The Monkey's Paw [short story]

Okay but did anyone stop and think with the way the wishes were going, wouldn't a third one just be more macabre . . . For further analysis, we'll have to go spoiler alert, even though it is more about what we know that we don't know:
So the second wish (basically an unwish) evolves into a horror exercise in the mind of Mr. White, and while it would be fascinating to see the spectral reality, we are set off on a new tangent when Mr. White wishes, presumedly, to unwish the unwish. So now we won't actually ever know the form and nature of the incarnation, nor are we told the specific ins and outs of the third wish, but all of these unknowns pale in comparison to the ultimate unknown (relayed above), which many people might not catch, show more that is, there's no reason to assume the third wish will go any better than the previous ones. In fact, I propose that the horror reverberates in crescendo, culminating in soon to be unimaginable horrors unleashed show less

You probably already know this story. A monkey's paw that can grant wishes but always at a horrible cost. Unfortunately, I can’t write any kind of synopsis without totally spoiling the story. In any case, it is a classic and highly influential supernatural horror story. If you are familiar with Stephen King’s much more horrifying [b: Pet Sematary|10583|Pet Sematary|Stephen King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1308894674s/10583.jpg|150017] you will probably find that The Monkey's Paw is its direct inspiration.

Certainly The Monkey's Paw is a great little story but not particularly scary for today’s sensibilities. The hint at something unspeakable lurking behind a closed door just does not work anymore, to be honest, it never worked show more for me to begin with. If you got it flaunt it. For me, the (anti)climax of the story is a bit of a cop out. The author should have gone all the way and show us some messed up monstrosity that will drive the reader insane just from the description, but he pulled back at the last minute.

Still, it’s a nice and quick read with some good spooky atmosphere. An OK Halloween read I think. It probably seems terrifying a century ago.

Note
If you like spooky stories about wishes gone wrong check out Robert Louis Stevenson’s excellent The Bottle Imp. show less

The definitive tale of wishes gone wrong. Strong, but not as scary as I'd remembered it, somehow. (I didn't recall there being so much forethought about what state the son might be in when he returned.)

This is a oldie but goodie. By itself, perhaps it hasn't aged that well, but I think for a short story that launched the 'monkey's paw' trope, it's pretty decent, so I give it 3.5/5 stars.

Yes, 'be careful what you wish for' existed before this story, but it's still worth checking out as a part of literary history.

For those of you who like dark/mature humor, I recommend the TV show 'Todd and the Book of Pure Evil' where each episode does a hilarious take on the trope with the various people who make wishes that are twistedly granted from the aforesaid Book of Pure Evil.

This early Edwardian (1902) ghost story opens promisingly, juxtaposing the safety of home and family against the dark and stormy night outside:
“Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnam Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. Father and son were at chess... the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire.”

Image: “Moonlight After Rain” by Atkinson Grimshaw, 1883 (Source.)

Despite the weather, and the remoteness of the house, an old friend visits. He regales them with tales of India. When he lets slip the monkey’s paw, the White family are fascinated. And tempted.

The great weakness in narrative terms is that the moral of the story is made plain before anything much has show more happened:
"It had a spell put on it by an old fakir... He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow."

That means that what happens thereafter is predictable: a fairly reasonable wish causes regret, so people consider using another wish to fix things, despite the warnings.

The final scene is more compelling. First the waiting:
“The candle-end, which had burned below the rim of the china candlestick, was throwing pulsating shadows on the ceiling and walls, until, with a flicker larger than the rest, it expired.”
Then the knocking…

This is short (and free to read on Gutenberg, HERE), but you can probably spend your time better elsewhere:
* For a twistier approach to the pitfalls of wishes, see The Bottle Imp, written ten years earlier by Robert Louis Stevenson, and which I reviewed HERE. It is also free on Gutenberg.
* For a scarier approach, look for something more modern, perhaps by someone like Stephen King.
* Or maybe revist fond childhood memories!

Image: Snoopy, typing “It was a dark and stormy night” - the first, and so far only, sentence of his novel. (Source.)

Joke

A man finds an ancient oil lamp and out comes an all powerful genie.
Genie: "You have 3 wishes."
Man: "I don't know, I've seen this before. Whatever I wish for will come back and bite me in some way."
Genie: "I promise that won't happen. I'm so sure it won't I'll give you infinite wishes if it does!"
Man: "Okay. I wish for a boomerang with teeth."
Genie: "You son of a..."

Short story club

I reread this in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 4 September 2023.

You can read this story here.

You can join the group here. show less

A cautionary tale about being careful about what we wish for. I've seen many adaptations of the story in pulp comics, movies, and television shows, but had never read the actual story they were all based on. Although a great short story, I think some of the adaptations did a better job of generating the horror of the final scenes. The short story pretty much leaves that to our own imagination. It's the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

WTF Amazon?

The original story is good, but this version is awful. It reads like it was google translated into Japanese and then back to English. It’s unreadable. Amazon needs to do some quality control.