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.
I would say that the theme that Leo Tolstoy explores in this excerpt from The Death of Ivan Ilyich is that C) human mortality is inevitable, and it is important to live an authentic life.
Mary Warren was used by Proctor in the court scene to hopefully prove his innocence as a witch. However, Mary Warren is also branded as a witch by Abigail when she contrives a devilish bird in the sky that she screams was sent by Warren herself. In the Crucible, Warren doesn't really have a good track record with either side as she just ends up getting manipulated.
