The Monkey's Paw Foreshadowing

In “The Monkey’s Paw,” W.W. Jacobs explores the theme of fate to prove that fate rules all and nothing can change it through the use of imagery and foreshadowing. In the beginning the family receives a paw with magical powers that will grant any wish, but at a price you can not afford. After the families first wish for money the next day they notice a man pacing around the outside of their lawn. As the man approaches with a sack of money the father asks the man “ How much is it” (Jacobs 2) the man replies with the same amount they wished for on the previous night. They learned that their only son was “ Caught in the machinery” (Jacobs 2) which was the price they had to pay to get the money they wanted. Fate can be seen by that it can not be interfered with and you are in your life for a reason. Fate is a matter of life and death due to the fact that it can never be changed no matter what you do. Jacobs felt that ate was used to help him learn about the tough life to earn the riches he once enjoyed. In most of his work one literary device stood out above all others and that was his use of foreshadowing. …show more content…
By gaining the reader's attention with something like “ Why didn't I think of it before” (Jacobs 5) is what the mother said when she thinks about bringing her son back from the dead. Before this all is quiet and the reader does not know what to expect from them. Which allows the breakout of the of the mom scaring the reader and leading them to think about her resurrecting her son. Another piece of foreshadowing is when the mother asks for the paw by yelling “ The paw you have not destroyed it yet” (Jacobs 5). After the first wish the mother wanted to know if her husband had destroyed the paw. In the end he did not destroy, but merely placed it in a hiding spot so that he could keep it from her. Which leads in to his next device of