The Monkey's Paw and The Red Room
During the time of the 19th century that "The Monkey's Paw" and "The
Red Room" were written, many unusual events occurred and which could
not be answered or explained because science and human minds had not
developed enough to answer questions or prove any unusual events that
occurred. The society would try to come up with answers and
explanations to the paranormal events that occurred. In some cases,
they were able to come up with answers, which in our time we would
think are incorrect and idiotic because we all ready know the answers
to a lot of them. In addition, the society in the 19th century was
quite confident in believing that what ever they heard and the answers
they came up with had to be correct.
"The Monkeys Paw" which is written by W. W. Jacobs and "The Red Room"
which is written by H. G. Wells, both of these writers create tension
and suspense in their stories.
Within both 'The Monkey's Paw' and 'The Red Room' the same major
themes are magnified.
The reader can witness the events progressing in the story using vivid
imagery of sound as a major theme; however it is ironic that within
the story itself there is very little communication between the
characters. In a story where sound plays such a major role, each
character listens to each other with deaf ears. Hence tension is
created. As the reader witnesses in advance the lack of communication
which will be the down fall of the family. This is exponentially
magnified as the story progresses.
The weather plays a major role in foreboding the future events of the
story, "The beastly…cold and wet" atmosphere contrasts the snu...
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...h as: 'darted to and fro' and 'made a
run for the door' along with a mixture of long, complex and short,
rushed sentences all magnify the speed of the story. This leads to one
final pinnacle when the narrator 'screamed…thrice,' showing us one
final time that he cannot cope with what he cannot explain and his
veneer of pragmatism and civilization has been ripped away from him.
Consequently when he wakes up in daylight the next morning in the
original room his tone changes from what it was at the beginning of
the tale. At the start we saw how his tone was confident and somewhat
patronising towards the custodians, almost challenging a 'tangible'
ghost. However the first thing he said the next morning is, "'Yes'
said I, 'the room is haunted." His accepting tone here contradicts
with his reluctant tone at the beginning.
The Setting in The Kit Bag, The Signalman, The Monkey’s Paw, The Man With the Twisted Lip and The Red Room
In comparison The Red Room was written only thirty years later in 1894 by HG Wells although it feels more timeless. At that time technology had improved intensely, nevertheless Wells still imitated the old fashion gothic literature style writing, which is ironic, due to the time. Both stories have managed to engage its audience by creating suspense and tension. Besides that both stories have been written in first person, this in sequence makes it sinister, in a way because we get to know the narrator’s impressions and feelings. The authors of both stories have selected discomforting places in which to set their story, they are made more eerie because that in the 19th century time many people believed in ghosts and the supernatural.
In the book, The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, and the short story “The Monkey's Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, both authors would agree that in these stories, if you intervene with your destiny/fate, a bad outcome is sure to happen.In The Pearl, Kino finds the pearl of the world. Kino wants to sell the pearl, in return for money, but the pearl ends up bringing the opposite of prosperity and brings bad fortune. Also, In “The Monkey's Paw”, Mr.White also wishes for money, but as he is warned, terrible things come when u interrupt with your fate.
talks to his son. ‘Hark at the wind’, tells us that Mr White is very
"The Monkey" is a short story written by Isak Dinesen. The story was published in 1934. "The Monkey" is a form of gothic sublime. In this story, I encountered many elements that related to magical realism as well as the sublime.
The “Monkey’s Paw” reveals an intriguing story of destiny and death. The Theme challenges the classical ideas of destiny and fate.
In the opening line of the novel, the narrator provides a vivid description of the his decaying surroundings:
The Monkey Garden by Sandra Cisneros tells the story of a young girl’s loss of childhood innocence. The story is narrated by a mature woman remembering her initiation into adolescence through the images and events that occurred in an unused neighborhood lot. She is not ready to mature into adolescence and uses her imagination to transform the lot into a fantasy garden--a place where she can hide from the adult world.
