Asked by: Edwar Kirsten
books and literature fiction

What is the family's attitude to the monkey's paw?

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Initially, Herbert White has a playful, humorous attitude toward the monkey's paw. This is shown through Herbert's reaction when the sergeant-major tells the family about the fakir's spell, which gives three men three wishes: “Well, why don't you have three, sir?” said Herbert White, cleverly.


Likewise, people ask, what power is the monkey's paw supposed to have?

The Monkey's Paw. The monkey's paw is a symbol of desire and greed—everything that its owner could possibly wish for and the unrestricted ability to make it happen. This power makes the paw alluring, even to unselfish people who desire nothing and have everything they need.

Also, how do the whites come to own the monkey's paw? White and former co-worker, came to visit the family on a dark, stormy night and showed them a monkey's paw he had brought back from India, where he served for twenty-one years. Morris told them the talisman supposedly had the power to grant the owner three wishes, but that the wishes could bring serious troubles.

Then, what is unusual about the monkey's paw?

It has a spell cast on it. It grants 3 wishes to the owner. He tells them to wish for something sensible.

What did Sergeant Major Morris tell the whites about the monkey's paw?

Whites' urging, Sergeant-Major Morris takes a small, mummified paw out of his pocket. He explains that a fakir (a mystic miracle worker) placed a spell on the paw to prove that people's lives are governed by fate and that it is dangerous to meddle with fate.

Related Question Answers

Khadijah Haine

Professional

What is Mr White's first wish?

Mr. White's first wish is fulfilled because he receives the money that he has wished for. For lack of anything more interesting, White ends up wishing for "200 pounds." This actually seems to be a pretty common wish for people without a more specific option: money.

Carole Steegmans

Professional

How does Monkey's Paw end?

The ending and resolution of the story focuses on the second wish that the couple make to have their son alive again. he heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish.

Roscoe Agnes

Professional

What was Mr White's third wish?

For the son to be alive again and he was a monster. In The Monkey's Paw, what is the third wish and what are its consequences? He wished for his son to be dead again and the consequences were that the mother saw him and she was in anguish.

Jewell Harchen

Explainer

What is a monkey paw wish?

"The Monkey's Paw" is a supernatural short story by author W. W. Jacobs, first published in England in the collection The Lady of the Barge in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate.

Primavera Zelck

Explainer

What does the fire symbolize in the monkey's paw?

One good example of symbolism in the story is the fire. White initially says that he has "everything he needs." While the family is happy, the fire is present and seems to be a symbol of their good fortune and unconscious

Jacelyn Hlobystov

Explainer

What was the Speciality of the monkey's paw?

The Monkey's Paw is a classic "three wishes" story that doubles as a horror story and a cautionary tale; reminding us that unintended consequences often accompany the best intentions. This widely read story is a favorite in classrooms around the world.

Tommy Vasyanovich

Pundit

What is the moral of the story The Monkey's Paw?

One of the most obvious moral lessons in "The Monkey's Paw" is to be careful what you wish for: It just might come true. The curse of the claw is based on this premise. Their first wish is not a greedy one; they only wish for enough money to pay off the tiny remaining mortgage on their home.

Margherita Dacal

Pundit

What is the monkey's paw theme?

"The Monkey's Paw" is W. W. Jacobs' classic tale of the dangers of messing with fate. As Sergeant-Major Morris says, "Fate ruled people's lives," and those who interfered with fate suffered the consequences. Jacobs links the themes of the exotic and the supernatural in the symbol of the monkey's paw.

Maturino Dewes

Pundit

Why didn't Mr White want his son in the house?

The "it" Mr. White doesn't want in his home is his dead son, Herbert. White also tells his wife that when Herbert died, his body was so mangled that he was only able to know it was his son because of his clothing, so it's likely the corpse may not have even been fully intact.

Aleksei Rivillas

Pundit

Why doesn't Mr White want his wife to open the door?

Overall, Mr. White refuses to help his wife open the front door because he does not want her to witness their son's decrepit, zombie-like corpse and desperately needs to find the monkey's paw in order to make his third wish.

Cathryn Dahlem

Pundit

What is Mr White's second wish?

White's second wish is for Herbert to come back to life. Moments later, the Whites hear a knocking at their door, and they realize that Herbert's zombie corpse is outside of their front door. Fortunately, Mr. White is able to make the third wish for his son to disappear before Mrs.

Gundula Terfurth

Teacher

Why does Mrs White want the monkey's paw?

White had wished for, but because it was Herbert who had suggested that sum himself. Herbert's mother shrieks because it seems to her that they are being paid the money through the magical power of the monkey's paw.

Lavern Devi

Teacher

What does the sergeant major tell them to do with the paw?

The sergeant does this because when he first tells the Whites that the monkey's paw has the power to grant a person three wishes, they simply do not take him seriously. Then the Whites all laugh as the sergeant hastily intervenes to prevent Mr White from making such a ridiculous wish.

Ruiying Rishmal

Teacher

What is the resolution in the monkey's paw?

The resolution at the end of "The Monkey's Paw" is left ambiguous. After Mr. White's first wish accidentally results in the death of his son Herbert, Mrs. White forces him to wish that Herbert was alive again.

Gea Dietze

Teacher

What game are the father and son playing in the monkey's paw?

description with two details from the story. The father and son were playing a competitive game of chess.

Henryk Oldmanns

Reviewer

Why did WW Jacobs write the monkey's paw?

Answer and Explanation: W. W. Jacob's wrote ""The Monkey's Paw"" with its macabre tone and dark foreboding because up to that point, his short story

Manex Cotaina

Reviewer

Why is the monkey's paw a horror story?

Author W. W. Jacobs uses several devices to create the creepy atmosphere found in "The Monkey's Paw." The setting is an out-of-the way location and most of the story takes place at night, punctuated by wind and rain. The subject matter--the paw of a monkey--immediately draws the interest of virtually any reader.

Christal Abraham

Reviewer

Why did Sergeant Major Morris decide not to sell the paw?

Morris indicates that he has kept the paw because he was thinking about selling it to someone but has recently changed his mind because "it has caused enough mischief already." This suggests that he would be open to an offer by Mr. White, who ends up becoming the third owner.

Osel Croitoru

Reviewer

What does Mr White say just before he wishes for 200 pounds?

White say just before he wishes for two-hundred pounds? He says that he can't wait to fix the house with the money. He recites the chant, "Banana, Banana, Banana." He says that it seems to him that he has all he wants.