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Unit 24: One Act Play: Monekey’s Paw – Discussion on All Spheres of the Text and Questions

More than a classic horror piece, “The Monkey’s Paw” is also a modern parable, infused with Notes
moral messages and instructions on how to live a more fulfilling life. As with all fables, the
story’s morals are familiar: don’t tempt fate, and be careful what you wish for. The White
family isn’t wealthy, but they still have everything that’s important, including love, happiness,
and a comfortable life. Mr. White even says that he is so content that he wouldn’t even know
what to wish for. When he does make his first wish—partly in jest, partly out of curiosity—
it is not for untold riches or worldly power, but merely for enough money to finally purchase
their house. His small and sensible wish, however, is enough to tempt fate into killing Herbert.
Jacobs’s story adheres to the traditional belief that we do not really want what we think we
want and that wanting more than what’s sufficient may bring ruin.

Self Assessment

Multiple Choice Questions:

5. One Act Play: Monkey’s Paw is written by
(a) Ezra Pound (b) T S Elliot
(c) Milton (d) W. W. William Jacob
6. “The Monkey’s Paw is considered a
(a) Romantic (b) Metaphysical
(c) classic horror (d) none

7. Jacob’s careful, economical creation of setting and atmosphere add
(a) suspense (b) romanticism
(c) war like situation (d) none
8. What game Herbert White used to play

(a) baseball (b) rugby
(c) American football (d) chess
9. Sergeant-Major Morris was a
(a) friend of the Whites (b) foe of the white
(c) servant of the white (d) none
10. Jacobs’s story is structured around a pattern of

(a) fours (b) two
(c) threes (d) none
11. The monkey’s paw is a symbol of
(a) desire and greed (b) happiness and joy

(c) sad and distress (d) none
12. What symbolizes in “The Monkey’s Paw life
(a) chess (b) tennis
(c) poetry (d) prose

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