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Who Was To Blame For The Monkey's Paw

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Who Was To Blame For The Monkey's Paw
Many people would believe that the Sergeant is to blame for the monkey's paw, but when it really is, it’s Mr. White’s own fault. Mr. White from The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs, and is very much to blame, even more so than the Sergeant. The story focuses on a family who took a monkey's paw from a man, leading up to the unfortunate main events that took place. It starts with a man visiting Mr. White’s home in unlikely weather. The sergeant is welcomed in and tells stories of his journeys and movings from place to place, having a dislike for India. When asked, the sergeant tells the monkey's paw. They all listened intently, and Mr. White and Herbert, his son, were skeptical. “His manners were so impressive that his hearers were conscious that their light laughter jared somewhat,” (Jacobs, 2). …show more content…
The Sergeant decided to throw it in a fire, but Mr. White snatched it out to keep it, “White, with a slight cry, stooped down and snatched it off,” (Jacobs, 2). The Sergeant ends up warning him about using the paw, and if he is to use it to use it sensibly, If Mr. White would’ve listened to the soldier, he wouldn’t have been in so much pain from wishing from the paw. After the Sergeant left, his son and he jokingly asked the talisman for 200 pounds, saying, “‘Well wish for two hundred pounds, then; that’ll just do it,’” (Jacobs, 3). Nothing happens, so they become discouraged. Then, the tragedy struck and Mr. and Mrs. White learned that their son had died. They ended up getting 200 pounds as an apology. He soon realizes this and is devastated upon figuring out the cause. “Unconscious of his wife’s shriek, the old man smiled faintly, put out his hands like a sightless man, and dropped, a senseless heap, to the floor,” (Jacobs,

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