Preview

The Monkeys Paw by W.W. Jacobs and The Third Wish by Joan Aiken: The Effects of Wishing For Something and its Consequences

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
550 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Monkeys Paw by W.W. Jacobs and The Third Wish by Joan Aiken: The Effects of Wishing For Something and its Consequences
rastCompare and Contrast Essay
Mary Whipple
Period 6
December 12

Wishes can be good, and wishes can be a huge disaster. The story of “The Monkeys Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and the story of “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken tell us the effects of wishing for something and everything that comes afterwards. In the rising action of both stories they both have a lot in common. The main characters use their second wish to make their wife’s happy. The themes for both stories teach that wishes or other sorcerery should not be taken lightly.

In "The Monkeys Paw" and in "The Third Wish" the main characters are alike because they are both content with life until they loose a loved one. To identify, Mr. White looses his son, and Mr. Peters looses his wife. On the other hand, the main characters are different because Mr. White used his third wish and Mr. Peters did not. In other words Mr. White used his third wish to make his mutilated son that he wished back to life with his second wish for his wife’s sake, away. Mr. Peters was happy so he never used his third wish.

The setting in both stories was cold at he beginning. To exemplify in the beginning of "The Third Wish" it states, “The primroses were just beginning but the trees were still bare, and it was still cold; the birds had stopped singing an hour ago” (pg. 101). In "The Monkeys Paw" “The night was cold and wet” (pg. 85). Of course though there are some differences. In "The Monkeys Paw" the setting is mostly dreary and dark with rarely any parts where the sun shines, but in "The Third Wish" it has more lightly mooded and sunny settings. Specifically in "The Monkeys Paw" Mr. White and his wife visit a cemetery and weep for the lost, but in "The Third Wish" Mr. Peters is repetitively happy, living in a nice house in the countryside by a stream and a peaceful neighborhood.

The resolutions of these two stories have plenty in common, but there are details that give the difference. The stories are both alike because

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The protagonist of the story is Mr. White. In the beginning, Mr. White seems greedy because he complained about where their family live and begged Sergeant Major Morris to give him the Monkey’s Paw. When he had the Monkey’s Paw, he had no idea what to wish for, saying, “It seems to me I’ve got all I want.” (Jacobs) It made him seem less selfish after he insisted to take the talisman off Sergeant Major Morris. But Mr. White still wishes for something, just to test out if the talisman actually works. That wish only…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For example, one story talks about a kids last day in school. The other story talks about an animal in a cage. One difference between the stories is one of the characters is leaving a cage the other is a kid trying to leave school as quick as possible. Another difference is one of the stories has dialogue and the other one doesn’t.…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How horrific these two amazing stories are and how they’re so much alike but still so far apart. In this story we have two average families. Both of theses families fight for a goal they have these two the two families fight similar but for completely different reasons…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Monkey Paw

