The Monkey’s Paw – W  W Jacobs

When I was in high school, I had an English text that was a short story book called Stories to Enjoy which was put together by Ned Hoopes.  I noticed the same book in a classroom scene in the movie The Sixth Sense and it prompted me to revisit the book. The collection included a story called The Monkey’s Paw by W W Jacobs.  The story is a typical lesson in what goes wrong when a couple get their hands on a lucky monkey’s paw that gives them three wishes. I always remembered this story as I always wanted something like that to happen to me.  I thought it might be fun to be able to just wish for something and have it appear in some way.  Of course, in these types of stories, the wishes usually backfire in some way, shape, or form.

William Wymark Jacobs

The author of The Monkey’s Paw, W W Jacobs ,was born in Wapping, London in 1863. William Wymark Jacobs, was educated at a private school in London and then later at Birbeck College. He worked for a while at the Post Office Savings Bank but was published by 1885.  Jacobs was financially secure enough to leave the Post Office in 1899. After marrying in 1900, he lived in Essex. His wife was a militant suffragette and although there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of information available on Jacobs, his stories are intense enough to gain him interest.

Jacobs died in Islington in 1943, but his legacy suggests that the grass isn’t always greener and although this week’s blog isn’t very long, it’s sufficient to tell you that Once upon a time in London, a story was written which reminds us to be careful what we wish for.

http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/mnkyspaw.htm