In “The Monkey’s Paw,” the author uses both actions and words of the sergeant-major to build suspense. Using evidence from the text, describe how both the words he says and the actions he takes build suspense.<\/p>\n
Sergeant-Major Morris is the catalyst for the events that befall Mr. and Mrs. White. He brings with him the titular Monkey\u2019s Paw, which he explains is a talisman enchanted by a fakir to demonstrate the dangers of meddling with fate. He tries to warn them against using the paw\u2019s magic, but is not willing to explain why: he states that he has used his three wishes, and \u2018his blotchy face whitened\u2019 (Jacobs, 2014, p.5) upon acknowledging this, but does not say what any of his wishes were. The White family are excited at the prospect of \u2018magic\u2019, but Sergeant-Major Morris appears haunted by the impact of the paw (though we never find out precisely what that has been for him). He then explains that he is the paw\u2019s second owner, and that the first lost possession of it in tragic circumstances: \u2018”I don’t know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That’s how I got the paw”\u2019 (Jacobs, 2014, p. 5). Despite this, when Mr. White asks if he would take another three wishes, should they be offered him, he cannot quite respond negatively: he simply responds, \u2018I don\u2019t know [\u2026] I don\u2019t know\u2019 (Jacobs, 2014, p.6). This element of uncertainty builds the suspense, as his warning that terrible things will occur is undermined somewhat by his strange desire to continue utilising the magic. His attempts to throw the paw on the fire are scuppered by Mr. White \u2013 eventually, Morris allows the other man to take control of the paw, but again tries to \u2018warn [him] of the consequences\u2019 (Jacobs, 2014, p.7). As we are never told of either the benefits or consequences that Morris faced as a result of the paw\u2019s magic, and we know that the White family will wish imminently, the suspense is magnified.<\/p>\n
Jacobs, W. W. (2014). \u2018The Monkey\u2019s Paw\u2019. Kindle ed. London: CreateSpace publishing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In “The Monkey’s Paw,” the author uses both actions and words of the sergeant-major to build suspense. Using evidence from the text, describe how both the words he says and the actions he takes build suspense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n