The Monkey's Paw

“The Monkey’s Paw” explores questions of fate and shows what happens to one family that wishes for something beyond their current life and circumstances. Jacobs wrote several other horror stories, but “The Monkey’s Paw” best illustrates his sharp crafting of story, a balance of succinct dialogue and narrative with themes of psychological dread and supernatural consequences.

Jacobs uses descriptive language and provides an eerie atmosphere with many strange sounds, sights, and sensations throughout the story. The descriptions of the cold night, the flickering candlelight, and the knocks at the end of the story offer strong imagery that builds the world of the horror story. The story blends these descriptions with powerful dialogue and narration while remaining a rather easy read. The story moves along quickly, and the plot unfolds with a steady forward momentum. The pacing is complemented by a growing sense of dread and curiosity about what might happen next. The story also achieves increased urgency in the final paragraphs when Mrs. White struggles to open the front door to a potentially monstrous Herbert back from the dead, and Mr. White tries to find the monkey’s paw to wish it all away.

Early in the story, Mr. White demonstrates a sense of frustration about the White’s home and its remote location. The story centers on him as the protagonist, and his experiences are complex and nuanced. At first, he is a person who does not show gratitude for his circumstances despite his loving family. Morris is a contrast to Mr. White. Morris is well traveled and experienced in the world, while Mr. White dislikes his home’s remote location and longs to see other parts of the world. Although both would trade places, Mr. White learns that yearning for more has dire consequences.

“The Monkey’s Paw” blends this cautionary lesson with the supernatural elements at the story’s end and the psychological terror Mr. White experiences. A reader must consider if it is a coincidence that the sum received by Mr. and Mrs. White for Herbert’s death is the same amount urged by Herbert for the first wish. At the story’s conclusion, a reader must also weigh whether the sound of knocking is Herbert back from the dead or the manifestations of profound grief and fear on a windy night. By the story’s conclusion, it is uncertain whether these events are tied to the monkey’s paw.