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The Monkey's Paw

{{Short description|1902 horror short story by W. W. Jacobs}}

{{About|the short story by W. W. Jacobs}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}

{{Infobox short story

| name = The Monkey's Paw

| title_orig =

| translator =

| author = W. W. Jacobs

| country = England

| language = English

| series =

| genre = Horror, short story

| published_in = Harper's Monthly

| publisher =

| media_type = Magazine

| pub_date = September 1902

| english_pub_date =

| preceded_by = The Lady of the Barge

| followed_by = Bill's Paper Chase

| wikisource = The Monkey's Paw

}}

"The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs. It first appeared in Harper's Monthly in September, 1902,[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101007184342&seq=668 "The Monkey's Paw", Harper's Monthly, September, 1902. page 634. HathiTrust. Retrieved 15 October 2024.] and was reprinted in his third collection of short stories, The Lady of the Barge, later that year.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XUq2DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT4|title=A Study Guide for W. W. Jacobs's "Monkey's Paw"|author=Gale, Cengage Learning|publisher=Gale Research|page=1|isbn=0787616915}} In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2018/jan/05/david-mitchell-on-the-monkeys-paw-by-ww-jacobs-short-story-podcast|title=David Mitchell on The Monkey's Paw by WW Jacobs – short story podcast|others=Presented by Claire Armitstead, Story read by Ben Hicks, Produced by Susannah Tresilian|date=5 January 2018|work=The Guardian}}

It has been adapted many times in other media, including plays, films, TV series, operas, stories and comics, as early as 1903.{{Cite web|url=https://25yearslatersite.com/2019/10/24/the-eternal-grip-of-creepshows-night-of-the-paw-s1e5/|title=The Eternal Grip of Creepshow's 'Night of the Paw' (S1E5)|date=2019-10-24|website=25YL|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-20}} It was first adapted to film in 1915 as a British silent film directed by Sidney Northcote. The film (now lost) starred John Lawson, who also played the main character in Louis N. Parker's 1907 stage play.

Plot

File:The lady of the barge (1902) (14769861755).jpg, from Jacobs' short story collection The Lady of the Barge (1902)]]

Mr. and Mrs. White, and their grown son, Herbert, are visited by Sergeant-Major Morris, a friend who served with the British Army in India. During dinner, he introduces them to a mummified monkey's paw. He explains how an old fakir has placed a spell on the paw, so that it will grant three wishes but only with hellish consequences as punishment for tampering with fate. Morris, having had a horrible experience using the paw, throws it into the fire, but the sceptical Mr. White retrieves it. Before leaving, Morris warns Mr. White of what might happen should he use the paw.

Mr. White hesitates at first, believing that he already has everything he wants. At Herbert's suggestion, Mr. White flippantly wishes for £200, which will enable him to make the final mortgage payment for his house; he then drops the paw, saying it moved and twisted like a snake. The following day, Herbert leaves for work. That night, a representative of Herbert's employer arrives at the Whites' home, telling them that Herbert has been killed in a terrible accident that mutilated his body. The company denies any responsibility, but tenders a bereavement payment to the family of £200.

A week after the funeral, Mrs. White, mad with grief, insists that her husband use the paw to wish Herbert back to life. Reluctantly, he does so, despite great unease at the thought of summoning his son's mutilated and decomposing body. Later that night, there is a knock at the door. As Mrs. White fumbles at the locks in a desperate attempt to open the door, Mr. White becomes terrified and fears that the thing outside is not the son he loved. He makes his third and final wish. The knocking stops, and Mrs. White opens the door to find that no one is there.

