The Monkey's Paw
| "The Monkey's Paw" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by W. W. Jacobs | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror, Short story |
| Publication | |
| Publication date | 1903 |
"The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by author W. W. Jacobs. It was published in England in 1902.
The story is based on the famous "setup" in which three wishes are granted. In the story, the paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, but the wishes come with an enormous price.
The moral of the story is contained in this description of the paw: "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."
Plot
The story opens at the home of the White family, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. and their grown son, Herbert, who works at a factory, Maw and Meggins. Mr. White and Herbert are playing chess while Mrs. White is knitting. Mr. White suddenly laments his life, and how where they live is so inhospitable. They hear a knock on the door. This is Sergeant-Major Morris, a friend of the Whites who has been part of the British force in India. Mr. White brings up the fact that he told him of a 'monkey's paw.' Sergeant-Major Morris seems reluctant to tell the Whites of the paw, but does anyway. He tells them of its mysterious powers to grant three wishes, and of its journey from an old fakir to his comrade who, on his third and final wish, wishes for death. Mrs. White is disgusted by the paw, because of its appearance, but Herbert is interested in the mummified paw. Sergeant-Major Morris seems disturbed by their interest when they ask him whether he has wished. His wishes must have turned out badly, as he throws the paw on the fire. Mr. White rescues it. Sergeant-Major Morris bades him to be a sensible man and pitch the paw on the fire, and if he must wish to wish for something reasonable, and the Whites forget for a while about the paw while he entertains him with other tales.
Once Sergeant-Major Morris leaves, they remember the paw. The Whites don't really believe him, and think that his earnest warnings about the paw is just superstition. Herbert jokingly tells Mr. White to wish to be Emperor. Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds. The paw twists in his hand, but they are convinced it is just in his imagination. Herbert and Mrs. White go to bed. Mr. White stays by the fire for a while, and sees a mutilated face in the fire. Spooked, he goes to bed.
In the morning, Herbert goes off to work, and a few hours later Mrs. White sees a finely dressed man dawdling by the gate. Eventually he comes in and tells them he is from Maw and Meggins, and that Herbert was "badly hurt, but not in any pain." This is taken to mean that Herbert is dead. The representative tells them that he was caught in the machinery, and that there will be a compensation. It turns out to be the 200 pounds.
10 days after they bury Herbert, Mrs. White, almost mad with grief, asks her husband to wish Herbert back to life with the paw. He is very reluctant, but does. After a short delay knocking sounds from their door. Mrs White fumbles at the locks in an attempt to open the door. He knows however that he canot allow him in as he was so mutilated by the accident. He wishes his third and last wish with the paw which stops the knocking. However what this wish was is still to be guessed at.
Adaptations
- A one-act play was first performed in 1907.
- There were numerous film adaptations in the silent era, as well as a 1933 talkie, a 1948 British remake, and more recent film versions. A Nepali movie (Kagbeni) was based on this story and released in late 2007.
- "The Monkey's Paw" was adapted as a radio play in 1980 as part of the CBC radio drama series Nightfall, available for free at iTunes, as part of the "Old Time Radio Thrillers" podcast.
- An opera based on the story was composed by Carlo Martelli in 1991.
- Texas Radio Theatre Company recorded an adaptation by Tim Wardell and Richard Frohlich in front of a studio audience October and November of 2003.
- A "retelling", starring Leif Erickson, Jane Wyatt, and Lee Majors, was adapted for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The setting was updated to what was then the present day, and given an auto racing background. The son became an auto racer who was killed in a crash, and the father became a business executive who was deeply in debt and relied on the monkey's paw to get him out of a financial jam.
- An episode of the Japanese sci-fi series Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy (2004) is based on The Monkey's Paw. It features a "three-eyed totem pole" which grants wishes which carry a price, and as each wish is granted one of the eyes on the pole opens.
In popular culture
A great number of novels, stories, movies, plays and comics are variations of the story or have similar plots, involving wishes that go awry in macabre ways, occasionally with references to monkey's paws or the story. It is also often parodied on television shows, comic books and manga.The story was the basis for an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer Forever in which Dawn Summers and Spike attempt to revive Joyce Summers.
Music
The song "Monkey's Paw" by the band Smalltown Poets speaks of consequences one must pay from getting one's wishes over obedience to God.
"The Monkey's Paw" was adapted into a one-act opera by composer Stephen J. Grieco and premiered at Michael C. Rockefeller Arts Center in 1996.
External links
