When Sergeant-Major Morris initially tells the story behind the magic monkey's paw, Mr. White and his son are intrigued by the story. Both Mr. White and his son, Herbert, ask Sergeant-Major Morris several questions regarding the monkey's paw, its origins, and its history. While both Mr. White and his son find the monkey's paw fascinating, they are not positive that the paw is actually magical and want to find out for themselves if Morris is telling the truth. Mrs. White does not believe that the monkey's paw has any magical powers and dismisses it as being pure fantasy. After her husband recovers it from the fire, Mrs. White comments, "Sounds like the ‘Arabian Nights'" (Jacobs, 3). Herbert then encourages his father to make a wish and suggests that he wish for two hundred pounds to pay off the mortgage. Mr. White considers Herbert's suggestion and casually wishes for two hundred pounds. Suddenly, Mr. White feels the monkey's paw move and his wife insists that it was simply his imagination. Herbert also reveals his doubts about the magical powers of the monkey's paw before heading to bed. Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. White discover the dark truth behind the monkey's paw as their worst fears come to fruition.
Theme. The theme of the poem is to portray how a child gets excited and thrilled by his own shadow. The child is curious and wonders how the shadows keep changing for everyone. He is impressed by his own shadow and so he starts noticing everything about his shadow.
