Fear of the Unknown

The story The Monkey's Paw, takes place in what is described as, "a beastly, slushy, out of the way" area where the "pathway's a bog and the road's a torrent." The location alone is setting the stage for fear. The use of fear of the unknown with regard to greed have been shown in a number of ways. Firstly with the game of chess between Mr. White and his son Herbert, then jumping at the chance to make a wish on the paw even after knowing that the paw had brought trouble to others that had used it and lastly asking for their son to be brought back to life.

The game of chess in this story symbolizes life in "The Monkey's Paw." The game of chess entails risk taking. When the story opens Mr. White and his son Herbert are playing a game of chess in the safety and warmth of their home but little do we the reader realize that the outcome of the game will eventually mirror that of the ending of the story. While playing with his son, Mr. White announces his theory of "radical changes" with regard to chess. He takes incredible risk in the game and even Mrs. White is worried about the moves that he makes. We are told that Mr. White has just committed "a fatal mistake after which it was too late." During the game he realizes that while he was feeling confident about the risks he was taking, he discovers that theses risks have brought only loss to his game, foreshadowing much the same as the risks he takes in wishing on the paw for 200 pounds and the great loss that such a wish will bring upon his family.

With the visit from a friend, Sargent-Major Morris, a man who has travelled around the world, the White's comfortable, cozy lifestyle is changed forever. Morris tells the family stories of a recent trip that he had been on to India where he came upon a monkey's paw. He explains to the Whites that the paw had a spell put on it by an