injured or killed
in accidents with machines.)

Mrs. White tells the man that Herbert is the only child they have left. (We guess that
means they had other children who died.)

Now for the part you've been waiting for: the man tells the Whites that Maw and
Meggins isn't responsible for Herbert's death, but it does want to give the Whites two
hundred pounds to settle the matter.

At this news Mrs. White screams and Mr. White faints.

The Monkey's Paw Chapter 3 Summary

The Whites bury Herbert in a cemetery two miles from their house. Their home is now
a dark and lonely place.

The Whites feel like they are waiting for something to happen to help them with their
sadness.

One night, about a week later, Mrs. White remembers the monkey's paw.

She wants Mr. White to wish Herbert back to life. Mr. White, who isn't sure whether
Herbert's death has anything to do with the paw, is totally against this idea.

But Mrs. White won't take no for an answer, so Mr. White, against his own judgment,
wishes Herbert back to life.

Nothing happens.

They go back to bed. Mr. White is relieved. Herbert has been dead ten days and his
body looked really horrible ten days ago. (Fatal factory accidents do that to a body.) Mr.
White has no desire to see the undead version of his son.

After a while, the Whites hear someone or something banging on the front door.

Mrs. White decides that it just took Herbert a little while to get home, because the
graveyard where he was buried is two miles away. She runs downstairs to welcome
home undead Herbert.

Mr. White is scared. He wants nothing to do with undead Herbert.

He quickly makes his third wish. The story doesn't say what this wish is, but the
knocking stops just as Mrs. White gets the door open.

When she steps outside, nobody there and the road is empty. She screams because
Herbert isn't there.

Mr. White goes outside and comforts her.

Want to talk about the ending? Hurry over to "What's Up With the Ending?"

The Monkey's Paw Theme of The Supernatural

Do you or don't you believe in the power of the monkey's paw? This is one of those stories,
unlike the Harry Potter books, where we aren't ever quite sure whether supernatural forces are
at work or not. It's like "The Monkey's Paw" is trying to convince us of two conflicting things: 1)
that the paw really is magic and directly causes Herbert White's death; and 2) that the paw isn't
magic and Herbert's death just happens to coincide with Mr. White's wish for two hundred
pounds.
But which is it? If you're feeling confused and uncertain, you're not alone. This sense of
confusion is exactly what the characters are feeling throughout the story. Even the very rational
Herbert White, who tries hard to show he doesn't believe in the paw's powers, sees (or thinks
he sees) the face of the evil monkey in the fire. Rest assured that W.W. Jacobs wants us to be
unsure, and that's a big part of what makes this story so eerie and so awesome.

Questions About The Supernatural

1.

Who believes in the paw more, Mr. or Mrs. White?

2.

3.
4.

5.

Does Sergeant-Major Morris really believe the paw has magical powers, or is he
teasing the Whites?
What do you think Mr. White's third and final wish was?
If you were going to wish someone back to life, how would you word your wish to make
sure the person didn't come back all gross and crazy and violent like a zombie?
Do you think the paw is actually magical? Why or why not?

6.

Why do you think that Jacobs never really tells us if the paw is magical or not? How
does the uncertainty impact the story?

7.

Create your own alternate ending for the story in which Mr. Whitedoesn't wish Herbert
dead again. What does Mrs. White see when she opens the front door? What does Mr. White
spend his third wish on? Use this is your opportunity to settle the question of whether or not the
monkey's paw is magical.

8.

The story never tells us what Morris or the first owner of the monkey's paw wished for.
Write your own story explaining what happened to these men, and why the first owner finally
wished to die.

Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
The paw is fueled by the monkey's anger and vengeance, which makes it impossible to wish
on it without negative consequences.
The story's ending proves that the paw's powers are real.

The Monkey's Paw Theme of Death

In "The Monkey's Paw" we watch as the White family is transformed from a loving trio into a
grief-stricken duo with the death of Herbert White. We can all relate to this aspect of the story.
The loss of a loved one is one of the hardest things to deal with in life. "The Monkey's Paw"
can be seen as a story about how one family deals with the death of their last living son, and
the frightening possibility that he could be brought back to life. For Mrs. White, death is the
worst possible fate for her son, and she'd prefer him alive, no matter the cost. Mr. White, on the
other hand, seems to believe that there is a fate worse than death for his son being some
kind of mangled, undead monster.
After a loved one dies, people often wonder whether they could have done anything to prevent
the tragedy. For example, if there was no monkey's paw in this story, Mrs. White might have
blamed herself for not stopping Herbert from going to work that day. We know that W.W.

Jacobs lost his mother when he was young. His firsthand knowledge of the grieving process
certainly must have influenced and maybe even inspired this story.
In 1902 England mortality rates were high due to a variety of diseases and lack of today's
medical technologies. There were also many deaths and even more accidents related to
factory work, like that done by Herbert White. The story thus taps into something that was
touching the lives of many of its readers.

Questions About Death

1.

Does the paw have anything to do with Herbert's death?

2.

Do you think Mr. White succeeds in wishing Herbert back to life?

3.

It seems like Mr. White's third wish is for Herbert to be dead again. Why would he wish
that? If you were in his position, would you do the same thing? Do you think Mr. White does
this for Herbert's sake or for the sake of himself and his wife?

4.

Does knowing that Herbert had siblings who died change the way you see the Whites?
Why or why not?

5.

Do you think we live in a dangerous time? What are the most common causes of death
today? What were they in the early 1900s? What has changed and why?

Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
W.W. Jacobs uses the genre of horror literature to explore a serious issue in society unsafe
working conditions in factories, which often result in injury or death.
Mr. White spends his third wish to make sure Herbert is dead again. He does this for Herbert's
sake.
When Mr. White wishes Herbert dead again, he does this for his wife's sake.

The Monkey's Paw Theme of Fate and Free Will

Are the Whites responsible for the bad things that happen to them, or are they helpless victims
of fate, destined to suffer? Is it a combination of both? When we look closely at "The Monkey's
Paw," it's full of questions about how much power people have over the direction of their lives.
This story is also about how we make choices. Think of Mr. White. He decides he wants to
keep the paw, but it's Herbert who suggests the first wish, and Mrs. White his second one. He
seems to make this second wish against his will. He knows it could be disastrous, but he does
it anyway, either because he can't say no to his wife or because he wants to please her. His

final wish, whatever it is, could be seen as a sign that his character is getting stronger. He is
learning (rather late in the game), to take control of his life and to make good, careful choices
on his own.

