| Publication History | The Monkey's Paw | Copyright |
The Monkey's Paw is a short story written by W. W. Jacobs and published in 1902. It is a story of morality, telling do not interfere with fate.
Synopsis[]
The story begins with a man named Sergeant-Major Morris who stops to visit his friends Mr. and Mrs. White. He shows them a monkey's paw that he got from a trip to India. He warns them of the dangers from wishing from the paw, but he lets them have it anyway.
The Whites put the paw to the test, wishing for £200. The next day they find that their son, Herbert, was killed in an accident with machinery at his company. Though the company claimed no fault at all, £200 is sent for their sons services.
After the burial of their son, Mrs. White, distraught with grief, asks her husband to wish Herbert back to life with the paw. He does so eventually. Later, there is a knock at the door. Mrs. White rushes to the door and begins to unlock it. Mr. White quickly made a third wish which ended the knocking. He knew that it was wrong to wish his son back to life, and that his appearance would be to horrific for Mrs. White, so he wished him dead again.
Characters[]