Adaptations

File:Nina Quartero in The Monkey's Paw.JPG in a publicity still from the 1933 American film version]]

The story has been adapted into other media many times, including:

  • On 6 October 1903, a one-act play opened at London's Haymarket Theatre, starring Cyril Maude as Mr. White and Lena Ashwell as Mrs. White.{{cite book|title=The Monkey's Paw: A Story in Three Scenes|author=Jacobs, W. W.|author2=Parker, Louis N.|year=1910|page=[https://archive.org/details/monkeyspawastor00jacogoog/page/n8 5]|publisher=Samuel French, Ltd|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/monkeyspawastor00jacogoog}}
  • A 1907 British stage adaptation by Louis N. Parker starred John Lawson.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 158. {{ISBN|978-1936168-68-2}}.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EHs8CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA36|title=Listen in Terror: British Horror Radio from the Advent of Broadcasting to the Digital Age|date=5 June 2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-7190-8148-4|pages=35–36|author=Richard J. Hand}}
  • A 1915 British film version was directed by Sidney Northcote and starred John Lawson (who was in the 1907 stage play).{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yyqc0Qa6b60C&pg=PA241|title=The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-095194-3|page=241|author=Alan Goble}}
  • A 1919 British silent film (director unknown) is known to have been made but is now considered lost.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 209. {{ISBN|978-1936168-68-2}}.
  • The Monkey's Paw (1923 film) was a British film directed by Manning Haynes and starred Moore Marriott, Marie Ault, and Charles Ashton.
  • A 17 July 1928 British radio adaptation was based on the 1907 play.
  • The Monkey's Paw (1933 film), an American film with screenplay by Graham John and directed by Wesley Ruggles (his last film with RKO), starred C. Aubrey Smith, Ivan Simpson, and Louise Carter. The film was considered lost{{cite book | title=The RKO Story | last1=Jewell | first1=Richard B. | last2=Harbin | first2=Vernon | publisher=Arlington House | year=1982 | place=New York | page=57 |isbn=0-517-546566}} until pictures from it were posted online in 2016; the existing copy is dubbed in French.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22089|title=Not lost !|website=NitrateVille.com|language=en-gb|access-date=8 February 2018}}
  • A 28 May 1946 episode of the BBC Radio series Appointment with Fear.
  • The Monkey's Paw (1948 film), a British film with screenplay by Norman Lee and Barbara Toy.{{cite book|title=Up from the Vault: Rare thrillers of the 1920s and 1930s|author=Soister, John T.|year=2004|page=133|publisher=McPharland|isbn=9780786481859|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JO03AUgzYYYC&q=monkey%27s+paw+barbara+toy&pg=PA133}}
  • A 16 December 1958 episode of the British radio series Thirty-Minute Theatre, starring Carleton Hobbs and Gladys Young.
  • A 1961 Mexican film version called Espiritismo (released as Spiritism in the US), directed by Benito Alazraki and starring Nora Veyran, Jose Luis Jiminez, and Jorge Mondragón.
  • "The Monkey's Paw – A Retelling" aired on American television on 19 April 1965 in season 3, episode 26, of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, starring Leif Erickson, Jane Wyatt, and Lee Majors.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-alfred-hitchcock-hour-the-monkeys-paw-a-retelling-v350858|title=The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: The Monkey's Paw - A Retelling (1965) - Robert Stevens - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|publisher=AllMovie}}
  • An episode of the 1970s British television series Orson Welles Great Mysteries.{{cite web|url=https://networkonair.com/tv/2985-orson-welles-great-mysteries-volume-1|title=Orson Welles Great Mysteries: Volume 1|publisher=Network}}
  • The 1972 horror film Deathdream directed by Bob Clark was adapted from the story as an allegory to the Vietnam war by screenwriter Alan Ormsby.{{Cite web |date=2009-12-31 |title=Dead of Night - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/12966/Dead-of-Night/overview |access-date=2024-07-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231192742/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/12966/Dead-of-Night/overview |archive-date=31 December 2009 }}
  • An 11 July 1980 episode of the Canadian CBC Radio series Nightfall.
  • The 1983 novel Pet Sematary, by American author Stephen King, was reportedly inspired by the story.{{cite news |last1=Winter |first1=Douglas E. |title=Pet Sematary By Stephen King (Doubleday. 373 pp. $15.95.) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1983/11/13/pet-sematary-by-stephen-king-doubleday-373-pp-1595/c2a4bc17-1e88-429d-afd9-ea679ac95f4d/?noredirect=on |access-date=April 8, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 13, 1983}}
