Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions.
“A good story, whether it is true, made-up, or somewhere in between, reveals some truth about human experiences through its characters.” The main character in “The Monkey’s Paw” is Mr. White. He could be described as protective and caring due to his love towards his family. He is also curious, because he wants to have the magical monkey’s paw, despite the warnings given to him by Sergeant Major Morris. From the beginning, all Mr. White wants is to pay off his house mortgage. Also a man, the main character in “The Third Wish” is Mr. Peters. Mr. Peters, on the contrary to Mr. White, is a lonely man who desperately wants a companion. He is granted a wife as beautiful as the forest, Leita, for rescuing the forests king. Mr. Peters shows selflessness and kindness to Leita, when he wishes her back to swan form so she may be happy with her swan sister again.
In both stories each main character is granted three wishes, but later pays a price. Mr. White’s first wish is for two hundred pounds so he can pay off the mortgage. However, he receives the two hundred pounds as c...
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...The Monkey’s Paw”, is a rather dark story and leaves Mr. White and his wife heartbroken as they stare at an empty street, knowing they will never see their son again. “The Third Wish”, on the other hand, is rather peaceful, leaving Mr. Peters peacefully dead in his bed with a smile of great happiness on his face. Mr. White and Peters are very similar to human in general. If I asked myself and another hundred people if they would wish one aspect of their life, the majority would. I think these literary writings are great pieces, because they show that even a little change in one’s life can change everything, so people should be glad with what they have. Also, I liked that although “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” had completely different moods and endings, they both shed light on the ultimate lesson – be glad with what you have, because it can get much worse.
The theme in both stories are the same it is be careful what you wish for. I know this because in the “Monkey's paw” even when the man says, “ I warn you of the consequences if you must wish, wish for something sensible” Mr.white still wishes for 200 pounds this was not a very sensible wish it was actually very selfish and childish. As a result That same day a man walked up to his door and says that Mr.white's son was caught in equipment and that, “they wish to present
An analysis of Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II and Augustus of Primaporta, reveals that there are many similarities, but also many differences between these two pieces of sculpture. These similarities and differences are found in the subject, style, and function of both works of art.
One may stutter over the conception that a monkey’s paw holds the power to determine fate, rather than siding with freewill. In the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” an average family, located in the middle class discovers a monkey’s paw and are told that they had three wishes upon that magical, yet deceiving item. However, their decisions cost them several, unintended consequences, due to greed within the human mind. The author, W.W. Jacobs uses symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony to convey the peril of wish fulfillment and the dangers of interfering with fate.
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.
White used on the monkey’s paw was to have 200 pounds (Jacobs 91). The previous examples prove how the theme of limiting luxury is illustrated differently in both stories by showing the wealth of each family. In “The Veldt,” the family is in a superior financial state where they have access to anything they want and where money is not an issue. However in “The Monkey’s Paw,” although it took place in 1902, the White’s first wish was for 200 pounds- 243 dollars and 83 cents- which is not an insanely large amount of money that would result in them being care-free for the rest of their lives. Overall, this proves the theme of the limiting luxury through showing the amount of means each family has and how their limit’s would be different from one another's as the two stories progress. Another instance of how the theme is portrayed differently in the short stories is how finances play a role in family life. For instance, in Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt,” the Hadley’s have access to such an extreme amount of money that it begins to affect how the parents and kids interact. This occurs when Peter threatens his father by saying, “I don’t think you’d better consider it any more, father” (Bradbury 7). On the contrary, the relationship between the members of the White family is much
1 The Monkey’s Paw “The Monkey’s Paw” is a short story written by the author W. W. Jacobs. Thestory was first published in England in the collection The Lady of the Barge in 1902. In the story, the person who receives the paw is granted three wishes.
