Introduction
Monkey’s Paw is a horror short story by William Wymark Jacobs, first published in England in 1902. The story has quickly become a classic of English literature since then, sparking conversations on various topics. This critical analysis will prove that the short story asks essential questions on fate, greed, and the consequences of one’s wishes, which are as important today as they were at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Plot
The story is centered around the White family, who receives a magical monkey paw, which is said to grant three wishes to the one who uses it. The father of the family then decides to use it to gain 200 pounds for the final payment for their house. The wish comes true when the parents receive the news of their son dying while at work and receiving the two hundred pounds as compensation.
Later, the grief-stricken parents decide to use the paw yet again to make their son come alive. As they hear the knocking on the door, Mr. White chooses to use the third wish to undo the previous one out of the horror of what he might see if he opens the door (Jacobs). The story touches on a variety of different subjects, which will be discussed below.
Themes
Acceptance of Fate
The first major theme in the story is the theme of accepting one’s own fate. In the story, the monkey paw has been enchanted by an Indian fakir, who made it to show that people’s lives are ruled by fate and any interference will only lead to sorrow. The family then decided to use the paw to interfere with their fate, which led to disaster. Through this, the author shows that trying to change one’s own fate will only lead to ruin (Sarkar). Thus, Monkey’s Paw shows us the importance of accepting one’s own destiny.
Consequences of Greed
Another major theme in the story is greed, which leads to detrimental results. In the story, the White family is not shown as poor or unhappy and are generally content with their lives. However, with the introduction of the monkey paw, they are tempted to gain more through unknown and potentially dangerous means and subsequently foray onto this path out of greed (Asmarani, 136). This shows that, apart from the theme of faith, the story also has a strong theme of human greed.
Danger of Wishes
The third strong theme of the Monkey’s Paw is the theme of consequences of one’s wishes and being careful of one’s own wishes. Using the wish-granting monkey paw, the author has warned the readers to be careful about what they wish for. After the first wish of Mr. White was granted, their son died in the process, and the family was left grief-stricken.
Later, his wife decided that to correct this mistake, they should use the monkey paw again to correct their previous mistake and revive their son. Then, in the end, Mr. White decides to undo their second wish, leading to even more sorrow for him and his wife. This subject in the narrative demonstrates how individuals frequently desire things they do not need, and by fulfilling their desires, they become unhappy and lose something in the process.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the short story Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs contains themes that are still prevalent today. People nowadays are just as avaricious as they were at the start of the 20th century, and they still wish to change their fates with little to no regard for the consequences of their wishes. Thus, I believe that the short story’s themes are as vital to us in the modern world as they used to be in the past.
Works Cited
Jacobs, William. The Lady of the Barge. Alan Rodgers Books, 1902.
Sarkar, Somnath. The Monkey’s Paw | Summary, Analysis, Theme, Symbolism. All About English Literature. 2022. Web.
Asmarani, Ratna. “Careless Choices, Dreadful Consequences: A Comparative Study of W.W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw And Richard Matheson’s Button, Button.” HUMANIKA, vol. 27, no. 2, 2020, pp. 133-146. Web.