The Monkey’s Paw

A veteran traveler who narrates the paw’s dangerous history, anchoring the tale’s cautionary tone. His stories frame the moral question of whether some powers should be tempted at all. He embodies experience and restraint in the face of the unknown.

The Whites’ friend who steals the paw and makes a wish for money, under the belief that it will benefit others. He is impulsive and skeptical, underestimating the paw’s price and the consequences of his actions.

John’s wife and Herbert’s mother, who participates in the drama with concern for her family. She desires safety and later attempts a fateful wish to reverse the tragedy, revealing devotion and vulnerability.

The Whites’ son, a hardworking young man who dies in an accident soon after a wish is made. His death becomes the catalyst for the family’s grief and the moral weight of the paw’s consequences.

Herbert’s fiancée, who stands at the edge of a hopeful future that is abruptly disrupted by the family tragedy. She represents the social stakes of the loss and its impact on loved ones.

A lawyer who delivers the grim news of Herbert’s death and later the insurance payout, illustrating the cold, external reality that follows tragedy.

An Indian native who uses the paw in love, illustrating how the paw’s power twists desires into costlier outcomes for others, not just the user.

The enigmatic figure who warns that wishes granted by the paw will come with a price. He personifies the paw’s peril and the limits of human desire.

A secondary Hindu figure connected to the paw’s origin, reinforcing the connection between the artifact and its supernatural consequences.