In “The Monkey's Paw,” author William Jacobs delivers a cautionary tale about unintended consequences and how achieving what we wish for might turn out to be catastrophic in ways we wouldn't expect. This terrifying story follows the White family as they receive a talisman, a monkey's paw that grants three wishes, but each of these wishes comes true in unexpected circumstances. Jacobs uses foreshadowing, figurative language, and mood to examine crucial questions, such as what can happen when we try to interfere with destiny and the dangers of what happens when we follow our curiosity a little too far . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Jacobs uses foreshadowing to add more suspense to the story of what will happen next and to keep readers in suspense. At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Sergeant Major Morris, who shows the whites the famous "monkey's paw." Morris tells the family that it is a talisman that can grant three wishes but at a price. He explains that the monkey's paw “was bewitched by an old fakir, a very holy man. He wanted to show that destiny ruled people's lives and that those who tried to change it would regret it. This illustrates how the Monkey's Paw was explicitly designed to harm anyone who attempted to change fate. Morris warns the family that the last man who had it ultimately wished for death. He explains to the family the dangers and consequences of the monkey's paw and how it will harm the family if they were to use it. Through foreshadowing, readers are informed that the story is going to be suspenseful and that the monkey's paw will be the one responsible for what happens. Another event foreshadowed was the death of Herbert White: the death of Mr. and Mrs. Whites. son. Mr. White decides to use the talisman even after all the warnings he has been given. For the first wish, he decides to wish for two hundred pounds; He did not know that his son would have to die to receive it. After he does his first, the atmosphere in the house becomes tense and dark as if something terrible is about to happen. The wind picks up outside and “an unusual and depressing silence settles over all three.” After Mr. and Mrs. White go to bed, Herbert sits alone in the dark and looks at the faces of the fire, and in the last one he sees "a face so horrible and simian that he looked at it with astonishment". The face became so realistic that it scared him, so he grabbed a cup of water to throw at it but ended up catching the monkey's paw. This illustrates how Herbert can be the one who pays the consequences of the first wish, preparing readers for the first horrible event, Herbert's death. The next day, Herbert dies at the factory and Mr. White receives two hundred pounds as compensation for his son's death. Jacobs uses literary elements to give the story a more robust and impactful meaning. After Mr. White made his first wish, he said, "It moved," he cried, "with a look of disgust at the object as it lay on the ground." As I wished, it twisted in my hands like a snake.” The author compares the monkey's paw to a snake to emphasize how dangerous it is and thus the readers know that whatever happens will not be good. Snakes are evil, calculating and treacherous animals; you never know what to expect from them. At the same time, they represent power, and some even say that they are “magical creatures”. These are animals related to.