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7th out of 101 books
—
31 voters
The Monkey's Paw
Outside, the night is cold and wet. Inside, the White family sits and waits. Where is their visitor?
There is a knock at the door. A man is standing outside in the dark. Their visitor has arrived.
The visitor waits. He has been in India for many years. What has he got? He has brought the hand of a small, dead animal--a monkey's paw.
Outside, in the dark, the visitor smiles an...more
There is a knock at the door. A man is standing outside in the dark. Their visitor has arrived.
The visitor waits. He has been in India for many years. What has he got? He has brought the hand of a small, dead animal--a monkey's paw.
Outside, in the dark, the visitor smiles an...more
30 pages
Published
(first published 1902)
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15th out of 113 books
—
28 voters
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What is the most anthologized piece of short horror fiction ever?
I'll give you a hint. It is not anything by Poe.
That's right. The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacob. Say whatever you want about this old warhorse. However, it was often the first real horror story many of us had read. It is responsible for a lot of nightmares throughout its more than a hundred years of scaring people. Not to mention it is responsible for one of the best parodies from The Simpson's Halloween episodes.
If you have never r...more
I'll give you a hint. It is not anything by Poe.
That's right. The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacob. Say whatever you want about this old warhorse. However, it was often the first real horror story many of us had read. It is responsible for a lot of nightmares throughout its more than a hundred years of scaring people. Not to mention it is responsible for one of the best parodies from The Simpson's Halloween episodes.
If you have never r...more
This book is an unsettling tale of being careful what you wish for. It is morbid and depressing. When I listened to it in school, the fact that the audio included sound effects like rushing wind didn't help either. Creepy things are not for me.
"The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door..."
Throughout this story those words by Frederic Brown rang in my head. The Monkey's Paw delivers the same cutting-edge tension and
horror, wrapped in fear of the unknown and somewhat humorous irony. It's blatantly obvious the amount classic chillers can offer, especially the shorts. 10 pages of this will almost without doubt have you on the edge of your seat up until the last line. A little beauty for fans of the horror g...more
Throughout this story those words by Frederic Brown rang in my head. The Monkey's Paw delivers the same cutting-edge tension and
horror, wrapped in fear of the unknown and somewhat humorous irony. It's blatantly obvious the amount classic chillers can offer, especially the shorts. 10 pages of this will almost without doubt have you on the edge of your seat up until the last line. A little beauty for fans of the horror g...more
My school teacher read this to our class for Halloween one year when I was in junior high. For years, I remembered neither the title nor the author. But I remembered the story. Recently, I came across a description of The Monkey’s Paw on Amazon. I sat up, recalled it from school, and exclaimed at my computer, “That’s it!”
The Monkey’s Paw is a short story about a family who has a visit from a man possessing a strange monkey’s paw. The paw is supposed to grant three wishes. But be careful what you...more
The Monkey’s Paw is a short story about a family who has a visit from a man possessing a strange monkey’s paw. The paw is supposed to grant three wishes. But be careful what you...more
The "Never-Ending Book Quiz" reminded me of this fascinating short story that I read sometime back in the day (middle or high school?). Rediscovering great mandatory reads like this makes me wonder what other short stories I've read in class, loved, and have forgotten.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Has this happened to anyone else?
As with most short stories, The Monkey's Paw is based solely on a concept without any real conflict or character development. The theme is spelled out for us immediately: we are all guided by fate, and if we try to break free, our lives become miserable. To demonstrate this, some kind of a shaman puts a curse on a monkey's paw so that whoever possesses it is given three wishes, but they are granted in twisted ways. For this to work in a story, you need stupid characters that totally disregard wa...more
Oct 31, 2012
Ania
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of classic horror
Recommended to Ania by:
goodreads
Shelves:
short-stories,
britain
Enjoyable but problematic in the end. Like some other reviewers I couldn't for the life of me understand why the previous owner of the paw didn't just destroy it, unless to keep it as a cruel reminder of all that he has lost. Even so, he should have shut up about it and never mentioned it to anyone. It would have remained the hideous but completely ordinary trinket from the Orient. However, thinking back on it, perhaps he wanted to share his sorrows with the White family whom were his friends, b...more
This was a scary story! I had to read this a while back for an english class and I was creaped out. I hate the ending and the climax.... I can still picture it in my head to this day...the way the son's dead body must have looked, banging on the dorr, while the mother tried to open the door... the father desperately looking for the monkey paw... scary is the word. I am only giving this a1 star because I didn't like the story, nothing against the way it was written or the style... in fact this wa...more
I remember hearing this story from a school teacher but I didn't remember the details so I read it again considering it is almost Halloween. This story has a real potential of being scary but for me it wasn't. As a book, it is not long enough to develop the characters and the story in order to give you the chills. This story would make a much better tv episode or radio program. That way the story could more elements to make the story scary such as sound effects and scary music.
Until I answered a question about it in 'The Never-Ending Book Quiz' I'd completely forgotten I'd read this book. I'm not sure if it was the original or the shortened version (because I was able to finish it in one afternoon). I remember being unaccountably scared after I was done reading it, frustrated that there wasn't anything left to read after the three wishes, and thinking of it as somewhat evil. Other than that, it was just boring. Chilling, but boring.
