The Monkey’s Paw

1. The Monkey’s Paw Symon, Phillip, Mitch, Jonathon, Nicholas, nd Michael.

2. Main ideas in the Monkey’s Paw

3. Plot Summary • Monkey's Paw • Plot Summary • The Monkey's Paw is about an old army officer arriving to shelter at a family's house at night. He was a mysterious man who showed the family a monkey's paw, which he said was enchanted by an “old fakir,” and that it could grant anyone three wishes. He promptly throws the paw into the fire but the house owner didn't want it destroyed and picked it up. The officer warns him not to use the paw or to suffer the consequences. The man ignores him and thinks about what he wants to wish for. • This is the inciting incident, the event at the start that gets the story going. • After the soldier leaves, the house owner's son, Herbert, says that he should wish for 200 pounds to pay off the mortgage. The man agrees and wishes for 200 pounds. A few minutes passed afterwards and still nothing happened, so they thought it must be fake and went to sleep. • The next morning, Herbert goes off to work at a factory, while the man and his wife stay at home. They wait for Herbert long past his shift and he still didn't return home. Eventually a man from the factory goes to the couple's house and announce that Herbert was caught in the machinery and was killed. He said that he was also here to pay compensation. A compensation of 200 pounds. • 10 days after Herbert's funeral, the man's wife thinks of an idea: use the monkey's paw to bring Herbert alive again. The man calls his wife mad, but his wife is convinced that it will work, and goes insane. The man had no other option and wished Herbert alive again. Again, nothing happens, so they go back to sleep. • A few hours later they hear a knocking on the door. They remember that Herbert had to walk here from the cemetery, and that he wouldn't appear back here instantly. Utterly convinced that the person knocking is Herbert, the wife frantically runs down the stairs to open the door for him. The man says that he is too ugly and disfigured to be let in, but the wife simply says he's afraid of his own son and tries to open the door. Just as the wife was about to open the door, the man uses the paw to wish his final wish. • This is the climax, the point of the most tension where the reader is most involved. • After he wished it, the knocking stopped. When the wife opened the door there was no one there. No sign of anyone knocking on the door. Nothing but the silence of the night. • This is the resolution, the part where the tension is resolved and the story is wrapped up.

4. Mrs White • THE MONKEY'S PAW • Characterisation: Mrs White • Summary: Mrs White is the wife of the main charcter in the story The Monkey's Paw. Mrs White is married to Mr White and the mother to Herbert White. She is spoken as to give the impression that she is a caring women, and older (in her 40's-50's). In the story, she only ever fetches things ang gives her opinion on things till the end of the story when she loses her head a bit and does whatever she can to get her son back. • What she is like: Helpful- she gets the drinks, the supper and then takes them away. Caring-she cares for her husband and her son even when he is dead, a little mad-she goes a bit crazy at the end when she wants to bring back Herbert. • The role she plays: Mrs White plays the caring mother, but the one that goes I bit dotty at the end. She is like a supporting cast to Mr White, she plays the role of the person in the backround, being affected and in the end wants something done about it. • Quotes That Describe Her: “white headed old lady” “by the fire” the diaglouge shows she gets a bad case of the crazies by the end. • Quotes That Shows Her Actions: “said her wife soothingly”, “said mrs white politely”, “mrs white drew back with a grimace, but her son taking it, examined it curiously”, “said mrs white, as she rose and began to set the supper.” • Dialogue That Reveals Things About Her Charcter: “don't you think you might wish for four pairs of hand for me.”, “never mind dear, perhaps you'll win the next one” • Summary on how she changed : She was a caring, happy mother and husband at the start, but when her son Herbert was killed she lost it a bit and went a bit crazy with grief, and byt eh end of the story she has changed from someone who joked about the paw and was sane to someone who was willing to believe in anything and do anything as long as she got her son back.