Prose Analysis:
Introduction:
The Monkey’s Paw is a short story written by W.W. Jacobs. This is the story of 3 wishes being granted to
a couple. The first wish is for money, it lands them with their son dead, and money for compensation.
The theme of the story is to be careful what you wish for you never know what you’re going to get.
Dramatistic Questions:
1. Who is speaking?
Mr. White, the father
2. To whom is Mr. White [father] speaking?
Mr. White is speaking to his wife Mrs. White in this cutting. It is obvious that he is speaking to
her because they are having a conversation back and forth.
3. What is the narrator speaking about? The 2nd wish hasn’t been asked for; his wife wants it to
be for the return of her son.
What is the “theme” of the selection? The theme is to be careful what you wish for, you may
get it but with very hard consequences.
What are some of the general ideas being conveyed? It seems to me as if Mr. White did not
want to ask for the 2nd wish. Possibly because of the outcome of the 1st wish.
Is the plot causal or contingent? Contingent, because it’s not every day that you receive a
monkey’s paw that will give you 3 wishes.
4. Where is the father during the virtual present?
The story takes place in the White’s home. The White’s are lying down in bed when this
conversation occurs.
5. When does the father tell the story?
The father is not telling the story. The narrator is not the father. The father is one of the
characters in the story.
6. How is the speaking in the story?
What is the tone, style, or mood of the piece? It is a horror story, very intense.
Does he speak formally, consultatively, causally, or intimately? Casually, he is speaking with
his wife.
How are tag lines used? To add in emotion such as pauses.
Do they reveal the attitude of the father? Yes, it adds a sense of caring or frustration.
7. Why is the narrator telling the story?
To once again remind you that you may want something but what comes along with getting
what you want you may receive tragedy or heartache.
8. Who is speaking?
Mrs. White, the mother
9. To whom is Mrs. White speaking? Mrs. White is speaking to her husband, Mr. White in this
cutting. It is obvious that she is speaking to him because they are having a conversation back
and forth.
10. What is Mrs. White speaking about? She is speaking about the 2nd wish not being asked for yet.
She wants it to be for the return of her son.
What is the “theme” of the selection? The theme is to be careful what you wish for, you may
get it but with very hard consequences.
What are some of the general ideas being conveyed? Mrs. White wants her son to be returned.
How are the events triggered in her mind? She knows she has 2 more wishes left for the
monkey’s paw.
Is the plot causal or contingent? Contingent because this would not ordinarily happen in real
life.
11. Where is the mother during the virtual present?
The story takes place in the White’s home. The White’s are lying down in bed when this
conversation occurs.
12. When does the narrator tell the story?
How long after the virtual-past did the events occur? How does he manipulate time in the
selection? Cite examples of summary, scene, and description and moments of story time vs.
discourse time.
13. How is the narrator telling the story?
What is the tone, style, or mood of the piece? Does he speak formally, consultatively,
causally, or intimately? How are tag lines used? Do they reveal the attitude of the narrator?
14. Why is the narrator telling the story?
To once again remind you that you may want something but what comes along with getting what
you want you may receive tragedy or heartache.
15. Who is speaking?
Narrator
16. To whom is the narrator speaking?
The Narrator is speaking to the audience telling them the story of the White family and the 3
wishes that they have been promised from the gift of the monkey paw.
17. What is the narrator speaking about? The narrator is speaking about Mrs. White asking for the
money from the monkey’s paw. Then in return her son was killed, in return they got the money
she asked for compensation for the death. Now Mrs. White is trying to get her husband to let
her ask for their son’s return.
What is the “theme” of the selection? The theme is to be careful what you wish for, you may
get it but with very hard consequences.
What are some of the general ideas being conveyed? Mrs. White wants her son back alive, but
knows that he will be all mangled up if he does return.
Is the plot causal or contingent? The plot is contingent because not in everyday life do you
receive a monkey’s paw that will grant you 3 wishes. You only find things such as that in
fairytales and Disney movies.
18. Where is the narrator during the virtual present? The narrator is an onlooker, not a character,
possible be looked at as just a fly on the wall because he does not interact with the characters.
The narrator is just the story teller.
If not specified, where might they be when telling the story? The narrator is just an onlooker,
watching what everyone is doing.
Where does the actual story take place during events that are virtual past? The cutting, in this
part of the story, takes place at the White’s home, at night; while they are lying down to go to
sleep.
19. When does the narrator tell the story? The narrator is telling the story as it happens, he tells
what the characters are doing and saying.
How long after the virtual-past did the events occur? The narrator is in the present time when
the events are occurring.
20. What is the tone, style, or mood of the piece? This prose is a horror story that is very scary and
intense.
Does he speak formally, consultatively, causally, or intimately? The narrator is speaking
formally.
21. Why is the narrator telling the story?
The narrator is telling the story so the readers can understand why it is important to be careful,
not to get to excited when you think you can have what you want. It may have tough outcomes
in the result.
Performance Analog
Narrator
Character Placement: Not in the actual story.
Focus: Open
Voice: Slow with no emotion
Body: Upright.
Description of Characters: Tales the story as it happens
Movement: None, still, no attention is to be directed toward the narrator
Relationship to Audience: Just as the story teller
Gestures: None, narrator is not a character and should remain unnoticed.
Mr. White
Character Placement: One of the main characters.
Focus: Open
Voice: Stern,
Body: Upright
Description of Characters: Father, husband and not wanting to wish for another wish
Movement: He reacts to the events
Relationship to Audience: Emotive.
Gestures: Facial, few with body
Mrs. White
Character Placement: One of the main characters.
Focus: Open
Voice: sweet, caring, excited
Body: Upright
Description of Characters: Mother, wife, wants her son back alive
Movement: She reacts to the events
Relationship to Audience: Emotive.
Gestures: Facial, few with body
Modal Analysis:
External Mode: The Monkey’s Paw is a very dramatic selection.
Internal Mode:
Script Analysis:
Retyped cutting of selection with Individual columns or papers addressing the following
within the selection: the internal modal analysis, performance choices, and focus points.
Performance Analogue:
An outline of the performance choices for the following areas for everyone that speaks in your
selection: vocal choices, physical choices, and focus points. These should be very different for
each narrator or character presented.