How WW Jacobs Creates a Sense of Horror in The Monkey’s Paw

Jacobs creates a sense of horror in ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by using a variety of literary techniques. As ‘The Monkey's Paw’ was written in 1902, Jacobs makes the story scary in ways that are very different to modern horror films and books. We can tell that the story was written in the early twentieth century as it contains many details that would have been common in Victorian literature. One of the most obvious features from ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ that tells us that the story was written over a century ago, is the old-fashioned language that Jacobs uses. The language used throughout the story contains words such as ‘rubicund’ and ‘visage’, which are not words that are commonly used today. Also, the fact that £200 was considered to be a lot of money shows that the story was from a long time ago as £200 is not seen as a large amount of money in the modern world. Other aspects of the story also show that ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ was written in the Victorian time period - the fact that India was seen as a new, exotic and unexplored country tells us that the story must have been written in a time when transport wasn’t as easily available as it is today. In the story, when the Sergeant-Major tells the Whites about his exploration, they seem almost in awe of him as he is seen to be the bravest and most adventurous person that they have ever met because of his journey to India. The fact that Jacobs used a Sergeant-Major character is also another typical feature of Victorian literature. Finally, the household objects that the Whites use in ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ show that the story was not set in modern times. For example, the Whites use candles for light and heat their kettle on a fire as there was no electricity in Victorian times.

As ‘The Monkey’s Paw...

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...f seeing whether their wish has come true.

I think that WW Jacobs is a very powerful and intelligent writer who has cleverly used every possible feature in the story of ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ to create a sense of horror. The literary techniques that he uses are very typical to those of most short stories written in Victorian times. Personally, I think that these techniques, such as the mystery of the unknown, are a great deal scarier and build up a much better sense of tension than present day horror stories. Modern horror films and books mainly use gore, wounds and blood to create the element of disgust that generates the most profit. However, I think that Jacobs cleverly uses subtle details and suggestion in ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ to develop a sense of terror throughout the story, and this is what creates a classic horror story that really plays with the reader’s mind.