  • A 17 January 1988 BBC Radio adaptation by Patrick Galvin, presented as part of Fear on Four; rebroadcast individually as a Halloween special on 31 October 1993.
  • A half-hour televised special broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 in 1988, directed by Andrew Barker and starring Alex McAvoy and Patricia Leslie.{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b797432c5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303051852/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b797432c5|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 March 2017|title = The Monkey's Paw (1988)}}
  • The 1991 pilot episode of the TV series Are You Afraid of the Dark? ("The Tale of the Twisted Claw") parodies the story.{{Cite web |title=Bugs, Bonfires and Baby Ryan Gosling: A Horrifying (and Sometimes Hilarious) History of 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' |url=https://people.com/are-you-afraid-of-the-dark-15-facts-about-the-spooky-nickelodeon-classic-8739696 |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=People.com |language=en}}
  • A 1991 episode of the TV series The Simpsons ("Treehouse of Horror II", Season 3 Episode 7) has members of the Simpsons family making wishes using a cursed monkey's paw.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-halloween-episodes/treehouse-ii/|title='The Simpsons' Halloween Specials: 10 Best 'Treehouse of Horror' Episodes|date=3 October 2022 }}
  • A 1993 episode named Taveez of the Indian television series The Zee Horror Show.
  • A 2001 episode of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("Forever", Season 5 Episode 17) involves a plot line revolving around Buffy's younger sister, Dawn, using a magical spell to resurrect their recently deceased mother. The episode's climax shows Buffy hurriedly attempting to open their front door, while another shot seemingly shows their mother's feet walking toward the house. At the last moment, Dawn undoes the spell and Buffy opens the door to no one.
  • A 2004 adaptation as a radio play narrated by Christopher Lee in 2004 as part of the BBC radio drama series Christopher Lee's Fireside Tales.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018js2l|title=BBC Radio 4 Extra - Christopher Lee's Fireside Tales, The Monkey's Paw|publisher=BBC}}
  • A 2008 Nepali film, Kagbeni, is a loose adaptation of the story.[http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14342 Aiming high with Kagbeni]. NepaliTimes (04 January 2008). Retrieved on 2020-12-20
  • A 2011 short film adaptation directed by Ricky Lewis Jr. is available to watch on YouTube. This short film ends with the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. White, a different ending than the original story.
  • A 2013 American film version with screenplay by Macon Blair, and directed by Brett Simmons.{{cite web |last1=Crimmins |first1=Deirdre |title=THE MONKEY'S PAW plays its cards right. |url=http://filmthrills.com/the-monkeys-paw-plays-its-cards-right/ |website=Film Thrills |access-date=18 November 2021 |date=21 June 2014}}
  • A 2017 American opera, The Monkey's Paw, by composer Brooke deRosa, and produced by Pacific Opera Project.{{Cite web |date=2017-10-31 |title=Pacific Opera Project 2017-18 - The Monkey's Paw & The Medium: Double Bill Enchants & Sets Perfect Halloween Mood |url=https://operawire.com/pacific-opera-project-2017-18-the-monkeys-paw-the-medium-double-bill-enchants-sets-perfect-halloween-mood/ |access-date=2022-11-28 |website=OperaWire |language=en-US}}

See also

{{Portal|Novels}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Wikisource}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Gutenberg | no=12122 | name=The Lady of the Barge |chapter=The Monkey's Paw | author=W. W. Jacobs}}

  • {{librivox book | title=The Monkey's Paw |dtitle ="The Monkey's Paw" | author=W. W. JACOBS}}
  • [https://americanliterature.com/author/w-w-jacobs/short-story/the-monkeys-paw The Monkey's Paw]; full short story text
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmYDQcaB2c8 The Monkey's Paw - Chilling Tales for Dark Nights]; an unabridged narration performed by a full cast
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugjegclLNhM The Monkey's Paw (2011)]; a faithful short film adaptation directed by Ricky Lewis Jr

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Category:1902 short stories

Category:British short stories

Category:Fiction about curses

Category:Horror short stories

Category:Metaphors referring to monkeys

Category:Short stories adapted into films