William Wymark Jacobs The Monkey's Paw

When thinking of how to reason a wish, most imagine a wish as blowing out a candle or wishing on a fountain. Does this relate to a wish on a Monkey’s Paw? Do wishes actually come true? “The Monkey’s Paw” by William Wymark Jacobs is about a monkey’s Paw that is able to grant three different people wishes. The monkey’s paw was brought into The White’s home by Sergeant Major Morris and the White’s were warned about the consequences of wishing upon the Monkey’s Paw and what it could do. The Whites did not think much about the consequences until there was the consequence of Mr.White’s wish. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a classic scary tale and what makes the tale belong in the horror genre is that even though there are no monsters it can still be scary,

the way that it is structured by its setting and how it is suspenseful.
"The Monkey’s Paw" exemplifies the horror genre because even though there are no monsters the story is still a psychological thriller.

Sergeant Major, the White family’s house guest, informed them that the fakir conjured a spell and put a curse on the monkey's paw. “He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow”(Jacobs 74- 76). Sergeant Major told the White’s that if they made a wish on the monkey’s paw it would interfere with their fate and something bad would come of it. This quote helped prove that the story was very frightening even though there were no monsters because it referred to fate ruining people’s lives. There was no blatant horror so the story was not physically scary but it was definitely internal horror since it was emotionally chilling. The quote depicted horror since the White’s continued to think about wishing on the monkey’s paw in spite of the consequences. In addition, after Sergeant Major gave him the monkey’s paw the old man made a wish for 200 pounds. After he made the wish the paw suddenly shifted in his hand and startled the old man. “A fine crash from the piano greeted the words, interrupted by a shuddering cry from the old man. His wife and son ran toward him. It moved, he cried, with a glance of disgust at the object as it lay on the floor. As I wished it twisted in my hand like a snake”(Jacobs 155-160). The old man became extremely disturbed and fearful when the monkey’s paw moved in

his hand. He had dropped it and it went crashing to the floor. He was frightened of the sight of the paw and when his wife e and son came down he tried to explain the gruesome thing that had happened. This quotation helps prove the point that even though the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” doesn’t include monsters it’s actually scarier that many horror stories because of the physiological terror that builds throughout the story. The old man did not scream in fear of a monster or external horror, but of his own internal fear of what might happen. “The Monkey’s Paw" qualifies as part of the horror genre because of the scary scenes that are made without monsters.
Another way that "The Monkey’s Paw "exemplifies the horror genre is by the way the story is structured by its use of setting. In the beginning of the story in the small parlor of Laburnum Villa Mr. White and his son were playing chess. “...the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlor of Laburnum Villa the blinds were drawn and
the fire burned brightly”(Jacob 1-3).The quote means that even though it is cold and dark outside of the Laburnum Villa it is cozy inside but still has the dark feel even with lights being on. The quotation helps prove the point because of the stories use of setting. In “The Monkey’s Paw” the first part of the story's setting is explained as cold, wet and in the night. Even though the story has no monsters there is still a traditional setting in the story because it takes place in dark wet places and not in places like a park or a beach. Although the setting at the beginning says that the “fire burning brightly” It is still a dark setting because of the was the outside is explained. In addition, After the old man wished for 200 pounds herbert sat down in the White’s house. “He sat alone in the darkness, gazing at the dying fire, and
seeing faces in it”(Jacob 176-177). This means that Herbert after Mr. White wished for 200 pounds and it didn’t come true and he went to bed along with his wife Herbert decides to sit down by himself by the fire in the White’s house. The quotation helps support the topic sentence that "The Monkey’s Paw" exemplifies the horror genre is by the way the story is structured by its use of setting. When they talk about inside places as light but the outside being dark it makes the inside feel dark too. Also when someone is in a dark room or staring at something becoming darker that also gives a traditional setting because the setting is not somewhere where it felt bright like the park or the beach. Even though the setting isn’t pitch black or unlit the audience still get the feeling of it being dark and inky. “The Monkey’s Paw" fits the horror genre because of the way the setting is structured through the book and what dark, sad places make up the setting.
"The Monkey’s Paw" also exemplifies the horror genre by the way it is suspenseful. After Sergeant-major entered the White's house he told Mr. and Mrs. White about the Monkey’s paw having magical qualities. “Well, it’s just a bit of what you might call magic, perhaps,” said the sergeant-major off-handedly”(Jacobs 60-61). Sergeant-Major suggested to the White’s that the monkey’s paw had some magical qualities. The author creates suspense through the mystery surrounding the monkey's paw. The White’s started thinking about the monkey’s paw and wondering about the mystery around it. Also, After Sergeant-Major was let into the Whites house told Mrs. and Mr. White how he ended up with the Monkey’s paw. “I don’t know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That’s how I got the paw”(60-61). Sergeant-Major said the reason he had the Monkey’s Paw was because the third wish by the first person who had it was for death. The quotation supports the topic sentence that "The Monkey’s Paw" exemplifies the horror genre. The story has a lot of suspense because of the building tension between Sergeant-Major and The Whites, especially as the talk turned to death. The characters were constantly wondering about a lot of things that may have happened. There isn’t anyone going into a dark alley or spooky attic but the story is still very suspenseful. "The Monkey’s Paw" fits the horror genre because of the dark references to magic, mystery and death.
Having no monsters and still being scary, Having the setting structured certain ways to help make the story frightening, and the way the story is made to feel suspenseful are all ways to classify “The Monkey's Paw” tale by W.W Jacobs as part of the horror genre.

In the short story “The Monkey’s Paw" by W.W Jacobs there are frightening scenes, which include; the son knocking on the White’s door and when the old man had dropped the monkey's paw. The old man had sent it crashing to the floor and that created suspense because the audience then wonders what is going to happen next and also what the old man was thinking. According to “What Is The Horror Genre” by Sharon Russell there was traditional horror because the story was set in dark, creepy places like in a dark room or small things like having a fire burning out. There was also dark references to magic, mystery and death in “The Monkey’s Paw.” An example would be when Sergeant Major tells the White’s about a spell that had been put onto the monkey’s paw because the thought of there being magic in something is mysterious. The theme of “The Monkey’s Paw is to not interfere with fate because it will ruin peoples lives. Why mess with your fate if it could ruin your life? Even if you think your life is not the best, there are always people who have it harder than

you.