Cause and effect essay for "The Monkey's Paw"

Cause and Effect Essay
THE MONKEYS PAW

The story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” is about a small family, a husband, Mr. White, his wife, Mrs. White, and their adult son, Herbert. The family is relaxing and enjoying each others company, while father and son play chess. They are expecting a visitor over later that evening; an old friend of Mr. Whites. 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. Well, curiosity and a little doubt about the actual power of the special talisman got the best of the White family. And this is where the cause of the story comes into play…Mr. White decided to wish for money, for 200 pounds? His single wish for money signified his greed for more and was the only cause for what happened to his family. After Mr. White held the paw and wished for the 200 pounds, and as he still held it in his hand, he felt the evil thing twist, the way a serpent would! After a while, and when the money still hadn’t appeared out of thin air, Mr. and Mrs. White and Herbert settled down by the fire again and joked about how they may find a big bag of money tied up in the middle of their beds, while the two men finished their pipes. The next morning the family woke up and continued on about their lives as if the story or warning rather, of the Monkeys Paw was nothing more than a tall tale. Mr. and Mrs. White stayed home and cleaned up after breakfast while Herbert got ready and left off to go to work. As the day went on the couple were in the kitchen talking when Mrs. White noticed a mysterious man wandering around out in front of their house by the gate. As she watched him, and about the same time the stranger finally decided to come thru the gate, she hurriedly threw off her apron and went to greet him at the door. The stranger was a well dressed man and told Mr. and Mrs. White that he came from Maw and Meggins. (The company that their son worked for) The stranger went on to tell the couple that there was an accident at the shop where Herbert worked; that he had been caught in the machinery earlier that day and killed. As the stranger explained what happened Mr. White listened to him in a slow, dazed fashion. The stranger then told the couple that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility and will admit no liability at all, but in consideration of their son’s services, the company wished to present the family with 200 pounds as compensation! As the old man heard this, Mrs. White shrieked as she put two and two together. The old man smiled faintly, put out his hands like a sightless man, and dropped to a senseless heap to the floor. This is the beginning of the effect of the story…The effect of the wish that Mr. White made. If you recall in the story, the spell the Fakir cast on the Monkeys Paw. He said that he wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with fate did so to their own sorrow. (You should always be careful what you wish for!) As the days passed on after the funeral of their son, the couple grew quiet, and sometimes hardly exchanged a word, for now they had nothing to talk about. About a week later Mr. White awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of his wife crying out wildly about the monkeys paw!! She had decided that she wanted him to use the paw again to wish for their son to come back to life! She explained to him that since their first wish worked, even though it had a tragic outcome, that maybe they could just wish their son back to life and everything would be ok. Against his pleas, and his unsuccessful attempt to make Mrs. White understand that bringing their mutilated son back would do more harm than good, Mr. White made his was downstairs to where the evil talisman lay up on the mantel. He grasped the talisman and shakily wished for their son to be alive again. (This wish is Mr. and Mrs. Whites attempt to fix, or undo the effects of what the first wish brought them! Undoubtedly, this wish is a cause and effect in itself) As soon as Mr. White said the wish aloud he sank, trembling into a chair as his wife, with “burning eyes”, walked over to the window, raised the blind, and waited for her son to return. The couple waited, in both anticipation and fear, until the candle they had lit beside them faded and burnt out. With a sense of relief, the old man went back up to bed and shortly after, his wife joined him. As the two lay beside one another, Mr. White finally got enough courage to walk back downstairs to light another candle, for he knew something evil, something in the form of his son would return to house, and like his friend Sergeant Morris warned would bring misfortune. At the bottom of the stairway, and near the front door, Mr. White struck a match repeatedly in an attempt to light another candle. At that same time, he heard the quietest knock sounding on the front door! Instantaneously, at the sound of the knock, Mrs. White awoke exclaiming that Herbert had returned! She jumped out of bed and ran towards the door to let their son, or whatever was returning as their son, inside. Mr. White begged her NOT to let “it” in and said that whatever was out there was not their son! But his wife would not listen to him; she had her mind set on seeing her son, no matter how he looked! The knocking on the door continued, and became louder and more rapid as Mrs. White tried desperately to unlock the bolts and latches. As she scrambled to reach the last bolt, Mr. White was searching wildly on the floor for the Monkeys Paw to wish his final wish. Mr. White’s final wish is the concluding effect of the story. He finds the talisman and wishes, just as wife is successful in unlocking the last bolt, that his son remains dead! The story ends with his wife flinging the door open and there being nobody there! Just a cold wind that rushing up the staircase and a loud wail of disappointment and misery from Mrs. White. To me, this story’s cause and effect is this…… Mr. Whites wish for more money is what caused his son to suffer in a freak accident at work. His second wish, to bring his mutilated son back from the dead is an attempt to fix what he originally wished for and to bring him and his wife’s lives back to Normal. And his last wish was to ultimately fix and finish what the started everything in the first place. Moral of the story?? Be careful what you wish for. Be grateful for what you already have, and know that great things come with great prices.