The Monkey's Paw by W.W Jacobs and The Signalman by Charles Dickens

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With reference to the The Monkey's Paw by W.W Jacobs and to The signalman

by Charles Dickens I have to describe how these writers use the horror/

suspense genre to explore philosophy and psychological issues.

The Monkey's Paw

With reference to the "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W Jacobs and to "The

signalman" by Charles Dickens I have to describe how these writers use

the horror/suspense genre to explore philosophy and psychological

issues.

The first story "The Monkey's Paw" tells the story of the White family

two parents and one grown up son. In the story there is also a

Sergeant Major. The Sergeant Major who has been to India sells the

monkeys paw to Mr White because Mr White wants a change in his life

and hopes the monkey's paw can do it for him. Mr White then makes a

wish for £200 so he can pay the rest of his mortgage, the next day the

son dies and he gets £200. Everyone in the family is wondering if it

is coincidence that they wished for the money and now have it. The

mother is now taken over by the lust of wishes and asks Mr White to

wish their son alive again. The father agrees with the mother and

makes the wish. The next day there is a knock at the door but they are

all so scared that they make their last wish for their son to go back

to his grave.

The writer sets the scene as a cold winter night by describing the

house and writing " the blinds were drawn and the fire burned

brightly". He describes the setting in four lines but gives you a

reasonable picture.

The father then describes that he does not like the house he lives in

and lists all the bad points, but the mother than says "Never mind

dear" to make him feel more calmed and given the impression that she

doesn't care. Then she adds "perhaps you will win the next one"

emphasising that her husband is a bad looser. As the mother adds this

comment the father looks up intercepting a glance between mother and

son, which tells the reader that the mother and son are united and the

father is the outsider.

When the Sergeant Major walks towards to the house the writer gives

you the impression he is a large scary man by putting "as the gate

banged too loudly and heavy footsteps came towards the door" but as

the story goes on you realise he is a old small man.

After the Sergeant Major has been at the house and is on his third

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