Questions About Fate and Free Will

1.

Can you find examples of times when the characters seem to be doing things they
don't want to do that is, acting against their will?

2.

Can the wishes we make impact the course of our lives?

3.

Does Mr. White learn to make his own decisions over the course of this story?

4.

If Mr. White had wished more carefully, could he have gotten some good stuff from the
monkey's paw, or were his wishes destined to become curses?

5.

Does Mrs. White make Mr. White do things he doesn't want to do?

6.

Why does Mr. White follow Herbert's suggestion and wish for money?

Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
Fear of seeing Herbert back from the dead forces Mr. White to start making decisions on his
own.
Even if Mr. White had wanted to resist the paw, he would have no choice but to wish on it.

The Monkey's Paw Theme of Family

At the center of "The Monkey's Paw" is the White family. The family is made up of Mr. and Mrs.
White and their adult son Herbert. Their loving home is disrupted by the arrival of the monkey's
paw and Herbert's subsequent death. Morris mentioned that wishing on the monkey's paw
leads to utter disaster, and the fact that Mr. White's first wish is twisted such that Herbert dies
indicates that a death in the family is the worst possible thing that could happen to the Whites
worse, for example, than losing their home. Mr. and Mrs. White's intense grief over Herbert
highlights how much they adored their son, as does Mrs. White's desire to have her son back,
no matter the cost.

Questions About Family

1.

From the little we see of it before Herbert's death, how would you describe the Whites'
family life?

2.

What do we learn about the Whites' family life after Herbert dies?

3.

After Herbert dies we find out that there used to be other White children, though we
don't know how many or how they died. The Whites seemed to be able to rebuild a happy life
after their other children died. Do you think they'll be able to do the same now that they've also
lost Herbert?

4.

What do Mr. and Mrs. White's different reactions to the knocking on the door
(presumably Herbert, back from the dead) show about their love for their son?

5.

How would you describe Mr. and Mrs. White's relationship? Mrs. White's relationship
with Herbert? Mr. White's relationship with Herbert?

Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
Without Herbert, the Whites will never feel like a family again.
Mr. and Mrs. White's relationship makes this not just a horror classic, but a tender love story as
well.

The Monkey's Paw Theme of Technology and Modernization

From the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, British society underwent a huge transformation, known
as the Industrial Revolution. Lots of factories were built in cities, providing many of jobs. At the
same time, because of advances in agricultural technology, fewer workers were needed on
farms. This led people to leave the countryside and move into cities in droves.
The Whites seem to be an exception to this rule. We get the impression that they live in an
isolated, almost-forgotten area. Herbert commutes to his factory job by train. The factory's
reaction to Herbert's death speaks not only to the dangerous working conditions in factories at
the time, but also to the rise of feelings of alienation brought by increased industrialization and
mechanization. Herbert is important to the company only as a worker, someone to run the
machinery, not as a flesh-and-blood human being.

Questions About Technology and Modernization

1.

Herbert is injured in a factory accident. Have you heard of or can you find examples of
factory accidents or workplace injuries in the news today? How might working conditions of the
early 1900s compare with working conditions today?

2.

What technologies exist today that did not exist in 1900? If you were to adapt the story
to our own time, what technologies might you include and why?

3.

Based on the visit from the man from Maw and Meggins, how do you think the
company views its employees?

Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.
Through "The Monkey's Paw," Jacobs is commenting on the dangerous work conditions
resulting from technological advances in the early 1900s.
Living in an isolated area, Mr. and Mrs. White are mostly cut off from technology and
modernization. Through Herbert's accident, technology intrudes tragically into their lives.

The Monkey's Paw The Supernatural Quotes Page 1

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How we cite the quotes:

(Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1
"Monkey's paw?" said Mrs. White, curiously.
"Well, it's just a bit of what you might call magic,
perhaps," said the sergeant-major, offhandedly. (1.21)

Does Morris actually believe in magic, or is he just playing with the Whites?

Quote #2
"It had a spell put on it by an old fakir," said the
sergeant-major, "a very holy man. [...] He put a spell on
it so that three separate men could each have three
wishes from it." (1.26)

Why would a holy man make something evil? To teach people a lesson? In some ways this passage can be
seen as a reflection of misconceptions about India in the early 1900s, and the public's fascination with stories
of magic and mysticism from afar.

Quote #3
The soldier shook his head. "Fancy, I suppose," he said,
slowly. "I did have some idea of selling it, but I don't
think I will. It has caused enough mischief already.
Besides, people won't buy. They think it's a fairy tale;
some of them, and those who do think anything of it
want to try it first and pay me afterward." (1.36)

The paw is closely associated with money. Morris wants to sell it. Mr. White, it seems, does actually pay him for
it. And Mr. White's first wish is for money. Still, it's hard to say this is a story warning against greed, since all Mr.
White wants to do is pay off his debt. Why stop at 200 pounds, after all?

The Monkey's Paw The Supernatural Quotes Page 2

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(Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4
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.
"Better let it burn," said the soldier, solemnly.
"If you don't want it, Morris," said the other, "give it to
me." (1.41)

Mr. White claims he has everything he wants and doesn't need to wish for anything but he wants the paw
even more when he sees he's about to lose it. This suggests that beneath his happy exterior he is unsatisfied
with some aspects of his life and isn't about to let a chance to change it go by. Does the paw itself compel him
to wish on it, or is he denying the truth of his life?

Quote #5

He sat alone in the darkness, gazing at the dying fire,

and seeing faces in it. The last face was so horrible and
so simian [monkey-like] that he gazed at it in
amazement. It got so vivid that, with a little uneasy
laugh, he felt on the table for a glass containing a little
water to throw over it. His hand grasped the monkey's
paw, and with a little shiver he wiped his hand on his
coat and went up to bed. (1.66)

This passage reveals that even practical Herbert is susceptible to belief in the supernatural. Is he just tired and
a little tipsy, or does the monkey actually appear before him? Either way, this moment foreshadows the fact
that Herbert will become the victim of the monkey's wrath or of a terrible accident that is simply the result of
unsafe working conditions.

Quote #6
But her husband was on his hands and knees groping
wildly on the floor in search of the paw. If he could only
find it before the thing outside got in. (3.48)

Mr. White definitely believes the paw has real powers at this point in the story. Do you? Would you be
convinced without actually seeing undead Herbert with your own eyes?

