What I’m Reading – The Monkey’s Paw

*Spoilers*

I recently read The Monkey’s Paw, a short story written by W.W. Jacobs in 1902. The story is about a man who receives a monkey paw from a friend who claims it can grant wishes, but the wishes come at a terrible cost. I enjoyed the story even though I already knew the gist of it.

The story starts out on a dark and stormy night. A father and son are playing chess while the mother knits. After losing the match, the father sees a friend approaching the house. It is Sergeant-Major Morris who quickly makes himself at home, having a few whiskies and telling the family stories “of wars and plagues and strange peoples.”

The father, Mr. White, brings up the monkey’s paw, which Morris had talked about the other day. Morris says it is not worth talking about again. The family is curious, so Morris says it is “what you might call magic, perhaps.” He pulls out the monkey paw from his pocket and the son takes it. It looks like a small, mummified monkey paw.

Morris tells the family that a fakir, a religious person who lives on donations, put a spell on it. He wanted to show that anyone who interfered with fate, which he believed ruled peoples lives, would do so at their own risk.

When asked if Morris had used his wishes with the monkey paw, he becomes flustered and pale. He whispers that he has used his three wishes. The man before him had used his last wish for death, which is how Morris got possession of the paw. After a few moments of silence, Mr. White asks why Morris still has the paw since it is useless to him now. The Sergeant-Major says he thought about selling it, but it has already caused enough mischief. He then throws the paw into the fire. Mr. White snatches it out. Morris tells him to throw it back on the fire if he is a sensible man.

Mr. White decides to keep the talisman and doesn’t pay attention when Morris tells him to throw it away. After Morris leaves the family decides that wishing for $200 to pay off the house is a sensible wish and nothing bad can come of it….

Of course, since the paw is cursed, something bad does happen, and the Whites are devastated. Trying to use the paw to make up for their mistake only makes things worse. They have to use their last wish wisely.

The story is not too scary. It relies on mood, atmosphere, and imagination to make it scary. I enjoyed reading it. There are some esoteric words, but overall, it’s an easy read. It can be read in one sitting since it’s so short. The themes center around fate, values, and consequences. Give this story a try for a spooky Halloween read.

Rating: 7/10