Wednesday, July 22, 2015

What are some elements of foreshadowing in "The Monkey's Paw"?

"The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs, contains many examples
of foreshadowing that create suspense as to the story's ending.  Many of these examples
occur quite early in the story arousing curiosity and a sense of dread.  The first
example is the way the father plays chess.  He takes "radical chances" putting his "king
in peril," so that he loses the game to his son.  Thus, we are not surprised when the
father is willing to take a risk with the mysterious monkey's paw that grants three
wishes.


Sargent-major Morris provides other examples of
foreshadowing with his description of the paw:


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"It has caused enough
mischief."



And later, he
discusses the paw's first owner who also had three wishes, and his last wish was for
death. So, we know that with the first owner and with the second (Morris), the three
wishes only brought misery.  In this way, the readers are led to believe that the
monkey's paw is anything but good luck.  This suspicion is confirmed when the father
sees faces in the fire that make him shiver after he makes his wish.  There are only a
few of the examples of foreshadowing in this story that lead us to the ironic and
terribly satisfying ending.

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