This is a great short story. What I believe the moral is trying to say here is that you can't have everything at the snap of a finger (no pun!). There has to be a consequence if you're going to get something without earning/working for it. It starts off slow and very inconspicuous...but around the middle of part II starts to get creepy and send chills down your spin. Don't read this story alone in the dark..it may scar you for a while!
Read because it was on the GreatBooks app and because it was short, this is a thoroughly creepy short story. Imagine having three wishes— pretty innocent wishes, nice ones…
And then, terrible things happen. The wishes come true, but in such a way that they could be some gruesome coincidence.
The moral, if you will, of the story is to leave things as they are. Don't rely on magic to get what you want.:
And then, terrible things happen. The wishes come true, but in such a way that they could be some gruesome coincidence.
The moral, if you will, of the story is to leave things as they are. Don't rely on magic to get what you want.:
Still one of my favorite ghost stories of all time. I remember my mother reading this to me as a child and telling me how much it scared her. Then last year I sat in a cozy room in Cambridge, listening to an old English professor read this story by the light of a flickering fireplace. Absolutely wonderful. A gut-wrenching, shiver-inducing tale that still creeps me out years later.
Oh My God! The Monkeys Paw! I was randomly browsing good reads and came upon this. I read this in elementary school, I LOVED it. It gave me the creeps. I actually own a little monkey's paw necklace that always reminds me f this book. I like to pretend my necklace grants me wishes... HARMLESS ones :P. I think this is a great school read with a moral behind it.
Ugh, I love this story. It's just wonderful. I remember reading it several times throughout high school and loving it each time. I remember my junior year, my teacher said we'd be reading it and I realized what it was and I got excited to read it again. I need to find a copy to refresh my memory on it.
Dec 17, 2009
Angela Alcorn
marked it as to-read
I like how incredibly suspenseful and provoking this short story is.
It shows that you should be really, REALLY careful on what you wish for.
The Whites should have known that a long time ago.
By the way, you're a jerkass, Mr. Sergeant-Major Morris. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!
It shows that you should be really, REALLY careful on what you wish for.
The Whites should have known that a long time ago.
By the way, you're a jerkass, Mr. Sergeant-Major Morris. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!
I think I was in grade 3 or 4 when I first had this story read to me. My teacher also showed the class a movie version of this on Halloween. My young mind created horrible images of a mutilated young man knocking on my bedroom door every night for a long, long time.
I remember reading this my Freshman year of Highschool. It is a little on the scary side, but I definitley think it's worth reading once in your life. I mean what will it hurt? If you don't like it you have only wasted 10 minutes of your life ;)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Ah, middle-school english class nostalgia. The Monkey's Paw is a great piece; the theme is pretty simple, but it's written in a really chilling way that gets to you when you're young. Heck, it still gets to me now.
time 60min
friend-back-paw-hope-unhappy-used-die
If your wish can fulfill what do you hope?
I hope to send happy life forever!
Who is your significant other?
My family and some friend is precious for me.
friend-back-paw-hope-unhappy-used-die
If your wish can fulfill what do you hope?
I hope to send happy life forever!
Who is your significant other?
My family and some friend is precious for me.
I think I read this in school many years ago, and just wanted to refresh my memory one more time. I love this story, it's spooky, I can't stop picturing the paw. How disgusting yet captivating.
This was one of those short stories that was good, enjoyable, but not a 'need-to-read' tale. It is, however, one of those short stories that shows the weight that all classics carry.
Read it in 7th grade, scared me straight and my hand was chosen to be the monkey's paw for the class play (no, not cuz i'm black, I have long fingers ok mashaAllah lol).
One of the scariest stories I have ever read, if not the scariest. A well-developed short story with a classic theme enforced effectively by its horror and suspense.
Jun 17, 2012
Michele
added it
A different type of short story but still intriguing. A good short story to read around Halloween time. This is also mandated reading for my 9th graders.
I really liked this book.I read it at the school library.When I finished it,I felt like "Whoa,you really need to be careful of what you wish for!"
I can't quite remember when i read this but there is an eerie memory in the back of my mind that tells me i have heard it before...
I read this as a child of about 10 or 11. I have never forgotten it. Quite frightening. It has made me very careful of what I wish for.
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3 trivia questions
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“Neither spoke, but lat silently listening to the ticking of the clock. A stair creaked, and a squeaky mouse scurried noisily through the wall. The darkness was oppressive, and after lying for some time screwing up his courage, he took the box of matches, and striking one, went downstairs for a candle.
At the foot of the stairs the match went out, and he paused to strike another; and at the same moment a knock came so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door.
The matches fell from his hand and spilled in the passage. He stood motionless, his breath suspended until the knock was repeated. Then he turned and fled swiftly back to his room, and closed the door behind him. A third knock sounded through the house.”
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4 people liked it
More quotes…
At the foot of the stairs the match went out, and he paused to strike another; and at the same moment a knock came so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door.
The matches fell from his hand and spilled in the passage. He stood motionless, his breath suspended until the knock was repeated. Then he turned and fled swiftly back to his room, and closed the door behind him. A third knock sounded through the house.”
Aug 23, 2012 02:59pm
Aug 24, 2012 05:23am