theme and morals
The famous proverb that serves as the story's main theme is "Be careful what you..."
wish for
He brings the monkey's paw to the White family and tries to burn it in the fire.
Sergeant Major Morris
The story opens on a night with this type of weather, establishing a spooky, ominous mood.
dark, stormy, cold, rainy
The Whites receive exactly this amount of money from Maw and Meggins.
200 pounds
"It moved... As I wished, it twisted in my hand like a..."
snake
According to the sergeant-major, the fakir enchanted the paw to prove that this force rules people's lives.
fate
Herbert's attitude toward the paw can best be described as this, leading him to joke about the first wish.
skeptical, mocking, disbelief
The White family lives in this type of location, making their later terror feel inescapable.
a remote/out of the way house
This tragic event is the direct consequence of Mr. White's first wish.
Herbert dies
Sergeant-Major Morris states the first man who had the paw used his third wish to ask for this.
death
Mr. White's first wish for money is an example of this human flaw, which the theme warns against.
greed
Mr. White's hesitation to make the second wish shows he understands this about the paw, unlike his wife.
the danger
In contrast to the stormy weather outside, the inside of the Whites' house at the beginning feels like this.
warm, cozy, safe
The man from Maw and Meggins states the company is not responsible for the accident but offers the money as this.
compensation
Herbert suggests wishing for the money so they can pay off the mortgage on this.
the house
The theme of interfering with fate is developed when Mrs. White forces her husband to make this specific second wish.
wishing for their son to be alive again
Mrs. White's desperate demand for the second wish shows how this emotion can override a character's logic.
grief or sorrow
The atmosphere drastically shifts from cozy to this feeling immediately after the paw moves in Mr. White's hand.
tense/terrifying/fearful
The frantic knocking at the front door stops immediately after this plot event occurs.
Mr. White making his final wish
"He was caught in the..." is the explanation given for Herbert's fatal accident.
machinery
The contrast between the Whites' initial contentment and later despair develops the theme that true happiness is found by appreciating what you already...
have
Mr. White's final, unspoken third wish develops this theme by showing he finally accepts this harsh reality.
You can't cheat fate.
The dark, empty road at the very end of the story symbolizes this emotional state for the Whites.
emptiness/loneliness
The plot's sequence of three wishes mirrors the structure of these traditional stories, which often teach a moral lesson.
fairy tales/folk tales/fables
The spell was originally put on the paw by this type of Indian holy man.
a fakir