Skip to main content

What words help create the atmosphere at the beginning of "The Monkey's Paw"?

I think we can agree that The Monkey's Paw is a pretty spooky/creepy story. So let's read over the first chunk of it and look for words that give us a spooky or uneasy feeling. 

I find that atmosphere can be a difficult concept to grasp. What helps me when it comes to atmosphere or tone is to imagine a different word in place of the word that is actually there in the story. So for each atmospheric word we go over, I'll try to show how another word would have created a different atmosphere or tone in the story.



Without, the night was cold and wet, 



In the first line, we've got two adjectives that begin to set up the atmosphere of the story for us. Something that is cold and wet is unfriendly, uncomfortable, and makes us feel uneasy. Alternatively, if it was a warm and star-filled night that would create quite a different scene!


Okay, let's find three more words that set up the atmosphere/tone.


Later, when Sergeant-Major Morris is asked about the monkey's paw, he claims that the story about it is:



"Nothing," said the soldier hastily. "Leastways, nothing worth hearing."



He said this hastily. We often do things hastily when we don't really want to do them. If Sergeant-Major Morris had said the words warmly or laughingly we would have a much different idea of how he feels about the monkey's paw. Since he gives his answer hastily, we can guess that he doesn't want to talk about the monkey's paw.


Finally Morris does start to talk about it. When Herbert tells Morris to take his three wishes, Morris says:



"I have," he said quietly, and his blotchy face whitened.



Again, Morris is not speaking of the monkey's paw loudly or proudly. He is speaking quietly. Speaking quietly is often associated with fear or shame. This adds to the mystery and fear around the money's paw.


The fact that Morris's face whitens is also telling. People usually go pale when they are scared. If his face had turned red, we might infer that Morris became angry. His pale face adds to the mysteriousness and fear of the monkey's paw and adds to the spooky atmosphere of the story.


I hope this helped!

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more