The Monkey's Paw Sparknotes

The mutilated recently deceased body was knocking on the door and as the wife opened the door, there was nothing. In the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, Sargent Major Morris gives the monkey’s paw to the family. The monkey’s paw with magical powers has a curse on it. The monkey’s paw gives three wishes to whoever has it. After the wish is wished, the wish comes true and something bad happens. The family jokingly wishes for 200 pounds for their first wish. The wish of the two hundred pounds comes true but in return something bad happens, the son dies. The grieving mother cannot bear the loss of her son. The second wish is that her son comes back to life. The husband wishes it all away and to not see the mangled beyond …show more content…
The soldier is thought to be a minor character in the plot. However, the impact of his visit would change the lives of the family forever. The monkey’s paw was created to show that that people’s lives are ruled by fate. One should be happy with what one has instead of always wanting to have more material things in life as materials do not provide happiness. The soldier made a big difference in the plot by affecting the whole family and their future. The soldier is a small character but proves a small character can change the plot entirely. If the soldier never came to the house to visit and tell war stories and arouse curiosity about the monkey’s paw, the family would never have been harmed or tempted to have the monkey’s paw. So, the soldier provided a big part in the short story by giving the family the monkey’s paw and causing the son to die, and causing the wife to extensively grieve the loss of her beloved son. That knock at the door first initiated excitement. But when she opened that squeaky door, her heart was full of emptiness and sadness not only knowing that she would not be seeing her son but she knew at that moment her husband had betrayed her and her beloved son by wasting the final