46 pages • 1 hour read
W.W. JacobsThe Monkey's Paw
W.W. JacobsFiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1902A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
“The Monkey’s Paw”
- Genre: Fiction; short story; horror
- Originally Published: 1902
- Reading Level/Interest: Adult; grades 9-12
- Structure/Length: 3 parts; approximately 12-15 pages
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: The aged Mr. White faces temptation when he receives a monkey’s paw that is said to both grant wishes and invite misfortune. Just after he makes his first wish, his family meets sudden calamity.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violent death
W. W. Jacobs, Author
- Bio: 1863-1943; Native Londoner and son of a dock worker and wharf manager; lost his mother at an early age; attended prep school and college in spite of modest upbringing; married suffragette Agnes Eleanor Williams and had five children; playwright and prolific short story writer who wrote often about shipping and maritime themes and was known for his horror stories and supernatural tales; “The Monkey’s Paw” has been adapted multiple times for film, including in an episode of popular animated TV series The Simpsons
- Other Works: Many Cargoes (1896); The Ghost of Jerry Bundler (1899); The Lady of the Barge (1902); “The Toll-House” (1909)
- Awards: None
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- The Dangers of Wishful Thinking
- The Finality of Death
- Coincidence Versus the Supernatural
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:
- Gain an understanding of the horror genre by analyzing elements of suspense and foreshadowing.