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A suspenseful and horrific piece of literature, “The Monkey Paw” is written by W.W Jacobs. A quaint family of three receives an unusual monkey paw that is capable of making any three wishes come true. Despite the caveat of a curse attached to the paw, the family chooses to make a wish, evoking from the story a suspenseful attitude as the reader becomes wrapped up in finding out the Smiths’ fated ends. With the combination of W.W Jacobs’ settings, characters, and foreshadowing, the theme of the story, “that fate cannot be decided upon by man” is delivered pointedly and with style.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Monkey’s paw” is a suspenseful story full of karma, when one thing would take place another one was set in order because of their decision. When their old friend came back from India he had a story about a magical monkey paw that would grant three wishes, no one believed what he said about the consequences if it were to be used. When they used it bad thing happened causing their last wish to undo only the 2nd one, then having to cope with their…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Sergeant-Major Morris arrived, and as the three men sat around drinking, reminiscing and exchanging stories, Morris told the family a tale of a magical monkey’s paw. He explained how it had a spell put on it by an old Fakir, and that this holy man did so because he wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. Morris told the family that the Fakir put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes! He then proceeded to show the family the actual paw that he had carried with him in his pocket; and as they looked at it, and held it, he warned them not to use it, that they would be better off without it.…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    There is a young man in both of the stories who does not believe in the superstitions and is not affected by the warnings anyone gives him. These young men would be representing the scientific side of gothic fiction. In both the stories these warnings come from older, sophisticated men. Of whom both have wise qualities about themselves. Because the men are older they have experienced a lot more than any younger person has. But because the young men think they know better, they ignore any warnings from what they might think was a blathering old fool. These old men would be representing the religious side of the argument. There is also a woman who is outside of herself in both stories. In The Red Room there is a woman sitting staring mindless into a fire. And in The Monkey’s Paw, you see a normal woman begin to go crazy after the death of her son. In Victorian times, this would be a very intriguing subject for some. As mental problems, especially in women, was a very popular topic for scientists and people to learn about. Because depression was not known, nor was recognized in those days, when a woman was depressed after something devastating had happened to her, like the loss of a child (like in The Monkey’s Paw) and they became to act outside of themselves, doctors could not put a diagnosis on it. So they would just assume that the woman had become crazy. This was…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a man vs. self-conflict when Mr. White uses the paw to make his first wish he experiences an inner conflict because he is afraid of the consequences, while at the same time there is an external conflict with both his wife and his son Herbert who keep urging him to make the wish. A man vs. supernatural conflict is a conflict between a character and a force of magic. That is, what is happening with the monkey’s paw, The monkey’s paw is a supernatural object. It is an object that has had a magical spell on it and has had magical powers granted to it. When the Whites interact with the paw, they are interacting with a magical…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    You shouldn’t mess with fate unless you find a way around it. I want to have my wishes come true without having a punishment or consequences. I could do a lot of good with three wishes and I don’t think it is fair to be put in danger for wishing that cancer is cured or something along those lines. When you make a wish with the monkey’s paw you are endangering everyone you love for example in the book, Herbert and Mrs.White didn’t make the wish but they all had a consequence for it, so my wish is just keeping my loved ones and be safe. I completely understand why you shouldn’t mess with fate, you should just take the safe route and protect everyone and me from consequences.…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Monkey’s Paw” is a great example of suspense created by cause-and-effect relationships. “The Monkey’s Paw” is about Mr. White, Mrs. White, and Herbert White who receive a monkey’s paw that will grant three wishes from a man named Sergeant-Major Morris. The story is set in the mid…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In comparison, the theme of each version seems consistent. Each story presents their perspective audience with a girl who is put upon by her family from a young age. Forced to perform hard labor and to sit or sleep among the ashes, this child is shown to be innocent and…

    • 563 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I feel that both stories share the same theme, which is very much connected to the quote stated by L.M Montgomery. The protagonists in each story received a consequence for their actions; One was positive, but unfortunately the other was…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In W.W Jacob’s short story “The Monkey’s Paw,” there are many instances of foreshadowing in order to keep readers engaged and on the edge of their seats. In part one of “The Monkey’s Paw” the White family is introduced to the monkey’s paw by, family friend, Sergeant Major Morris. Major Morris explains the indelible outcome of using the paw. Mrs. White asks if anyone has used the paw before and Major Morris responds with “‘The first man used his wishes, yes,’”...”’I don't know what his first two wishes were, but the third was for death. That's how I got the paw.’” (Jacobs 34-35) This shows that if the family decides to use the paw, then then there may be dreadful consequences.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Monkey's Paw

    • 1980 Words
    • 8 Pages

    “The Monkey’s Paw” tells the story of a small but close family, the Whites who are visited by Sergeant-Major-Morris a friend of Mr Whites who brings with him the monkey’s paw. Sergeant-Major-Morris then tells how the owner of this magical monkeys paw is granted three wishes. Despite warning from Sergeant-Major-Morris, Mr White in greed wishes for two hundred pounds. We are then left wondering if Mr Whites wish will come true and before any money is found, Herbert White dies in a tragic machinery accident at work. Visited by a representative from the work the Whites receive two hundred pound in compensation, which we are then left to believe is the two hundred pound Mr White wished for and that the monkey’s paw is in fact magical. After Herbert is laid to rest his mother, Mrs White, in desperation demands Mr White use one of two remaining wishes to wish their son alive again. Despite protest Mr White wishes and later knocking begins at the door, which may be Herbert White. Mrs White escapes her husbands restrain and dashes to the door while Mr White searches rapidly to find the monkey’s paw in order to wish his son dead again to prevent his wife seeing her son’s tattered, torn body. In this extremely dramatic climax Mrs White finally gets the bolt off and ready to rip the door open just as Mr White finds the paw and uses his third and final wish. The street was deserted and Mrs White was left in devastation, Mr White in relief and we are left in a state of uncertainty, who was knocking on the door? What was Mr White’s final wish? And was all this the result of the monkey’s paw?…

    • 1980 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays