Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions. “A good story, whether it is true, made-up, or somewhere in between, reveals some truth about human experiences through its characters.” The main character in “The Monkey’s Paw” is Mr. White. He could be described as protective and caring due to his love towards his family. He is also curious, because he wants to have the magical monkey’s paw, despite the warnings given to him by Sergeant Major Morris. From the beginning, all Mr. White wants is to pay off his house mortgage. Also a man, the main character in “The Third Wish” is Mr. Peters. Mr. Peters, on the contrary to Mr. White, is a lonely man who desperately wants a companion. He is granted a wife as beautiful as the forest, Leita, for rescuing the forests king. Mr. Peters shows selflessness and kindness to Leita, when he wishes her back to swan form so she may be happy with her swan sister again. In both stories each main character is granted three wishes, but later pays a price. Mr. White’s first wish is for two hundred pounds so he can pay off the mortgage. However, he receives the two hundred pounds as c... ... middle of paper ... ...The Monkey’s Paw”, is a rather dark story and leaves Mr. White and his wife heartbroken as they stare at an empty street, knowing they will never see their son again. “The Third Wish”, on the other hand, is rather peaceful, leaving Mr. Peters peacefully dead in his bed with a smile of great happiness on his face. Mr. White and Peters are very similar to human in general. If I asked myself and another hundred people if they would wish one aspect of their life, the majority would. I think these literary writings are great pieces, because they show that even a little change in one’s life can change everything, so people should be glad with what they have. Also, I liked that although “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” had completely different moods and endings, they both shed light on the ultimate lesson – be glad with what you have, because it can get much worse.
One being the fact that in both stories someone dies causing them to use up more wishes to wish them alive again. “...But in consideration for your son’s services they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation.” (Monkey’s Paw page 4) This is when the White family finds out there son is dead and they receive their wish (200 lbs) because of it. Later in the story Mrs. White says, “...Go down and get it quickly, and wish our boy alive again.”(Monkey’s Paw page 5) So in result they ended up using another wish to wish their son alive. In the Goldfish story Sergei after killing Yonatan, with some convincing, also wishes Yonatan alive
It is inferred that the story is set in 1902 or 1901, around thetime it was published. The author’s purpose for writing this story was to explore the dangers of wishing and or trying to manipulate fate. Throughout the entire story everyone is wishing for things they want and need in life, and stuff should never come that easy. The author wrote this to show that life should be accepted as it comes and there are consequences if one tries to manipulate it for his/her own benefit. This is actually stated in the story.
The monkey’s paw is a gothic tale. The tale is about a family of three named the Whites. When the Whites are given a magical monkey’s paw by an old family friend – Sergeant Major Morris - they also inherit three wishes. Herbert, the descendant of the family takes the paw for granted and had no certainty in the paw. That day they make their first wish for two hundred pounds, nothing happens. That night, after the old couple had departed to bed, Herbert sees a simian-like face in the fire. The following day, Herbert, goes to Maw and Meggins, where he works. In the meantime a worker from the Maw and Meggins cotton mill comes to visit Herbert’s parents and delivers devastating news. He claims that Herbert had been crushed by machinery whilst working which led to his death, but they were entitled to compensation of two hundred pounds. The couple are absorbed by grief and after the funeral Mrs White suggests that they use the monkey’s paw to wish Herbert back to life. Mr White is very hesitant to do this, but after a lot of persuasion and fuss from his wife he agrees to the idea. After making the wish the couple retire to bed. When the candles burn out, and Mr White goes to retrieve more there are loud knocks at the door. Mrs White runs to the door, and after a few struggling minutes, manages to get the door open. A loud...