The monkey’s paw is a gothic tale. The tale is about a family of three named the Whites. When the Whites are given a magical monkey’s paw by an old family friend – Sergeant Major Morris - they also inherit three wishes. Herbert, the descendant of the family takes the paw for granted and had no certainty in the paw. That day they make their first wish for two hundred pounds, nothing happens. That night, after the old couple had departed to bed, Herbert sees a simian-like face in the fire. The following day, Herbert, goes to Maw and Meggins, where he works. In the meantime a worker from the Maw and Meggins cotton mill comes to visit Herbert’s parents and delivers devastating news. He claims that Herbert had been crushed by machinery whilst working which led to his death, but they were entitled to compensation of two hundred pounds. The couple are absorbed by grief and after the funeral Mrs White suggests that they use the monkey’s paw to wish Herbert back to life. Mr White is very hesitant to do this, but after a lot of persuasion and fuss from his wife he agrees to the idea. After making the wish the couple retire to bed. When the candles burn out, and Mr White goes to retrieve more there are loud knocks at the door. Mrs White runs to the door, and after a few struggling minutes, manages to get the door open. A loud...
is very similar to the short story version, but has a few small differences. The characters have the same attitudes toward the monkey’s paw as they do in the short story. Like they do in the short story, Mrs. White wants to wish Herbert alive with the paw while Mr. White thinks that doing so will only cause more trouble. However, in the film Mrs. White tells Mr White, “You killed my son, now wish him alive again.”, while she never makes this accusation in the short story. This dialogue was probably added to stress that Mrs. White is acting almost insane, since there is no narration to tell she is doing so. The plot of the film is the same as the plot for the short story, except for a few differences. The film begins with Sergeant Major Morris watching a fakir enchant the paw and shows his trip to England before switching to the chess scene that the short story begins with. Unlike the short story, the film shows Sergeant Major Morris’s flashbacks of a few his experiences with the paw. These scenes were most likely added to help the viewer understand the story and to add to the suspenseful mood. Another difference is that in the film Mr. White wishes for 300 pounds instead of the 200 he wishes for in the short story. The change in the amount of money is probably due to the value of money changing over time and the filmmakers wanting it to be clear that Mr. White is wishing for a large amount of money. Unlike the short story, the film ends with Mr. White lying dead in front of Herbert and Mrs. White’s graves. The creators of the film may have had a different ending scene to explain what happened to Mr. and Mrs. White after the third wish is granted and to better emphasize the moral of “The Monkey’s Paw”. The film has the same mood as the short story, except for at the beginning and end. Since the film has a different beginning scene, it starts with a gloomy and suspenseful mood
These two stories deal a lot with the idea of curiosity and temptation. In the story of “The Monkeys Paw”, the object the monkey’s paw is a curiosity for the White’s family, it causes them a temptation and a curiosity to use it even though they are warned that by using it, it will have a bad consequence. The White’s
The man makes risky moves and puts his king in peril which foreshadows that he may not make good decisions with the monkey's paw. The man wishes for 200 pounds to pay his debt but something bad happens to his son and he dies. The man and the woman get 200 pounds because their son died. Another one of his wishes is for his son to come back from the dead. At that point the son wasn't even human anymore he was just like a zombie.
The Monkey's Paw, we see fate take on a large role, as the story is
There is a lot of mystery behind this “Monkey's Paw”, like what is it? The “Monkey’s Paw” is a metal paw that can grant anyone 3 wishes, but be warned. A man came to visit the family and they wanted the paw from the man. He warned them of the consequences of making a wish with the paw. He says on page 35 “but the third was for death.” this builds mystery because the family wonders why (s)he would wish for death. The son and father talked about what their first wish would be, the decided to wish for 200 pounds. When the father wished on page 36 is says as I wished it twisted in my hand like a snake.” The author uses this simile to show mystery in why the piece moved in his hand. W. W. Jacobs does not just use mystery to build suspense in the story.
Harding, James. "The Monkey's Paw: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.
W.W. Jacobs sets the scene for an ordinary family that is in for a roller coaster of emotions when they get the chance to wish upon a magic paw. “The Monkey’s Paw” is an intriguing story of a family that learns what its means to be careful what you wish for. Through a fictional story, Jacobs uses a variety of elements to teach one to be thankful with what you have. Before the family decides to make any decisions about their wishes, foreshadowing is used to give a sense of what might happen if they follow through with their wishes. In addition to using foreshadowing, there is multitudes of conflict within and between the characters that give us a sense of what each one of them is feeling.
“The Third Wish” is an outstanding and splendid short story written by the deceased author Joan Aiken. Mr. Peters is the protagonist of the story; he is loyal, compassionate, and wise. In this magical tale, Mr. Peters is granted three wishes by The King of the Forest and decides how to use his wishes, bringing much trouble. I think that Mr.Peters character traits are being loyal, compassionate and wise.