46 pages • 1 hour read
W.W. JacobsThe Monkey's Paw
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1902A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Literary Devices
Mood
Mood refers to the emotions a story evokes in the reader. This story occupies the horror genre, which intends to scare or shock the reader, often creating a sense of dread with dark or eerie descriptions, images, and supernatural entities like evil spirits or ghosts. The action in “The Money’s Paw” creates a foreboding sense that something terrible may happen. The monstrous Herbert (heard but never seen) further stokes feelings of fear or trepidation. Based on Mr. White’s descriptions, the reader can sense that this Herbert would be the opposite of the congenial character from the story’s beginning. The scene is made all the scarier by Mrs. White’s efforts to greet Herbert at the door while Mr. White tries to find the monkey’s paw to wish the creature away. Jacobs cleverly heightens the mood with urgency and dread, intensifying the sensation for any reader enjoying the story.
Foreshadowing
Literary foreshadowing is the use of indications of what is to come in a story. Morris warns the family about the dangers of the paw and tries to burn it. This behavior foreshadows that the paw is a malevolent force. Even when he tells the family he acquired the paw after the person before him wished for death on their third wish, they do not listen. Morris’s words foreshadow that the paw will cause havoc in their lives. The cleverest use of foreshadowing is the wish for 200 pounds. Mr. White’s wish for the sum comes at the price of his son’s life.
Irony
Herbert’s words and fate are ironic. Unsure of what to wish for, Herbert tells his father to wish for 200 pounds. This is the exact sum Maw and Meggins pay to his parents upon his death. Prior to this, Herbert continues to have a sense of humor about the wish, telling his parents it might drop from the sky onto their heads and warning them before leaving for work, “don’t break into the money before I come back” (71). The irony is that they would not have the sum of 200 pounds if Herbert did return. It is ironic too that the person who thought of the first wish must suffer the greatest for it to be granted.
Pacing
The pacing in “The Monkey’s Paw” amplifies the horror elements. The most dramatic and quickly paced events happen in the last part of the story. While Parts 1 and 2 balance descriptive language, dialogue, and action, Part 3 escalates the stakes and the pace for both Mr. and Mrs. White. When they hear a knock at the door, the steady pace of the story builds in urgency and tension. Mrs. White hurries downstairs. Mr. White hears his wife “strained and panting,” illustrating her desperation to undo the door. Mr. White “grop[es] wildly on the floor in search of the paw” (143). The actions illustrate the urgency experienced by the characters. The last few paragraphs show frantic energy by both characters, accelerating the story’s pace and leaving the reader to wonder who will get what they want first: Mrs. White or Mr. White. This pacing creates a sense of tension until the last moment and well punctuates the story’s conclusion.
