This research paper evaluates the thematic concerns in ‘The Monkey’s paw.’ The main themes in ‘the monkey’s paw’ include the danger of wishing and the clash between domesticity and the outside world. The Whites’ downfall comes as the result of wishing for more than what they needed. The characters in ‘the monkey’s paw’ reflect the dynamics of domestic relations. For example, Mrs. White represents the happy domesticity present inside the house at the beginning of the story. These characters help to build the thematic concerns in ‘the monkey’s paw’ analysis. Their shift in attitudes once they realize that the paw has powers leads to undesired consequences.
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THE CLASH BETWEEN DOMESTICITY AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD
The characters in ‘the monkey’s paw’ also help in analyzing how domesticity clashes with the outside world. The Whites’ home and the domestic sphere, in general as a safe, cozy place separate from the dangerous world outside. However, they invite trouble into their house, which is the beginning of their downfall. We associate the themes in ‘the monkey’s paw’ to the human condition of dissatisfaction. It is human nature to want what one cannot have and to undervalue what one possesses. The downfall of the White family comes from tendencies within each of the Whites that are only natural. ‘The monkey’s paw’ analysis helps us to understand that people’s best qualities often turn out to cause their downfall.
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LESSONS FROM ‘THE MONKEY’S PAW’
We learn several life lessons from the themes in ‘the monkey’s paw.’ We learn that even reasonable people can become reckless by introducing foreign ideologies into their lives. Mr. White is skeptical about the power of the monkey’s paw. He feels foolish wishing on it and discounts the many warnings he hears and sees about the dangers of using it. The characters in ‘the monkey’s paw’ reflect our human nature in the most logical way. Mrs. White also carries the seed of her destruction in her character. She exhorts Mr. White to wish for Herbert’s life back, even against his better instincts. ‘The monkey’s paw’ analysis, we also learn to be more respectful of what we do not know. We often wonder whether Herbert would survive had he not teased his father to use the paw.
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