History Literature / TheMonkeysPaw

** The sergeant doesn't know what the first two wishes of the first man to own the paw were, but the third was for death. We also never learn what his wishes (and their consequences) were either.

* SchmuckBait: The sergeant explicitly warns them about what may happen. They wish anyway.

The original story is in the PublicDomain, and can be read in full [[http://www.steve-calvert.co.uk/public-domain-texts/W-W-Jacobs-The-Monkeys-Paw.html here]]. An audio adaptation by the Website/YouTube channel Chilling Tales for Dark Nights can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmYDQcaB2c8 here]].

The full story can be found [[http://www.steve-calvert.co.uk/public-domain-texts/W-W-Jacobs-The-Monkeys-Paw.html here.]] Audio adaptation by the Youtube channel Chilling Tales for Dark Nights [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmYDQcaB2c8 here.]]

By the end of the 20th century, the titular Paw had become a bit of a StockParody, used when "BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor" is needed for a punchline. "The Monkey's Paw curls" is a standard reaction phrase these days meaning "Sure, you'll get what you wish, but something else much more horrible will happen because of it".

* ThreeWishes: To three people, and then the Monkey's Paw loses its magic.

** The fact that Herbert is only described as "caught in the machinery" and Mr. White was only able to identify him "by his clothes" are also an example, leaving the exact nature of Herbert's death up to the reader.
** We never see exactly ''what'' is knocking on the front door. Because Mr. White knows that Herbert's body is horribly mutilated, he uses his last wish before his wife can open it, and when she finally does, nothing is there.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: It's strongly implied that Herbert's corpse was reanimated, but still horribly mangled from his injuries. Notice that whatever comes to their door cannot speak or call to them, merely knock.

By the end of the 20th century, the titular Paw has become a bit of a StockParody, used when "BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor" is needed for a punchline. "The Monkey's Paw curls" is a standard reaction phrase these days meaning "Sure, you'll get what you wish, but something else much more horrible will happen because of it".

By the end of the 20th century, the titular Paw has become a bit of a StockParody, used when "BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor" is needed for a punchline. "The Monkey's Paw curls" is a standard reaction phrase these days meaning "you'll get what you wish, but something else much more horrible will happen because of it".

* NeverSAyDie: The man who comes to bring the Whites the news of Herbert's death says that their son, while badly hurt in the machines, is "not in any pain." It takes a moment for them to realize what he means.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Herbert dies by being "caught in machinery", and was so horribly mangled that he could only be identified by his clothes.

* HopeSpot: After making his reluctant wish for Herbert to be alive again, Mr. White is relieved to see that it apparently didn't work. Then, [[OhCrap he hears a knock at the door]], having forgotten that it was two miles walk from the cemetery to the house.
* JackassGenie: In the cruelest way. They wish for £200 for a mortgage payment. Their son is killed in a horrifying machinery accident, and they get the money as compensation for his death. They then wish for the son to be brought back to life, and he is, but it's implied that it didn't fix the damage caused to his body.

** The walking corpse knocks suspensefully over and over. Because Mr. White knows that Herbert's body is horribly mutilated, Mr. White uses his last wish to wish Herbert dead again. Nothing is there when they open the door.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: It's strongly implied that Herbert's corpse was reanimated, but still horribly mangled from his injuries.
* RuleOfThree: The monkey's paw can grant three wishes each to three different people.

* SpaceWhaleAesop: Be careful what you wish for because an evil artifact might intentionally misinterpret it to mean you want tragedy to befall your family.

* YouCantFightFate: The entire point behind the creation of the paw was to teach this lesson.

"The Monkey's Paw" is a horror story written by English author W. W. Jacobs in 1902. An incredible number of stories in different media have played on it through different variations and adaptations, and it is a subject of frequent parody.

