Comparing Monkey's Paw And The Old Grandfather, By Shirley Jackson

In the short story “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” it states “They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly”. The two short short stories, “Monkey's Paw” and “Grandfather” tell us about consequences of choice in many ways. Characters in “Monkeys Paw” and “Grandfather” help me learn that every choice has its consequences even if they are good or bad. I see this with Theme, Characterization, and Mood. First I will tell you how theme supports my thesis.

I believe the theme of both of these stories is that we have consequences for our choices we make. In “Monkeys Paw” Sergeant Morris made the choice to introduce the monkey's paw to the white family setting up the entire story. In “Monkeys Paw” it states

“ a bit of what you call magic”. This statement shows that Morris is acting mischievously and mysteriously and this caused the white family to be curious about the paw causing the entire story to happen, this leads to the consequence of Herbert's death. In “Grandfather” the wife behaves disrespectfully towards the grandfather. In “Grandfather” it states “tears filled their eyes they were ashamed for treating him so meanly”. The quote shows that her choice to disrespect grandpa made her son disrespect her and she grew sad because of it realizing what she did. In analysis the choices we make not only affect us but others around us. The next paragraph will show how characterization relates to the thesis statement
For characterization is that the consequences of their actions made the characters change.

In “Monkey’s Paw” the loss of Hubert, which was a consequence of wishing for money, made Mrs. White really depressed. In “Monkeys Paw” it states “ ‘it is colder for my son’ said the old woman and wept afresh”. The quote shows that Mrs. White has grew sad and depressed from the loss of her son made her change a lot and it affected the rest of the story. In “Grandfather” the wife changes when she realizes why her son is making a wooden bowl. In “Grandfather” the text states “the young peasant and his wife looked at each other and tears filled their eyes”. That statement shows that the wife and her husband are ashamed of their choices of their disrespect towards grandfather. Seeing their sons treating them the same way makes them realize that they need to change their attitude towards grandfather which they do. In analysis the choices that were made made the characters change because of the consequences. In the next paragraph I will tell you how mood fits into the thesis

statement.
For mood is that the consequences of the choices change the mood of the story.

For “Monkey's Paw” the mood changes every time a consequence happens making the story darker and darker. In “Monkey’s Paw” it states “she broke off suddenly as the sinister meaning of the assurance dawned upon her”. The evidence shows that when Mrs. White realizes what the man is saying the word choice gets darker affecting the mood of the story which is a consequence of the choice to wish on the paw. Another example in “Grandfather” is the mood changes to of a more happy mood when the wife changes and treats the Grandfather more kindly. In “Grandfather” it states “ They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly”. This quote shows that the wife changes her mood and overall changes the mood of the story because of the consequences of her choice. In analysis the choices that characters make the mood of the overall story

change.
The characters help me learn that choices have consequences. Remember that our choices have consequences and affect others, the choices that characters make change them, and that consequences of choice affect the overall mood of the story. “They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly” This quote from “Grandfather is important because it shows that they feel the consequence of their choice overarching into the thesis and theme of this paper. Always make sure you are making the right choice because the consequences could be severe.