The Monkey's Paw Death Quotes Page 1

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Quote #1
"The first man had his three wishes, yes," was the reply.
"I don't know what the first two were, but the third was
for death. That's how I got the paw." (1.33)

Wow, pretty strong warning there, but it's softened by Morris' claim that he has wished on the paw and he's
obviously still alive. (But we don't know whether anybody close to him died after he used the paw.) This
statement foreshadows the fact that a death will occur in the story.

Quote #2
"Is he hurt?" demanded the mother.
The visitor bowed in assent. "Badly hurt," he said
quietly, "but he is not in any pain." (2.17)

Herbert isn't in any pain because he's dead. That's a pretty creepy thing to say, don't you think? If you had to
tell somebody her loved one was dead, would you use a direct or indirect approach?

Quote #3
"He was the only one left to us," he said, turning gently
to the visitor. "It is hard." (2.23)

Jacobs is a master of saying a lot in just a few words. It seems very significant that there were other White
children who died. It lets us know that the Whites are no strangers to grief and death.

The Monkey's Paw Death Quotes Page 2

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Quote #4
In the huge new cemetery, some two miles distant, the
old people buried their dead, and came back to a house
steeped in shadow and silence. (3.1)

Herbert's death transforms the White's home from a happy place to one of sadness, grief, and darkness. Will
the Whites ever be able to make their home happy again?

Quote #5

"Go and get it and wish," cried his wife, quivering with
excitement.
The old man turned and regarded her, and his voice
shook. "He has been dead ten days, and besides he I
would not tell you else, but I could only recognize him
by his clothing. If he was too terrible for you to see then,
how now?" (3.24)

Mr. White understands the way this whole wishing thing works, but he wishes Herbert back to life anyway
without specifying that the grave rot and physical disfigurement not be included in the package. This passage
gets at our fears of death and dead people. Notice how Mrs. White's grief causes her to forget these fears.

Quote #6
He raised his hand. "I wish my son alive again." (3.31)

We never come face to face with the undead Herbert, and are therefore never sure if he does come back to life
again.

The Monkey's Paw Fate and Free Will Quotes Page 1

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How we cite the quotes:

(Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1
"It had a spell put on it by an old fakir," said the
sergeant-major, "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 put a spell on
it so that three separate men could each have three
wishes from it." (1.26)

This implies that the paw is just plain evil, that any wish made on it will have bad consequences. It sounds like
a caution against using magic to change the course of our lives. Since most of us don't have access to magic,

it could be read as warning against trying to get things the easy way, or against taking unnecessary risks
such as gambling.

Quote #2
"If you could have another three wishes," said the old
man, eyeing him keenly, "would you have them?" []
"I don't know," said the other. "I don't know." (1.38)

The paw seems to bring out greed and desire in those who come in contact with it. To some degree, it seems
to have the power to rob people of their free will.

Quote #3
"I suppose all old soldiers are the same," said Mrs
White. "The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How
could wishes be granted in these days? And if they
could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?"
(2.2)

Here's what Mrs. White is basically saying: since the paw can't really grant wishes, there can't be any harm in
wishing on it. Later it seems she really does believe in the paw and is trying to convince her husband to use it.
This helps us see that beneath her cheerful demeanor, she is a little desperate for anything that might turn
their lives around.

The Monkey's Paw Fate and Free Will Quotes Page 2

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Quote #4
"The firm wished me to convey their sincere sympathy
with you in your great loss," he said, without looking
round. "I beg that you will understand I am only their
servant and merely obeying orders." (2.25)

The man from Maw and Meggins (probably the company that owns the factory where Herbert worked) explains
that he doesn't necessarily agree with what he's about to do. He doesn't want the Whites to think he is as
unfeeling as the firm he works for. Like the Whites, he seems to feel his life is out of his own control. He is
caught between his own will and the will of his employers. Is he as powerless as he claims?

Quote #5
"No," she cried, triumphantly; "we'll have one more. Go
down and get it quickly, and wish our boy alive again."
(3.17)

Mrs. White is used to being able to control her husband. Here she is able to convince him to wish Herbert alive,
even though he really doesn't want to. What gives her this power over him?

Quote #6
"We had the first wish granted," said the old woman,
feverishly; "why not the second."
"A coincidence," stammered the old man. (3.22)

Here Mr. White is making an argument that Herbert's death happened because of the dangerous conditions
where he worked. He doesn't want to believe he caused Herbert's death by wishing on the paw. The fact that
he stammers these words suggests that he isn't entirely convinced of this.

Quote #7
He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back,
and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw,
and frantically breathed his third and last wish. (3.48)

We don't know what Mr. White wishes here. The important thing is that he makes the wish on his own, free of
his wife's or son's influence, based on what he thinks is right.

The Monkey's Paw Family Quotes Page 1

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Quote #1
"If you only cleared the house, you'd be quite happy,
wouldn't you?" said Herbert, with his hand on his
shoulder. "Well, wish for two hundred pounds, then;
that'll just do it." (1.55)

Next to food and love, what is the number one thing a family needs? A place to live, right? The Whites, we
learn here, have to pay the bank every month or they will lose their home. Notice that it's Herbert bringing this
up. Since he's the one working, it's probably up to him to make this monthly payment. Although he seems
cheery about it here, it probably causes him a lot of stress.

Quote #2
"He was the only one left to us," he said, turning gently
to the visitor. "It is hard." (2.23)

These two brief sentences from Mr. White reveal that Herbert was not their only child. We aren't given any
details beyond this, but the point is made: the Whites have been through this before. They have now
outlived all their children.

Quote #3
It was all over so quickly that at first they could hardly
realize it, and remained in a state of expectation as
though of something else to happen--something else
which was to lighten this load, too heavy for old hearts
to bear. (3.1)

These lines foreshadow Mrs. White's crazy plan to use the paw to put what's left of her family back together
again. Do you think Mr. and Mrs. White will ever be able to find happiness again? Can they find comfort in each
other?

The Monkey's Paw Family Quotes Page 2

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Quote #4
"Bring him back," cried the old woman, and dragged
him toward the door. "Do you think I fear the child I
have nursed?" (3.25)

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you ignore the risks and just focus on the possible benefits?
Mrs. White misses her son so badly that she doesn't think about the fact that his body was, as Mr. White points
out, horribly mangled and has been dead for ten days. If Herbert comes back like that, he may be pain. If
you've seen any zombie movies, you know he'll also probably be murderous and maybe even hungry for
human brains.

