The Monkey's Paw | Analysis

Here, you find a great guide for the analysis of the short story "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, in which we will cover every significant element in the story that would be relevant to include in your analysis. We take a look at the plot and structure, the language and style, the characters of the short story along with themes, settings, symbolism and more.

Presentation of the text

Title: “The Monkey’s Paw”
Author: W.W. Jacobs
Published in: The Lady of the Barge
Date of Publication: 19o2
Genre:  Short Story

William Wymark Jacobs (1863 – 1943) was an English fiction writer. Most of his works (short stories and novels) are known for their humorous style. Nevertheless, the horror story “The Monkey’s Paw” remains one of the authors most famous and appreciated works.

Excerpt

Below, you find a short excerpt from this guide as a sample:

Title

The title of the short story indicates that the narrative involves a lucky charm or a talisman, the monkey’s paw. As the plot evolves, we realize that the monkey paw is not bringing luck, but it is a cursed talisman bringing misfortune to those who use it. The way the talisman functions indicates that the story is a cautionary tale against selfish wishes and attempting to play with fate, which always comes at terrible cost: “'It had a spell put on it by an old fakir,' said the sergeant-major, 'a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow.'”

Teksten herover er et uddrag fra webbogen. Kun medlemmer kan læse hele indholdet.

Få adgang til hele Webbogen.

Som medlem på Studienet.dk får du adgang til alt indhold.

Køb medlemskab nu

Allerede medlem? Log ind

The Monkey's Paw | Analysis

[1]
Bedømmelser
  • 31-03-2022
    Givet af 1.g'er på STX
    GOOD