The stories of Joyce Carol Oates "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" and William W. Jacobs "The Monkey's Paw" have several different degrees of symbols and themes that warn the characters of emitted danger or bad outcomes in their stories that can be mirrored of each other. In, these stories the characters do not follow the warnings from these symbols and themes from the clues that are presented to them. From these terrible choices that are decided, they find themselves in situations that could have been avoided, but they did not proceed with. My analysis of these symbols and themes will demonstrate what they are and show the obvious of what to look for. So, let us begin on this analysis and see how the symbols and themes could have
The storm is the main metaphor in this story; it is seen as the lust that stomps through their lives like the storm rages through a single d...
...way that the story is being interpreted and how the storm influences the story as a whole. Sometimes people need a wakeup call or a 'storm' to make them aware of how good they have things. In this short story Alcee and Calixta both come to realization of how good they have things with their spouses and how that they already found the ones that they love, which weren't each other. This made me aware of how we as people can take things for granted or believing we know what’s best for us. In reality we don't always know what’s best until something occurs and shows us that what we already have is the best.
Suspense is built out of curiosity, nervousness or excitement; even our antagonist narrator admits his nervousness while stating “very dreadfully nervous”(Poe 389) after making a noise and wakening the old man. Poe creates this feeling in his readers by describing the 8 nights he stalked the man before killing him. Hours are spent creeping into the man’s bedroom and repetition is used, alluding to time lapping over and over. Finally, the stalking and suspense leads to a sudden murder when the disturbed character suffocates the old man to death. Poe then adds gory detail by sharing that the old man is cut to pieces and hidden under the floorboards. Police soon arrive after being tipped about a loud shout. They are permitted to search the house, but soon lead to casual conversation. Repetition is used again when the narrator shares that he can still hear the old man’s heartbeat beneath the floor. Poe says "It grew louder—louder—louder!...and now—again!—hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!”(390). By saying it like this, the situation is built to be much more anxious, and helps the reader sense the intense vibes in the crazy man’s mind. The repetition can be related to a theory of his death, also including repetition. Near the date Edgar Allan Poe died, there were elections taking place and it was common for gang like organizations to force people to dress in disguise and vote multiple times
The producer was aiming to create mystery and fear. The dark of the night and the description of the house as feeling dead in the protagonist’s narration sets a suspenseful scene filled with fear and tension. The young girl is followed by the camera as she explores the mansion. When entering the room suspected to be that of her aunts the camera leaves her side to pan around the room. The darkness doesn’t reveal everything but one becomes aware of a search. The revelation of little secrets leaves the viewer with many questions. The room is familiar to the protagonist as she finds items symbolic to her and familiar photographs. This familiarity however does not retract from suspicions that something sinister has been hidden. The producer has successfully captivated the viewer. The protagonist is being followed throughout the scene and has thus allowed for the viewer to bond with them. They are engaging with the audience through narration and have in return enticed the viewer to follow them along their journey. One feels nervous for the young girl however through tension in the scene one does not want them to discontinue the journey as too many questions have been left unanswered. One has been drawn into the world of which the protagonist dwells and is intrigued as to how the drama is
Three wishes, an old Indian curse, and a mummified paw, that was cut from a monkey. This is going to be exciting! “The Monkey’s Paw” is a short story written by W.W. Jacobs in the early 1900’s just after the turn of the centenary. Even though the text is short, it grabs the reader’s attention and keeps them on the edge of their seats until the very end. As exhilarating as this thriller is to read, unfortunately like many literary works written during that time, “The Monkey’s Paw,” is demeaning towards women and goes against feminist literary criticism’s principles and ideologies.
My mother is always suspicious of panhandlers. She used to pull me closer whenever we'd encounter a begging homeless person on the subway and drop her eyes, focusing on the stray paper and chewing-gum medallions--blackened with soot of the city--that decorated the floor. She and my father frequently describe seeing a homeless man who begs in our neighborhood (claiming to have AIDS, and afflicted with a multitude of painful-looking sores) walking down a street near our house, dapper in a dark business suit, his face free of the blemishes that had covered his skin on other occasions.