Quote #5
"You're afraid of your own son," she cried, struggling.
"Let me go. I'm coming, Herbert; I'm coming." (3.45)

Mrs. White isn't being fair here, and Mr. White is able to see clearly enough to recognize this. He has learned
his lesson about wishing hastily. He can see all the problems that undead Herbert might bring

The Monkey's Paw Technology and Modernization Quotes Page 1

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Quote #1
"That's the worst of living so far out," bawled Mr.
White, with sudden and unlooked-for violence; "of all
the beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way places to live in, this
is the worst. Pathway's a bog, and the road's a 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." (1.6)

This passage points to the movement of people from isolated rural areas into the cities during the early 1900s
in England. The Whites only have one neighbor and don't get many visitors because their place is hard to get
to.

Quote #2
"Twenty-one years of it," said Mr. White, nodding at his
wife and son. "When [Sergeant-Major Morris] went
away he was a slip of a youth in the warehouse. Now
look at him." (1.14)

Morris has spent most of his life in India in the army. He's bringing back new ideas to England, as represented
by the paw. This is another aspect of modernization, the exchange of ideas as people from very different
cultures interact.

Quote #3
"I'd like to go to India myself," said the old man, "just to
look round a bit, you know." (1.16)
"Better where you are," said the sergeant-major, shaking
his head. He put down the empty glass, and sighing
softly, shook it again. (1.17)

Mr. White has been unable to participate in the changes going on in the world. He is isolated from the
exploration of different lands, and from the factory life in the city. Whether he likes it or not, these things will
intrude on his happy life before the story ends.

The Monkey's Paw Technology and Modernization Quotes Page 2

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Quote #4

"He was caught in the machinery," said the visitor at

length, in a low voice.
"Caught in the machinery," repeated Mr. White, in a
dazed fashion, "yes." (2.22)

This is our first clue about the kind of work Herbert does. Factory jobs were common for men in England in the
early 1900s. This work was dangerous, due to the lack of laws protecting workers and the fact that machines
were still being perfected. These lines also reflect the sense of powerlessness that pervades the story.
Everybody seems caught in the machinery of life, unable to find happiness.

Quote #5
"I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all
responsibility," continued the other. "They admit no
liability at all, but in consideration of your son's services
they wish to present you with a certain sum as
compensation." (2.25)

As machines became more and more a part of human life, the people who own them came to be seen as cold
and unfeeling. Herbert seems almost disposable to his employers; he is only valuable as a person who can
operate a machine. Do we still have anxieties about machines today?

Protagonist
Character Role Analysis

Mr. White
You could argue that all three of the Whites serve as the protagonist, but we're just going to go
with Mr. White. Why? Because he's the one making the wishes. A protagonist isn't necessarily
your favorite character, but the one who really drives the action, which is exactly what happens
when Mr. White insists on buying the paw and using it to make three wishes. His last wish, in
particular the wish he makes all by himself is really what makes him stand out in our minds
as the protagonist.

Antagonist
Character Role Analysis

Sergeant-Major Morris

We don't know for sure that Morris is an antagonist. He claims to be a victim of the paw
himself, and seems almost compelled to pass the paw on against his will. He seems to be
trying to resist this urge when he throws it into the fire, but that might just be a trick to make Mr.
White want it even more.
Morris is a shady character for sure, but whether or not you see him as an antagonist depends
on whether you believe the paw has magical powers. If it has no powers, then Morris has
nothing to do with Herbert's death. Even if you do see the paw as magical, you might not see
Morris as an antagonist. He might have sold it to White against his will.

The Fakir
If the paw really is cursed, and a supposed holy man created it to make those who wish on it
suffer, then we've found our antagonist. Not only is this a cruel thing to do, with no real purpose
that we can see, but it also involves taking a paw from a poor defenseless monkey.

Character Clues
Character Analysis

Names
We never learn Mr. and Mrs. White's first names. They are only called Mr. and Mrs. White or
"mother" and "father." This is stresses their identities as a married couple, parents, family
people, and heads of a household. When Herbert dies, all aspects of this identity are
challenged. They have no idea how to act without their son in their lives.

Physical Appearances
One of the first things we are told about Sergeant-Major Morris is that he is "beady of eye"
(1.10). This means he looks sneaky, like he has something to hide or has a trick up his sleeve.
This sets the reader up to mistrust Morris. It also shows that the narrator sees things in him
that the characters might not. The Whites seem impressed by him, while the narrator suggests
that he doesn't appear trustworthy. All this makes Morris a mysterious, ambiguous character;
as with the paw, we are never quite sure what to make of him.
Take a look at "Characters" to read about Herbert's physical appearance and how it changes
throughout the novel.

Next P

The Monkey's Paw

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
The paw is a powerful symbol. Here's a quick list of some things it seems to stand for:
Guilt. People often feel guilty after the death of a loved one. If it weren't for the paw, the Whites
would probably have found other ways to take the blame for Herbert's death. (If only we hadn't
made him work, if only we'd kept him home, etc.) The paw provides an interesting way to
explore this guilt.
Anxiety over "Foreign" Things. Being from India, the paw is foreign, magical, and scary. India
was a British colony when this story was written, and the British brought back to England
stories of Indian traditions and beliefs that many people found strange or threatening. Just like
today, social problems were often blamed on "foreigners" or "foreign" ideas.
Evil and Vengeance. When Herbert sees (or thinks he sees) a monkey's face in the fire after
his father makes his wish, we assume it's the poor monkey who lost its paw. The monkey is
described as "horrible." We get the sense that its anger over its cruel treatment is fueling the
paw's evil, bringing bad luck to anyone who makes a wish.

Chess
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
When we first meet Herbert and his father, they are playing chess. Mr. White makes a reckless
move. Herbert and Mrs. White instantly catch the mistake, and Herbert wins the game.
Chess is a game of strategy that depends on a person's ability to anticipate a series of moves
ahead of time. The chess game here might be symbolic of Herbert's carefulness and Mr.
White's recklessness. Mr. White's recklessness in buying and wishing on the cursed monkey's
paw causes plenty of trouble for his family, but unfortunately, Herbert's carefulness doesn't
save him. Mr. White seems to have learned his lesson, though. By the end of the story, he's
unwilling to take the risk of meeting up with his undead son.

