The Delicate Balance In The Monkey's Paw '

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W.W. Jacob’s “The Monkey’s Paw,” published in 1902, is no mere campfire story that sends shivers down the spine. Through the lens of deconstruction theory, it exposes the societal anxieties hidden beneath the surface of a seemingly ordinary family’s encounter with the supernatural. While the White family's insatiable greed disrupts the established order of their lives and challenges the concept of a preordained fate, the paw's malicious intervention suggests a powerful force that ultimately restores balance at a horrifying cost. This work becomes a battleground where the binary themes of greed and fate are revealed to show the delicate balance held in our lives. Greed is a destructive force. The White family, being content within their current …show more content…

The comment made by Sergeant-Major Morris, “If you must wish," he said, gruffly, "wish for something sensible." Jacobs 4 creates the false idea of deserving more than they currently have. This deconstruction of the White family’s initial contentment with life is disrupted by the simple suggestion of “more.” The greed the white family desires, Buchanan explains, leads to the dire consequence of their son’s death, “It is only redundant and true to say that the old couple must wait for death and not sacrifice their young in the greed for the Gold, more life, and more life.” (Buchanan 411). Additionally, the paw undermines the “American Dream” idea that anything is possible through hard work and perseverance. The Whites’ instant abandonment of hard work to take the easy way to wealth mocks this idea and exposes the tendency to prioritize immediate gratification over long-term efforts. Furthermore, with that, Jacob foreshadows the consequences of ill-gotten gains: “I expect you'll find the cash tied up in a big bag in the middle of your bed," said Herbert, as he bade them good-night, "and something horrible squatting up on top of the wardrobe watching you as you pocket your ill-gotten

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