The Monkey's Paw, we see fate take on a large role, as the story is
The theme of power being abused is carried out in both I Only Came to Use the Phone and Lord of the Flies. The reasoning as to why we would see this theme as the base for both stories is because it is such a common theme; it is known that everyone craves power because of the self-satisfaction they gain from it. The authors of these stories realizing that, used the theme of abuse of power to create chaos within the story and create interest, and they did this by having their characters go after something that makes themselves feel powerful. In Lord of the Flies it was the powerful feeling of hunting for the boys, and in I Only Came to Use the Phone it was the power that the Matron had over Maria by sexually harassing her. Although those two examples seem as though it is people who abuse power it goes beyond that; as if the evil within everyone is awaken by power and that evil is what succumbs them to abuse the power.
There is a lot of mystery behind this “Monkey's Paw”, like what is it? The “Monkey’s Paw” is a metal paw that can grant anyone 3 wishes, but be warned. A man came to visit the family and they wanted the paw from the man. He warned them of the consequences of making a wish with the paw. He says on page 35 “but the third was for death.” this builds mystery because the family wonders why (s)he would wish for death. The son and father talked about what their first wish would be, the decided to wish for 200 pounds. When the father wished on page 36 is says as I wished it twisted in my hand like a snake.” The author uses this simile to show mystery in why the piece moved in his hand. W. W. Jacobs does not just use mystery to build suspense in the story.
These two stories deal a lot with the idea of curiosity and temptation. In the story of “The Monkeys Paw”, the object the monkey’s paw is a curiosity for the White’s family, it causes them a temptation and a curiosity to use it even though they are warned that by using it, it will have a bad consequence. The White’s
W.W. Jacobs sets the scene for an ordinary family that is in for a roller coaster of emotions when they get the chance to wish upon a magic paw. “The Monkey’s Paw” is an intriguing story of a family that learns what its means to be careful what you wish for. Through a fictional story, Jacobs uses a variety of elements to teach one to be thankful with what you have. Before the family decides to make any decisions about their wishes, foreshadowing is used to give a sense of what might happen if they follow through with their wishes. In addition to using foreshadowing, there is multitudes of conflict within and between the characters that give us a sense of what each one of them is feeling.
An analysis of Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II and Augustus of Primaporta, reveals that there are many similarities, but also many differences between these two pieces of sculpture. These similarities and differences are found in the subject, style, and function of both works of art.
“The Third Wish” is an outstanding and splendid short story written by the deceased author Joan Aiken. Mr. Peters is the protagonist of the story; he is loyal, compassionate, and wise. In this magical tale, Mr. Peters is granted three wishes by The King of the Forest and decides how to use his wishes, bringing much trouble. I think that Mr.Peters character traits are being loyal, compassionate and wise.
One of the monkey’s fingers went down so the man knew he now had two wishes left. The man went into the living room and saw the money on fire by the fire place.
The theme in both stories are the same it is be careful what you wish for. I know this because in the “Monkey's paw” even when the man says, “ I warn you of the consequences if you must wish, wish for something sensible” Mr.white still wishes for 200 pounds this was not a very sensible wish it was actually very selfish and childish. As a result That same day a man walked up to his door and says that Mr.white's son was caught in equipment and that, “they wish to present
As a whole, while both short stories may seem like don’t have anything in common, they happen to have a number of both similarities and differences when discussing the theme of limiting luxury. This is important because there is more to a story than just the surface, and when you dig a bit deeper you are able to discover other parts of the story that may connect to other pieces of literature that may not have been obvious before. After comparing both stories, it is clear that they share ideas and it leads to the idea that there is a whole other layer of a story than what is obvious on the
Harding, James. "The Monkey's Paw: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.
Three wishes, an old Indian curse, and a mummified paw, that was cut from a monkey. This is going to be exciting! “The Monkey’s Paw” is a short story written by W.W. Jacobs in the early 1900’s just after the turn of the centenary. Even though the text is short, it grabs the reader’s attention and keeps them on the edge of their seats until the very end. As exhilarating as this thriller is to read, unfortunately like many literary works written during that time, “The Monkey’s Paw,” is demeaning towards women and goes against feminist literary criticism’s principles and ideologies.