Laburnam Villa, somewhere in England, around 1902

Laburnam Villa

The main setting of "The Monkey's Paw" is inside and around the White family home, called
Laburnam Villa. The story is probably set around the time it was published, in 1902. The first
section of the story covers a single night in the White's lives, and the second section covers the
following day. The third section happens at night, ten days after Herbert dies.
As the story opens, the scene inside Laburnam Villa is contrasted with the scene outside.
Outside, it's your typical dark and stormy night. Inside things are warm and cheery, with chess,
knitting, and a roaring fire. As the story progresses, the house becomes progressively darker
and spookier complete with creaking stairs, strange shadows from candles, and things that
go bump in the night. After Herbert dies, we are told that the house becomes "steeped in
shadow and silence" (3.3).
This is just the beginning of the house's dark transformation. The climax comes when what we
imagine to be the mutilated and grave-rotted Herbert comes back from the dead and knocks on
the door. At the end of the story, the house is no longer a nightmare place, but we don't get the
idea that things are going to be happy inside for a very long time.

Maw and Meggins

Maw and Meggins is the name of the company that owns the factory where Herbert works. We
never visit this place, and we never learn exactly what is done there or what Herbert's job is.
We don't learn whether carelessness on Herbert's part, unsafe conditions, or something else
caused his death. This setting is important because it highlight one of the story's more serious
issues: working conditions in factories in the early 1900s.

India
Like Herbert's workplace, India is heard about but not seen in the story. In 1902 India was still
part of the British Empire. Because of the British presence and influence in India, the British
public had been exposed to information about India (much of it faulty) for some time, mostly
from British people who spent time there. The fact that the monkey's paw supposedly comes
from India reflects the public's fascination with India, its embrace of stereotypical
representations of people from India, and an eagerness to believe that Indian and other foreign
traditions would cause problems if introduced into Western societies.

The Monkey's Paw Narrator:

Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust
her or him?

Third Person (Omniscient)

"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. The narrator keeps description to a minimum, giving us

just enough information to piece things together. He (we'll call the narrator a he) never tells us
more than is absolutely necessary. For example, he could come right out and tell us whether
the paw has magical powers. He could tell us exactly what happened to Herbert, and if it really
was him knocking on his parents' door. Heck, he could even tell us what Mr. White's final wish
was. But he doesn't. This narrator wants us to use our imaginations to answer these and other
questions on our own.
The third-person narrator can even see inside the characters' heads and comment on their
thoughts, making him omniscient (he knowseverything). For example, this passage allows us
to get inside Mrs. White's head:
Mrs. White [...] was very happy at the expense of her husband's credulity. All of which did not
prevent her from scurrying to the door at the postman's knock, nor prevent her from referring
somewhat shortly to retired sergeant-majors of bibulous [drunken] habits when she found that
the post brought a tailor's bill. (2.6)
"Credulity" is a good word to know when reading this passage. It just means gullible. We bet
someone's called you gullible before, like maybe an older sibling or friend because you refused
to believe that the Tooth Fairy wasn't real
In this passage the narrator is showing us not necessarily that Mr. White is credulous, but that
his wife thinks he is. At the same time, the narrator is showing us that Mrs. White is probably
just as susceptible to superstition as her husband. The day after Mr. White makes his first wish,
the two hundred pounds is all she can think about all day long, especially when she gets bills in
the mail instead of money.

The Monkey's Paw Genre

Folk Tale, Horror and Gothic Fiction, Tragedy
The Basic Folk Tale Formula
Let's talk sausages. And noses. And male anatomy. (Trust us, this will all become clear.) See,
this is a story about three wishes with really bad consequences. There are quite a few old folk
tales out there that feature three wishes (click here for a list). One of these is from One
Thousand and One Nights (a.k.a. Arabian Nights), a very famous collection of stories from the
Middle East and South Asia. Some of these stories are ancient. All of them are much older
than "The Monkey's Paw," and translations of them reached England not long before "The
Monkey's Paw" was written.
In the story in One Thousand and One Nights, a man is granted three wishes. His wife urges
him to wish for a bigger, um, you know (thetranslation we read rather hysterically calls this bit

the male anatomy a "prickle" and a "yard"). It's a disaster and his wife is horrified, so the man
wishes it smaller, but then it totally disappears. His final wish is used to put things back the way
they were before he ever made a wish.
Other folk tales feature this basic formula: two foolish wishes are made and the third wish is
used to bring things back to the way they were. For some reason, most of the people in these
stories use their first wish on, yep, sausages. Now for the really weird part: the second wish is
usually used to attach the sausages to somebody's nose. Now, we like sausages as much as
the next person, but this all seems very strange to us.

Jacobs' Creepy Spin on Three Wishes Folk Tales

W.W. Jacobs' gothic tragedy, though generally similar to the "three wishes" folk tales, has some
key differences. First, he does away with the whole noses and sausages business (phew) and
stays away from body parts in general (except for the paw, of course). This story becomes
much scarier when the wishes seem to have the power to give and take away life.
In "The Monkey's Paw," Mr. White also fails to use his third wish to return things back to the
way they were before the wishes. No, for this story to remain a tragedy, Herbert must stay
dead and mangled. If he were magically restored to his pre-wishes self, this would be a silly
story rather than a tragic and horrifying one.
Interestingly, America's master of horror, Stephen King, picks up where Jacobs leaves off.
Jacobs toys with the idea of bringing a mangled person back to life, but then decides against
making it happen. In Pet Sematary, King takes the idea and runs with it, bringing animals and
people back to life with great enthusiasm. We love the way this story helps us trace the roots of
today's Gothic and horror genres. For fun, compare Jacobs with another important figure in this
genre,Edgar Allan Poe. What are some differences and similarities?

The Monkey's Paw Tone

Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky?
Playful?

Sympathetic, with a Hint of Mischief

Tone refers to an author's attitude toward his characters and subject matter. We have to make
guesses about the tone based on the author's writing. Here's what we've come up with:
1. He seems to take the dark subject matter seriously, especially Herbert's death. Jacobs
could have made this into a lighthearted story where Herbert comes back to life and
given the story a happily-ever- after, but he didn't. Jacobs isn't taking the death of loved
ones lightly.

