W. W. Jacobs wrote “The monkey’s paw” a very eerie that shows how one choice can change your life forever. In the story Mr. White plays a father who makes some unwise decisions. One night a normal family was talking to a sergeant while playing a game of chess. Everything was going well until they pulled out the monkey’s paw. This mysterious creatures hand would give three wishes to whoever asked for them. Now, the is always a twist when trying to get what you want. Mr. White made three wishes, the first one he thought would be completely harmless just 200 pounds.
This innocent wish turned into his son dying and his life changing. Throughout the story Mr. White changed a lot, his passive and fearful attitude pushed him to make the wishes he did, and events that happened made him make certain actions. In the story Mr. White’s attitude changes a lot from being very passive to very fearful. In the beginning of the story Mr. White let other people tell him what to do and was very passive. The author wrote, “We’ll wish for two hundred pounds. ” (91) His son had to tell him what to do, he didn’t make his own decision.
Throughout the beginning of the story, he let other people control what he did and never made a choice for himself. Once the story progressed, Mr. White changed. He ended up being very fearful. W. W Jacobs wrote, “The talisman fell to the floor and he regarded it fearfully. ” (96) He ended up being very fearful after his son died. His wife pushed him into making a wish he was uneasy about, but with his passive attitude he made it. Right after he made it he ended up being very fearful because he knew it was a bad decision.
Mr. White’s changing in traits plays a big role in the plot progressing. Mr. White changed throughout the text because of one particular event in the story, and that was his son dying. In the beginning of the story Mr. White was very eager about the paws magic and excited to see what would happen ,”HIs three listeners leaned forward eagerly. ” (88) Mr. White kept listening and was eager to find out the truth behind the paw. He was very curious to what would happen with it in the first part of the story. He leaned forward as if they wanted to know more, and see what the paw could do.
In the end of the story, Mr. White ended up being very intimidated of the paw and that happened after his son died. The author wrote, “Then he sank trembling into a chair as the old woman, with burning eyes, walked to the window and raised the blind. ” (96) Mr. White was scared of the things the paw did before and what it could do now. Once Herbert died, something changed in Mr. White. He didn’t want to use the paw anymore, although he did make another with the reader could see by his resisting and panic that now he was frightened.
As you can see in the text above, Mr. White was willing to make a wish on the paw because he thought it was harmless, once the event of his son dying took place he realized he didn’t want much part in any of. Mr. White changed after the event of his son dying took place. In the story Mr. White was motivated to make all the wishes he made. The first wish he made, was because he wanted to pay off his house. We know this because, the author wrote, “If you cleared the house , you’d be quite happy, wouldn’t you? ‘” (91) There is always a reason for your actions. Mr. White first wished for 200 pounds because he didn’t want to pay for his house anymore.
This led to the second wish he made, “I wish my son alive again. ” (96) What motivated Mr. White to make this wish was his wife’s constant pushing and telling him that he has to do it, and that she want’s to see her son again. His motivation and the reason he made this wish, was not for him but for his wife’s happiness. The last wish he made was to put his son back to death he made this wish because he was in fear. Mr. White,”… at the same moment he found the monkey’s paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish. ” The reason he made his last wish was because he didn’t want to see his son dead.
He was scared of what might appear at their door that night, so he sent his son back to death. Although he made the wish to bring his son to life again he knew it was a bad decision and that’s what made him make his third and final wish. Every wish Mr. White made was for a reason. Throughout the story W. W Jacobs created suspense and thrills to keep the reader entertained. Mr. White’s emotions mixed with what life changing events he went through made him make the wishes he did. As shown above W. W Jacobs is a talented writer who informed the reader how people can change as an individual.