[[quoteright:314:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paw1.gif]]

The story begins as Mr. and Mrs. White, average people with a grown son named Herbert, are visited by an old friend of theirs who was a sergeant in India. While there, he got a magical talisman in the form of a mummified monkey's paw, said to grant three wishes to whoever possesses it.

Having no desire to keep the paw, he (reluctantly) gives it to the Whites, first warning them that its previous owners killed themselves for their third wish. Too excited by its mystical powers, Mr. White first wishes for £200, and gets it--as a payout after Herbert dies in a workplace accident. The story continues this way, with Whites' wishes only coming to them at terrible cost, until the most dramatic moment, and they learn their lesson: [[TemptingFate don't tempt fate]], and BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.

By the end of the 20th century, the titular Paw has become a bit of a StockParody, used when "BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor" is needed for a punchline. "The Monkey's Paw curls" is a standard reaction phrase these days.

By the end of the 20th century, the titular Paw has become a bit of a StockParody, used when "BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor" is needed for a punchline.

* CameBackWrong: Herbert dies in a horrible accident involving heavy machinery; his body is so mangled, Mr. White has to keep his mother from seeing him.

* JackassGenie: In the cruelest way. They wish for £200 for a mortgage payment. Their son is killed in a horrifying machinery accident, and they get the money as compensation for his death.

Having no desire to keep the paw, he (reluctantly) gives it to the Whites, first warning them that its previous owners killed themselves for their third wish. Too excited by its mystical powers, Mr. White first wishes for £200, and gets it--as a payout after Herbert is seriously injured at work. The story continues this way, with Whites' wishes only coming to them at terrible cost, until the most dramatic moment, and they learn their lesson: [[TemptingFate don't tempt fate]], and BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.

Having no desire to keep the paw, he (reluctantly) gives it to the Whites, first warning them that its previous owners killed themselves for their third wish. Too excited by its mystical powers, Mr. White first wishes for £200. He gets his wish, but at a horrible price. The story continues this way until the most dramatic moment, and they learn their lesson: [[TemptingFate don't tempt fate]], and BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.

* HopeSpot: After making his reluctant wish for Herbert to be alive again, Mr. White is relieved to see that it apparently didn't work. Then, [[OhCrap he heard a knock at the down]], having forgotten that it was a mile's walk from the cemetery to the house.

* LiteralGenie: the monkey's paw gives you exactly what you wish for. It also gives you something you didn't.

* BittersweetEnding: The Whites lose their only son, but at least the monkey's paw can't hurt anyone ever again. ([[FridgeBrilliance It can only grant three wishes to three people, and Mr. White was the third.]])

In more recent years the titular Paw has become a bit of a StockParody, used when "BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor" is needed for a punchline.

The story begins as Mr. and Mrs. White, average people with a grown son named Herbert, are visited by an old friend of theirs who was a sergeant in India. While there, he got a magical talisman in the form of a monkey's paw, said to grant three wishes to whoever possesses it.

The story begins as Mr. and Mrs. White, average people with a grown son named Herbert, are visited by an old friend of theirs who was a sergeant in India. While there, he got a magical talisman in the form of a monkey's paw, said to grant three wishes to its possessors; with reluctance, he gives to the Whites while first warning them that its previous owners killed themselves for their third wish. Too excited by its mystical powers, Mr. White first wishes for £200. He gets his wish, but at a horrible price. The story continues this way until the most dramatic moment, and they learn their lesson: [[TemptingFate don't tempt fate]], and BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.

The story begins as Mr. and Mrs. White, average people with a grown son named Herbert, are visited by an old friend of theirs who was a sergeant in India. While there, he got a magical talisman called The Monkey's Paw said to grant three wishes, which he gives to them while first warning them that its previous owners killed themselves for their third wish. Too excited by its mystical powers, Mr. White first wishes for £200. He gets his wish, but at a horrible price. The story continues this way until the most dramatic moment, and they learn their lesson: [[TemptingFate don't tempt fate]], and BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.