2. He uses the horror genre to talk about some very serious issues: working conditions in
factories, the effects of British colonialism, the alienation and isolation caused by the
Industrial Revolution, grief over a loved one, and other serious matters. He is a serious
guy who has serious concerns about the world he lives in, which he voices in the story.
3. Jacobs is famous for "The Monkey's Paw" now, but in his day people knew him as a
comedic writer. In fact, that's how he made much of his living. This story has the
outrageous, over-the-top feel of many Gothic tales of horror (like Edgar Allan Poe's
work) and borders on being funny at times, like when Morris tells the legend of the paw
to the Whites. We think this is probably the comedian in Jacobs coming out, keeping
the story from being so serious that we can't tolerate it. Jacobs knows it's sometimes
easier to get people to think about serious issues by veiling them in genres like horror
and humor. He is in full control, though. He knows that too much humor might spoil the
horror and undermine the seriousness.

The Monkey's Paw Writing Style

Full of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a tool that writers use to give readers clues about what to expect later on in
the story and also to ratchet up the suspense. Skilled use of foreshadowing can also give a
story a feeling of conclusion: all the hints connect together to complete our understanding of
what has happened. (This is exactly what happens in the movie The Sixth Sense, for
example.)
Herbert's death is foreshadowed several times by Herbert himself. After his father makes his
first wish, Herbert says, "Well, I don't see the money, [...] and I bet I never shall" (1). That's
right, Herb, you're never going to see the money because you're going to die first.
Before his parents go to bed, Herbert seems to foreshadow his own disfigurement and return
from the dead:
"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." (1.65)
If Mr. White hadn't used his third wish (presumably) to send Herbert back to the grave, this
might have been exactly the scenario that played out. Mangled from his accident and rotting
from his time in the graveyard, Herbert would have been that "something horrible" if Mrs. White
had managed to let him into the house.

Whats Up With the Title?

This title is creepy and mysterious, drawing readers in to its web of fear. The mere mention of
the paw of a monkey hints that we will be rewarded with chills and thrills. It sounds so exotic
we can almost smell the incense and hear the mystical music. In 1902 England, when this
story was published, readers would have instantly associated monkeys with India, then a part
of the British Empire.
Most British people never saw India personally and weren't necessarily being given accurate
information about it. It was usually talked about as drastically different from Britain, full of
strange ways and deeds. The title seeks to draw people into the story by playing on their
curiosity about India and other faraway places.
Today's readers might not instantly associate the title with India. You might think of zoos, funny
monkey videos on YouTube, or the Simpsonepisode inspired by the story. You might even
wonder if this is a story about animal rights, or a monkey that lends a helping paw to
somebody. Again, the title awakens our curiosity and makes us start turning pages to find out
what it means.
For more on the monkey's paw as a symbol, check out our discussion in "Symbolism, Imagery,
Allegory."

Whats Up With the Ending?

Is the Monkey's Paw Magic?
Man, this story does not have a happy ending. Herbert is not coming back, and Mr. and Mrs.
White are left childless and grieving.
The interesting thing about the ending is that not everything is explained. There's actually a lot
left to the imagination. For example:
1. Is the monkey's paw really and truly magic?
2. Did Mr. White's second wish really bring Herbert back from the dead?
3. Was it Herbert knocking on the White's door in the middle of the night?
4. If so, was Herbert mangled, nasty, and zombie-ish?

5. What was Mr. White's final wish?

Jacobs just doesn't give us all of the information. He keeps it mysterious. In fact, Jacob keeps
it unclear whether or not the paw reallyhas magical powers and is responsible for Herbert's
death. We don't know whether it was really undead Herbert White, knocking at the door, or if
there is some rational explanation (a neighbor, a bear, Morris?). Like Mr. and Mrs. White, most
readers will be caught between belief and disbelief, between a desire to explain things
rationally and a desire to surrender to the supernatural explanation.
What do you think? How would you answer the five questions above?

Mr. White's Final Wish

Supernatural matters aside, we think the ending also does a lot of character building. When
Mrs. White is unable to sleep because she's thinking of Herbert cold and alone, and when she
is willing to accept Herbert even mangled and undead, we understand the depth of her love
and grief.
What really shows in the ending, though, is Mr. White's love for his wife and the sturdiness of
his character. He'll do anything for her even wish a dead son back to life against his better
judgment. His ability to do what he knows is right for his wife stop the undead Herbert from
coming back or comfort his wife in her time of need shows us how strong he can be. He can
put his own grief aside to help his wife deal with hers.
Let's take a look at the final lines of the story:
A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from
his wife gave him courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street
lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road. (3.49)
Hmm. This suggests that Mr. and Mrs. White both believed it was the undead Herbert at the
door. Mrs. White, described as being mentally faster than her husband, will surely put two and
two together and realize that Mr. White wished away her Herbert.
Will she forgive him? Will Mrs. White drive herself mad obsessing over the paw, the wishes,
and Herbert's death? Will Mr. White be able to help her through it? What will become of this
elderly couple now that they are virtually alone in the world? And, most importantly, do you
think Mr. White made the right decision?

The Monkey's Paw Plot Analysis

Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation,
conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great
writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.

Initial Situation
A happy family, an isolated cottage, and a mysterious
visitor...
When we first meet the Whites, they are basically happy people, though maybe a tad lonely
and isolated. On a dark and stormy night, they get a visitor, Sergeant-Major Morris. He gets
drunk, tells them about his adventures in foreign lands, and shows them a monkey's paw from
India with the power to grant three wishes.

Conflict
To wish or not to wish?
Morris warns the Whites that the paw was specifically designed to hurt the people who wish on
it. He has wished on it himself but isn't sure if he would do it again. Since the paw couldn't
possibly really have magical powers, what harm would there be in wishing on it, just for fun?

Complication
Now that the wish is made, will it come true?
Well, Mr. White does make a wish, for two hundred pounds, the amount of money needed to
pay off the family home. This proves to be a complication after the climax, which happens next.
Now the Whites will never be sure whether what happens in the climax is a result of the wish or
not. If the wish had never been made, it would probably be a little easier for them to deal with
the climax.

Climax
Herbert is in a fatal accident.
The very next day, Herbert is killed in an accident at the factory where he works. To
compensate the Whites for his death, Herbert's employers give them two hundred pounds, the
exact amount Mr. White wished for.

Suspense
Will Herbert come back to life? Is wishing for that even a
good idea?
When Mrs. White begs Mr. White to wish Herbert back to life, we're pretty sure he's going to do
it. But when it seems that the mangled, undead Herbert is actually at the door, there's a lot of

suspense over whether Mr. White will go against his wife and do what he wants. Ultimately his
fear of undead Herbert wins over his fear of his wife.

