When Mr. White says that he would like to go to India, and the Sergeant-Major says "Better where you are", the warm, friendly atmosphere in the room becomes tense. This immediately makes the reader think that something must have happenned to the Sergeant-Major whilst he was India to make him say that. The Sergeant-Major's actions also lead the reader to believe this.
When Mr. White asks about the Monkey's paw, the Sergeant-Major replies hastily that it's nothing, which implies that he is hiding something from Mr. White, creating conflict. This also creates tension in the story, because it is obvious that the Sergeant-Major doesn't want to talk about the Monkey's paw. This draws the reader in to the story, and makes them curious as to what happenned to the Sergeant-Major to make him so sensitive about the story of the monkey's paw.
When the Sergeant-Major begins to tell the story, the author writes that the three members of the White family leaned forward eagerly to listen. This creates an exciting atmosphere, as the White's listen to the Sergeant-Major's tale of the Monkey's paw.
The Sergeant-Major states that the paw had a spell put on it by an old Fakir; This creates uneasiness in the room as his tale sounds very unusual and chilling. It's as if the White family don't know whether to believe the Sergeant-Major or not. After the Sergeant-Major says this, the author writes that the listeners' light laughter jarred, which shows the tension that has been created in the room.
When asked what he wished for, the Sergeant-Major's blotchy face whitened, which implies further that something terrible must have happenned to make him respond in this manner. He also begins to reply in very short sentences, which makes it seem as if he is hiding something. The Sergeant Major never actually says what it was that he wished for, but implies that the outcome wasn't desirable. However, he does says that the man who possessed the Monkey's paw before him had wished for death. When he says this, a hush falls upon the group, showing the uneasiness that they all feel.
When the Sergeant-Major throws the Monkey's paw into the fire, this creates tension within the story because it is obvious that the White family are intrigued by the paw. The sergeant Major warns them that it would be better to let the paw burn, and tells the White's not to blame him for what happens. This creates a chilling atmosphere, which attracts the readers attention because it is likely that something bad will happen if they keep the paw.
Suddenly, the atmosphere of the story changes, and becomes more light hearted again. The room fills with laughter from the White family, but then the Sergeant major grabs Mr. White by the arm and urges him to wish for something sensible. This creates tension, and the atmosphere becomes cold and eerie again.
After Mr. White has made a wish using the Monkey's paw, the author talks about the weather outside again, and describes the wind as being higher than ever. The author purposely sets the suspenseful scenes during the night time, to create a scary atmosphere. I think the main reason that W.W. Jacobs set this scene at night was to target the reader's fears. He talks about "a silence unusual and depressing", which shows that the atmosphere has definitely changed dramatically from when the Family were talking and joking with the Sergeant-Major earlier on in the story.
After Mr. and Mrs. White have retired for the night, Herbert is left alone in the living room in the darkness. The author describes the fire as "dying", and Herbert sees faces in it. This creates tension in the story, as you can tell that Herbert is scared even though he laughed off the story of the Monkey's paw earlier on in the evening.
The next morning, the family seem a lot more calm and rational about the monkey's paw than they were the night before. They laugh about it, and the atmosphere is a lot more relaxed and light-hearted. However, when Mr. White says that the paw moved in his hand, the atmosphere changes slightly, and becomes strained. When Mr. White asks his wife what the matter is, she doesn't answer. This creates a lot of tension, and makes the reader very curious as to what has happenned. The author then describes "the mysterious movements of a man outside". This sounds very odd, and urges the reader to read on and find out who the man is.
The moment the man walks into the room with Mrs. White, you can tell that something is very wrong. The whole room has an aura of tension, and the man seems ill at ease. He gazed at Mrs. White "furtively", and listened in a preoccupied fashion as if he was thinking of what to say. The man doesn't say anything for quite a while, which makes the reader even more curious because he is acting in such a strange manner. The prolonged silence creates a lot of tension and when the man does finally talk, he seems very unsure of himself, and stammers slightly. He beats around the bush by picking a piece of cotton from his trousers, and it's obvious that he has to tell the White's something that he really doesn't want to say, creating conflict because the White's are very anxious and want to know what has happenned.
When Mr. White says that he's sure the man has not brought bad news, he eyes the man wistfully, as if he already knows something is wrong, but doesn't want to admit it. The man begins "I'm sorry", which shows that the he in fact has brought bad news, but Mrs. White interrupts him. The author shows how tense the characters are by describing their actions and the way in which they speak.
When it dawns on Mrs. White that her son has died, she stops talking all of a sudden, and W.W. Jacobs uses words such as sinister to describe the meaning of what the man has said to her. There was then a long silence, which creates even more tension in the room as each character gathers their thoughts.
The atmosphere has become grim and gloomy; Mr. White repeats what the man says in a "dazed fashion", as if he doesn't quite believe what he's hearing, and his wife stares blankly out of the window.
When the man tells Mr. and Mrs. White that they have been given two hundred pounds in compensation for the death of their son, their reactions show the horror and fear of what has occurred.
After this, the atmosphere in the story is relatively calm, yet grim at the same time, until one night Mr. White is woken up by a wild cry from his wife. She begins to laugh and cry at the same time when she finds out that Mr. White has not yet destroyed the monkey's paw. Mr. White however, seems angry that she could even think of making another wish using the monkey's paw, creating conflict between the two characters.
The author purposely set this scene at night, to make it more fearful and suspenseful. If the scene had been set during the day, it would not have had the same effect. The author describes in detail the immense fear that Mr. White feels about wishing his son alive again. Mrs. White has an unnatural expression on her face, which scared her husband, creating even more tension and conflict between the characters.
After Mr. White has reluctantly wished upon the Monkey's paw, he feels helpless, as you can tell by the way the author describes his actions. There is a clear contrast between the feelings of Mr. and Mrs. White, and the atmosphere in the story after Mr. White has wished is very expectant, yet fearful at the same time.
When nothing seems to happen, the atmosphere becomes placid once again, and the tension between the two characters lessens. There is still a slight glimmer of anticipation though in Mrs. White, and fear in her husband.
When the knocking starts, Mrs. White comes to life again and becomes frantic. Her husband on the other hand becomes anxious, and tries to stop Mrs. White from letting their son in, once again creating conflict between the characters.
At this point in the story, the pace seems to quicken as Mrs. White tries desperately to open the door and let her son in, and Mr. White frantically searches for the Monkey's Paw so he can make his last wish. The author uses words and phrases such as "strained" and "groping wildly" to show Mr. and Mrs. White's desperation.
All of a sudden, the knocking stops, and it's as if everything has become still and quiet again. The author describes a cold wind rushing up the staircase, which is a good contrast with Mrs. White's long wail of disappointment. The author then talks about the street lamp flickering on "a quiet and deserted road". This creates a sad feeling of aloneness, and makes the reader feel sorry for Mrs. White.
Overall, i think W.W. Jacobs effectively used tension, atmosphere and conflict throughout the story to create effect, and interest the reader enough to make them want to readon and find out what happens.
Suzanne Bowden
