The Monkey's Paw
| "The Monkey's Paw" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by W. W. Jacobs | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror, Short story |
| Publication | |
| Publication date | 1903 |
"The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by author W. W. Jacobs. It was published in England in 1902.
The story is based on the famous "setup" in which three wishes are granted. In the story, the paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, but the wishes come with an enormous price.
The moral of the story is contained in this description of the paw: "It had a spell put on it by an old fakir," said the sergeant-major, "a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow."
Plot summary
Heedless of the Sergeant Major's warnings about the cursed nature of the paw, Mr. White, encouraged by his son, Herbert, carelessly asks for £200 for the house payment. He does not get the money straight away and so they all think the talisman is a joke. "Well, I don't see the money," said his son Herbert, as he picked it up and placed it on the table, "and I bet I never shall." His wish is granted, but in a horrific manner: he receives a payment of £200 compensation as the result of the death of his son, who is "caught in the machinery" and mangled at his workplace.
Following their son's funeral, Mrs. White tries to convince her husband to wish their son back to life, which he reluctantly does. Nothing happens and the couple, crushed by the disappointment, retire to bed.
Later, they hear a knocking at the door. The wife realizes that Herbert had to journey from the cemetery to their house, accounting for the delay. She rushes downstairs to open the door, but Mr. White has been seized by terror, recognizing the horrible creature that must wait upon their doorstep - he had seen the mutilated body before its burial. He makes a third wish, and the knocking at the door ceases.
Adaptations
- A one-act play was first performed in 1907.
- There were numerous film adaptations in the silent era, as well as a 1933 talkie, a 1948 British remake, and more recent film versions. A Nepali movie (Kagbeni) was based on this story and released in late 2007.
- "The Monkey's Paw" was adapted as a radio play in 1980 as part of the CBC radio drama series Nightfall, available for free at iTunes, as part of the "Old Time Radio Thrillers" podcast.
- An opera based on the story was composed by Carlo Martelli in 1991.
- Texas Radio Theatre Company recorded an adaptation by Tim Wardell and Richard Frohlich in front of a studio audience October and November of 2003 [1]
- A "retelling" was adapted for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
- The premier episode of the TV show Are You Afraid of the Dark?, titled "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" was virtually identical in plot, except that the main characters were schoolboys who were maliciously given the 'claw' as revenge for damaging a witch's property.
In popular culture
A great number of novels, stories, movies and plays are variations of the story or have similar plots, involving wishes that go awry in macabre ways, occasionally with references to monkey's paws or the story. It is also often parodied on television shows, comic books and manga. Examples include an X-files episode (Je Souhaite, episode 7X21) in which a djinn/genie continually lets people make wishes despite the perverse outcomes and Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode 5x17 in which Buffy's mother is almost brought back to life "wrong" slouching home from the grave. In a Halloween episode of The Simpsons, "Treehouse of Horror II" Homer purchases a monkey's paw at an Moroccan market which grants him four wishes leading to disasters for his family members.
Music
The song "Monkey's Paw" by the band Smalltown Poets speaks of consequences one must pay from getting one's wishes over obedience to God.
"The Monkey's Paw" was adapted into a One Act Opera by composer Stephen J. Grieco and premiered at Michael C. Rockefeller Arts Center in 1996.
Manga
A story involving the "Monkey's Paw" featured in the CLAMP series xxxHolic
External links