Denouement
Mr. White uses his third and final wish.
This part is a little frustrating. Mr. White does wish, though we aren't told precisely what he
wishes for. All we know is that the banging on the door stops. The implication is that Mr. White
wished Herbert back to death.

Conclusion
Mr. and Mrs. White walk outside.
In case you were thinking maybe somebody besides undead Herbert was at the door, the
concluding lines suggest it was probably him. Remember, the Whites live in an isolated area
and only have one neighbor. When they walk outside after the knocking stops, the area is
completely quiet and empty....

The Monkey's Paw Trivia

Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
The W.W. in W.W. Jacobs stands for William Wymark (source).
W.W. Jacobs, author of "The Monkey's Paw," was known primarily as a writer of comedy in his
day. He made his living by writing funny novels and short stories, most of them set on the
water. Check out this New York Times reference (from 1907) to his "familiar humorous
themes."
"The Monkey's Paw" inspired an episode of The Simpsons . In it, Homer gets four wishes
instead of the usual three. Does he use them wisely?
Stephen King's bestselling novel Pet Sematary was inspired in part by "The Monkey's Paw."
King even quotes the short story at the beginning of Part Three of his novel.

The Monkey's Paw Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - theres not just one right answer.

1. The question you've been waiting for all your life: If you were given three wishes, what
would you wish for? Remember, be smart about this and give it plenty of thought. You
don't want to make the same mistakes the Whites do.
2. Why doesn't anybody ever wish for unlimited wishes? Are there any ways that wish
could backfire?
3. Do you think Mr. White's second wish came true? We never seean undead version of
Herbert in the story, we only hear someone knocking on the White's door. Can you
think of any other explanation for the sound?
4. If you were in Mr. and Mrs. White's position, would you wish for Herbert to come back
to life? Why or why not?
5. Is Morris an untrustworthy guy? Is he trying to make Mr. White want the cursed paw?
6. How does "The Monkey's Paw" compare to other stories about wishes that you've read
or watched? (Maybe Aladdin, the Greek myth of "Apollo and Daphne," 13 Going on 30,
or Coraline, for example.)
7. This story helped horror-master Stephen King develop some of the plot elements and
major themes that would win him a worldwide audience. Does the story inspire you to
write a story of your own? What would you change? In what time period would you set
it? What might your main character wish for?

THE MONKEYS PAW

W. W. Jacobs

Context

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 andToday published some of his stories in the early 1890s.
Jacobss 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.

The success of Jacobss 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 seamens lives and adventures. Jacobss works include The Skippers
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. His financial security was further solidified by the
popular Strand magazine, which began publishing Jacobss short stories in 1898 and
continued to do so throughout much of his life. Jacobs died in 1943.
While modern readers associate Jacobs primarily with his suspenseful and frequently
anthologized short story The Monkeys 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 and published many of
his stories in magazines directed at this audience. The novellas At Sunwich Port (1902)
and Dialstone Lane (1904) exemplify his ability to create humorous scenarios with vivid
characters. Jerome K. Jerome, a popular comic novelist of the day, was a great fan of Jacobss
and praised his strong work ethic and painstaking approach. He said that Jacobs would often
rewrite just one sentence for hours at a stretch. Many luminaries of literature have praised
Jacobs work, including G. K. Chesterton, Henry James, Evelyn Waugh, P. G. Wodehouse, and
Mark Twain.
The Monkeys Paw was published in Jacobss short-story collection The Lady of the
Barge (1902), and the storys popularity has been extraordinarily long-lasting. The story has
been included in approximately seventy collections, from horror and gothic anthologies to
the New York Review of Books collection of classic fiction. The story has also been turned into
a play, parodied on The Simpsons, and made into eight separate movies. Stephen King wrote
about The Monkeys Paw in The Dead Zone (1979) and Apt Pupil (1982) and based his
novel Pet Sematary (1983) on its themes. The spare but colorful characterization of the White
family, fascination with wishing and wishing gone awry, and storys mix of humor and terror
have made The Monkeys Paw popular with generations

Themes
The Danger of Wishing

The Whites downfall comes as the result of wishing for more than what they actually needed.
Even though Mr. White feels content with his lifehe has a happy family, a comfortable home,
and plenty of lovehe nevertheless uses the monkeys paw to wish for money that he doesnt
really need. As Jacobs suggests, making one seemingly harmless wish only intensifies and
magnifies desire as each subsequent wish becomes more outlandish. After receiving two
hundred pounds for Herberts death, for example, Mrs. White jumps to the conclusion that the
paw has unlimited power. She forces Mr. White to wish to bring Herbert back to life, a wish far
more serious than their first. Unchecked greed, therefore, only leads to unhappiness, no matter
how much more one asks for. Intense desire also often leads to unfulfilled expectations or
unintended consequences as with Herberts unexpected death and rise from the grave as a
living corpse. Put simply, Jacobs is reminding readers to be careful what they wish for because
it may just come true.

The Clash between Domesticity and the Outside World

Jacobs depicts the Whites home and domestic sphere in general as a safe, cozy place
separate from the dangerous world outside. The Whites house is full of symbols of happy
domesticity: a piano, knitting, a copper kettle, a chessboard, a fireplace, and a breakfast table.
But the Whites repeatedly invite trouble into this cozy world. Sergeant-Major Morrisa family
friend, seasoned veteran, and world travelerdisrupts the tranquility in the Whites home with
his stories of India and magic and warnings of evil. He gives Mr. White the monkeys paw, the
ultimate token of the dangerous outside world. Mr. and Mrs. White mar the healthy atmosphere
of their home again when they invite the Maw and Meggins representative inside, a man who
shatters their happiness with news of Herberts death. The final would-be invader of the
domestic world is Herbert himself. Mr. Whites terrified reaction to his dead sons desire for
entrance suggests not just his horror at the prospect of an animated corpse, but his
understanding, won from experience, that any person coming from the outside should be
treated as a dangerous threat to the sanctity of the home.

