Phillips 2
David Phillips
Mrs. Spencer
AE English 10A, Period 2
17 September 2012
Twisted Fate
Throughout history people have attempted to change fate to fulfill their future. In the story “The Monkeys Paw”, by W.W. Jacobs, the whites family simple life is dramatically changed when they do not listen to wise advice about the magical monkeys paw. With the hope of making their lives better by wishing for money, the white family quickly learns that the gains do not weigh out the repercussions. The whites ignore important advice shown through foreshadowing by neglecting fate and having a ungrateful attitude shown through dramatic irony and shocking suspense.
Throughout the story, Jacobs foreshadows the whites demise due to their ungrateful attitude and ignorance of fate. When the white family ignores advice from the sergeant, it seems that a tragic event will occur. While the sergeant introduces the paw, he warns that the last wish upon the paw was death (51). The white family was very careless to not take heed of the sergeant’s wise words as most reasonable people would. The white family proves their disrespect for fate by neglecting the wise words of the sergeant. Also when Mr. White moves his chess piece into unnecessary perils, making a fatal decision, it signifies that later in the story he will again make a fatal decision (50). Mr. White’s lack of common sense puts his family at a tragic risk. Mr. White ignores the power of fate by not understanding its true power and risking his entire families lives. As the white family progresses, their ignorance and disrespectful attitude towards fate becomes increasingly worse.
