The Monkey's Paw

             ‘‘The Monkey’s Paw’’

    W.W. Jacobs is a writer of this short story. ‘‘The Monkey’s Paw’’ covers six characters such as:

o   Monkey’s Paw

o   Mr. White

o   Mrs. White

o   Herbert White

o   Mr. Morris

o   Omniscient Narrator

     ‘‘The Monkey’s Paw’’, it is the story about the family of Mr. and Mrs. White, who are believe in magic, superstition and their son- Herbert, who is totally against about their beliefs.

     The story moves like the White family comes to know about the Monkey’s Paw that has the power to grant three wishes through Mr. White’s friend Sergeant- Major Morris. But Morris also aware them about the curse that people get hurt when their wishes are granted.

      Mr. and Mrs. White are in financial troubled. So, they want to use that magic power to fulfill their financial problem. Mr. White wishes two hundred pounds from that Monkey’s Paw.Mr. and Mrs. White getting the two hundred pounds but the curse take the life of their own son – Herbert.

      In the factory, Herbert was died coincidentally and for that death factory paid two hundred pounds to his family. Mrs. White again wants to use Monkey’s Paw for second wishes that Herbert come back. But Mr. White knows about the curse very well. So, he denied through the third wish that Herbert never come back. And the story ends with the waiting of Mrs. White for her son.

  ‘‘The Monkey’s Paw’’ is trying to convince us about two conflicting things:

1)    The Paw really is magic and directly causes Herbert White’s death; and

2)    The Paw isn’t magic power and Herbert’s death just happens to coincide with Mr. White’s wish for two hundred pounds.

   There are other some reasons for the death of Herbert such as:

·       It was the time of industrial revolution but the lack of providing     hospital facilities that’s why maybe he was died.

·       Herbert’s father wish for two hundred pounds, maybe depressed Herbert mentally. That is the reason of Herbert suicide maybe.

·       According to Indian beliefs- it is happen because of the ‘‘KARMA’’ or we can say that the fate of Herbert leads towards the ultimate reality of life – The Death.

      In short, W. W. Jacobs not clarifies anything. The end is according to the reader response theory. But the Monkey’s Paw is very important character in the story. Because everything happen with the arriving of the Monkey’s Paw.