The principal conflict in W.W. Jacobs short story "The Monkey's Paw" could be described as man vs. fate. Because the Whites accept the monkey's paw from the Sergeant-Major they become entwined in the fateful evil implicit in the paw. It is an Eastern "talisman" which grants wishes, and has been responsible for malevolent occurrences in the past. The Sergeant-Major informs them that one of the men who had wishes, wished for death with his last request. When Mr. White wishes for enough money to pay off his house he is awarded that exact sum when Herbert is killed in a work related accident. His second wish, prompted by the insane pleadings of his wife, is for Herbert to be alive again. Unfortunately, Herbert was badly maimed in the accident. Moreover, he had already been buried two miles away so his presence at their doorstep some time after the second wish strikes fear in Mr. White and he abruptly wishes the corpse away in the story's climax. The resolution is that fate has destroyed an otherwise quite happy family. Temptation and evil are responsible for Herbert's death, Mrs. White's madness and Mr. White's grief.
No comments:
Post a Comment