Paine's purpose is to convince Americans to seek freedom from British rule as soon as possible. He wants people to start fighting for America's independence before it’s too late. He reminds them, "When William the Conqueror subdued England he gave them law at the point of the sword." Paine doesn’t want America to have the same fate that England suffered under the rule of William the Conqueror.
A complication that makes it difficult for the characters to reach their goal in the story of the monkey’s paw is that the monkey’s paw they use grants their wishes, but it comes at a terrible cost.