Motifs
Groups of Three
Jacobss story is structured around a pattern of threes. The central force of the story is the
monkeys paw, which will grant three separate owners three wishes each. The White family is
made up of three people. Mr. White is the third owner of the paw. (The second owner is
Sergeant-Major Morris; the first owner used his third wish for death.) Sergeant-Major Morris

begins talking about his adventures in India after three glasses of whisky and urges Mr. White
three times not to wish on the paw. The representative from Maw and Meggins approaches the
Whites gate three times before he musters up the courage to walk up the path to their door.
Mrs. White orders her husband three times to wish Herbert alive again before he retrieves the
paw. And the reanimated corpse of Herbert knocks three times before his mother hears him. In
addition to permeating the plot, the number three gives The Monkeys Paw its structure. The
story is broken up into three parts, which take place at three times of day, during three types of
weather. Part I occurs in the evening during a rainstorm. Part II takes place during the morning
of a bright winter day. Part III is set in the middle of a chilly, windy night.
By stressing threes, Jacobs taps into a number of associations that are common in Western
culture. Most relevant to the story is the saying bad luck comes in threes. One well-known
trinity, or three, is from Christian theology, in which God is composed of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. Disregard for threes has been superstitiously equated with disregard for the trinity.
In the case of Jacobss characters, faith in a non-Christian totem (the paw) may be interpreted
as disrespect for Christianity. Finally, because twos commonly occur in nature (we have two
legs, two eyes, two hands, and so on), threes are often used in literature to produce a perverse
or unnatural effect.

Symbols
The Monkeys Paw
The monkeys paw is a symbol of desire and greedeverything that its owner could possibly
wish for and the unrestricted ability to make it happen. This power makes the paw alluring,
even to unselfish people who desire nothing and have everything they need. Mr. White, for
example, hastily retrieves the paw from the fire, even though he himself admits that he
wouldnt know what to wish for if he owned the paw. Its potential also prompts Herbert to halfjokingly suggest wishing for money the Whites dont really need, ostensibly just to see what
happens. The paw grants Mr. Whites wishes by killing Herbert and raising his corpse from the
grave in an unexpected and highly sinister twist. At the same time, however, the paws
omnipotent power may be misperceived, because Herberts death may have been entirely
coincidental and the knocks on the door may be from someone other than his living corpse.

Chess
Chess symbolizes life in The Monkeys Paw. Those who play a daring, risky game of chess,
for example, will lose, just as those who take unnecessary risks in life will die. When the story

opens, Mr. White and Herbert play chess by the fire, and the games outcome mirrors the
storys outcome. Mr. White, the narrator explains, has a theory of radical changes concerning
chess. He takes terrible, unnecessary risks with his king, risks that make his wife nervous as
she watches the game unfold. As he plays, he notices that he has made a mistake that will
prove deadly. The risks and mistakes Mr. White makes playing chess parallel the risks and
mistakes he makes wishing on the monkeys paw. These mistakes ultimately lead to Herberts
death, the most radical change of all.

THE MONKEYS PAW

W. W. Jacobs

The Horror Genre

The Monkeys Paw is a classic of the horror genre that has been copied and adapted
numerous times in the century since it was first published. Jacobs wove many common and
recognizable elements of the genre into the story: the story opens on a dark and stormy night,
the Whites live on a deserted street, doors bang unexpectedly, stairs squeak, and silences are
interrupted by the ticking of the clock. These elements heighten the tension and inform readers
that something dreadful could occur at any moment. Another element of classic horror is
Jacobss transformation of the happy, loving White family into people who live amidst death
and misery. Herberts transformation is the most obvious, from a joking and playful son to a
living corpse. Parts of Mr. and Mrs. White also die after Herberts accident, and they become
obsessed with death and the loss in their lives. Jacobs also draws from classic horror fiction
when he plays off the White familys happiness with readers sense of impending doom. As the
Whites make lighthearted jokes about the monkeys paw, for example, readers cringe, sensing
that disaster will soon strike.
More than a classic horror piece, The Monkeys Paw is also a modern parable, infused with
moral messages and instructions on how to live a more fulfilling life. As with all fables, the
storys morals are familiar: dont tempt fate, and be careful what you wish for. The White family
isnt wealthy, but they still have everything thats important, including love, happiness, and a
comfortable life. Mr. White even says that he is so content that he wouldnt even know what to
wish for. When he does make his first wishpartly in jest, partly out of curiosityit is not for

untold riches or worldly power, but merely for enough money to finally purchase their house.
His small and sensible wish, however, is enough to tempt fate into killing Herbert. Jacobss
story adheres to the traditional belief that we do not really want what we think we want and that
wanting more than whats sufficient may bring ruin.

THE MONKEYS PAW

W. W. Jacobs

Important Quotations Explained

1. He was caught in the machinery, said the visitor at length in a low voice.
Caught in the machinery, repeated Mr. White, in a dazed fashion, yes.
Herbert Whites death has a literal meaning and two metaphorical meanings. Literally, Herbert
died because he became entangled in the machinery, his body so mangled that Mr. White was
able to identify his son only by examining his clothes. Metaphorically, however, Herbert died
because after being caught in the machinery of fate, which went awry after Mr. White tampered
with fate by making his wish for more money. A subtler metaphorical meaning has to do with
Herberts employer. An undercurrent of class consciousness runs through The Monkeys Paw,
a story that concerns the fate of three lower-middle-class people. It is possible to read the
Whites dire fate not as something they brought upon themselves through greediness, but
instead as the unfair effect of a modest wish made by a family struggling with debts and a
small income. Jacobs suggests that anyone, even the most moral reader, would behave
exactly as the Whites did, making a small, practical wish just to see what might happen.
Jacobs uses Herberts death to suggest that society is unfair to the good, hardworking people
in the lower classes. Evidence of this worldview comes in the form of the Maw and Meggins
representative, who shamefacedly announces that his company will decline to take any
responsibility for the accident, but will effectively offer Mr. and Mrs. White a bribe to keep quiet.
The first word of the company name, maw, means voracious, gaping mouth. The suggestion is
that Herbert has been swallowed whole by a cruel world, and all because of one
understandable wish made by a man who simply wants to own his own house.

2. [H]e found the monkeys paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish. The knocking
ceased suddenly . . . a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him
courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering
opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road.
The ambiguity of these final lines makes it possible to read The Monkeys Paw as something
other than a horror story or cautionary tale. We never see Herberts walking corpse with our
own eyes, and neither do Mr. White, who is cowering upstairs, or Mrs. White, who cannot
manage to open the door in time. One could therefore argue that the monkeys paw holds no
power at all and that Herbert would have died had Mr. White never even made the wish. The
frantic knocking at the door is perhaps someone else entirely who goes away just as Mr. White
makes his third wish. The plausibility of this interpretation adds a new dimension to The
Monkeys Paw, making it more than just another horror story.