Tone in The Monkey's Paw

The adjective “simian” means “monkey-like.” Mr. White's vision of a monkey’s face in the flames doesn’t bode well for him. It suggests that the paw’s power to grant wishes is real and that perhaps they should have listened to Morris’s warnings. However, there is also a rational explanation for Mr. White’s visions: he’s up late and has been drinking, so he’s susceptible to seeing horrible things in the fire.

These lines leave readers in suspense, wondering what caused the crash and if Mr. White is okay. In this way the tale’s suspense benefits from the distant narrative voice, allowing readers to make discoveries at the same time as the characters.

W. W. Jacobs does not entirely abandon his humorist roots; this moment of slapstick comedy where Mrs. White chases her son around the house with an “antimacassar”—a noun which means a “clothing covering to prevent staining on the back of a chair”—is a stark contrast to the darkness in the rest of the story.

Notice how Morris’s reaction contrasts with the others’. While they joke about trivial things to wish for, he knows the true power of the paw. Once readers learn the paw’s method of granting wishes, they can see the dark humor in this line and why Morris reacts so strongly.

This Morris’s final warning to the Whites. Recall the chess game earlier: Mr. White carelessly puts his chess pieces in danger, not realizing that he has made a mistake until too late. A “sensible” man, rather than a reckless one, would get rid of the paw, but Mr. White is too reckless to consider that option at this time. Morris’s statement here serves to remove him from all blame of whatever happens, showing that he believes in the paw’s power and genuinely fears it.

What’s left out of Morris’s retelling is not as important as what remains. The man’s first two wishes don’t matter; all that is necessary to know is that they did not make him happy, so he chose to wish for death. Again, the tone of conversation around the paw is one that sparks both curiosity and a sense of menace.

Notice how Morris is situated in a position of experience while Herbert represents youthful inexperience. It is clear that whatever Morris remembers, it causes him great distress, which contrasts to the smart curiosity of Herbert. Whatever the paw’s powers, it clearly changes people for the worse, setting an ominous tone and foreshadowing the consequences of using the paw’s powers.

This line is a little tongue-in-cheek. Morris’s “offhanded”—meaning “casual”—way of bringing up magic suggests that he not only has seen quite a lot of magic during his time in India but also that it’s now a mundane event to him. Though he tries to sound casual about the monkey’s paw, the Whites are intrigued by it after his admission that it’s magic. It could be argued that Morris deliberately piques the family’s interest, but readers have no insight into his motivations. The tone shifts, then, from wonder at the exotic to curiosity about the paw’s powers.

Mr. White’s outburst shows both his dissatisfaction with his current situation and sets the stage for a desolate encounter with horror. Because of the family’s isolation, they are beyond easy reach of help in case of any emergencies—now a classic horror trope.

This opening sentence sets the tone for the first part of the story: although outside the night is dark and stormy, inside the family is warm and safe together. Protected from the elements, they are able to thrive, content with one another’s company.