The Monkey's Paw

W.W.雅各布斯 / 高大友北京真故传媒有限公司 · ChinaMay 2026

4.0

Word count: 5.9K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

An old soldier gives the White family a cursed monkey's paw that he says will grant three wishes. The couple wish for compensation money, but it comes at the cost of their son's gruesome death. In the end they are forced to use their last wish to end the horror.

Editor's review

The Monkey's Paw is one of the most widely circulated horror classics in English short fiction. Jacobs uses an extremely spare style to flip the warm premise of "wishes coming true" into a dark fable of retribution. The structure is exquisitely crafted: suspense begins to build the moment the old soldier hands over the paw, and the three wishes escalate layer by layer. The fear comes not from gory description but from silent blanks and suggestion—the late-night knocking at the door, the whispers at the end of the corridor, the wife frantically searching for her son—all of which let readers fill in the most terrifying imaginings between the lines. This restrained technique of "writing by not writing" sets it apart from modern horror works that rely on visual shock, bringing it closer to the primal unease deep in the human heart. This edition, in addition to the translation, preserves the story's period context, helping readers understand late Victorian England's fascination with exotic Eastern curiosities. It is suitable for reading in one sitting on a quiet night, and also serves as a model for analyzing narrative technique in short fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic Gothic and psychological horror fiction
Writing enthusiasts who want to study suspense structure and the technique of leaving blanks in short stories
Commuters who want a strong reading experience in a short time
General literary readers interested in the "wish and cost" motif

Not a good fit for

Readers who are sensitive to death, the loss of a child, and similar themes and prone to low moods
Readers expecting detailed gore or jump-scare horror
Young children not yet ready for death-themed material

Reading tips

On a first reading, try not to look at the ending in advance, to preserve the suspense experience.
After finishing, go back to the wording of the three wishes and analyze how Jacobs plants foreshadowing through language.
Compare with other "wishes come true" stories and consider the differences in the source of the horror.

About the publisher

北京真故传媒有限公司 China · Founded in 2020

Beijing Zhengu Media Co., Ltd. was established in 2020. Public information about the company is limited; based on the books in the database, its publishing focuses on foreign literature and social novels. It has a series called the Quality Library, which includes Chinese translations of classics such as Pride and Prejudice, The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, Great Expectations, and The Grapes of Wrath. Its author resources cover foreign writers including Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, and George Orwell, while its translators include Wang Keyi, Geng Jizhi, and Hu Zhongchi. Overall, the company mainly introduces and retranslates foreign literary classics, with attention to socially themed fiction, emphasizing translation quality and series-based presentation of classic texts.

版权信息
第一部分（上）
第一部分（下）
第二部分
第三部分

FAQ

How is the way this story frightens different from other horror fiction?

The horror of The Monkey's Paw relies mainly not on direct gore or monster descriptions but on suggestion and blanks. Jacobs leaves the most terrifying parts outside the text, letting readers imagine for themselves what lies behind the late-night knocking and what the wife sees. This restraint actually makes the unease last longer.

Is it long? Is it suitable to read in one sitting?

It is a short story, not long, with a compact structure, suitable for reading in one sitting at a quiet time. Reading it in installments may weaken the cumulative effect of the suspense; it is best to read straight through to the end.

After reading, is it suitable to discuss with a child?

Not very recommended for younger children. The story involves heavy content such as the son's gruesome death and the parents' grief, which can easily cause unease. If the child is older and interested in literature, the theme of "wishes and cost" can be discussed under parental guidance.

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About the author

W.W.雅各布斯 Author

W. W. Jacobs is the author of The Monkey's Paw. Public information about him is currently limited, and his dates of birth and death, nationality and educational background are not reliably recorded. Two of his works are included in the collection, both centered on The Monkey's Paw, including a Chinese-English bilingual edition; they are commonly classified under quality fiction and foreign literature. The story revolves around a monkey's paw that can grant wishes, drawing unsettling consequences from seemingly ordinary requests, with a restrained yet tense atmosphere and an ending that lingers in the mind. Though short, it has circulated widely thanks to its suspenseful construction and psychological detail, and has been adapted into films and other derivative forms, making it a frequently mentioned piece among English short horror tales. The available material is not enough to reconstruct the details of his life, so readers may begin with the text itself and appreciate its narrative pacing and chilling effect.

高大友 Author

Gao Dayou is an author about whom little public information is available. His seven works in the library are commonly classified under foreign literature and social fiction. Judging from his representative titles, he has been involved in translating or editing foreign literary classics, including The Stranger, Letter from an Unknown Woman, Twenty-Four Hours in the Life of a Woman, Strait Is the Gate, My Life, The Monkey's Paw, and a selection of three Chekhov short stories titled To Whom Shall I Tell My Sorrow. These works generally focus on solitude, emotional conflict, and turning points of fate in individual lives, with themes leaning toward social and psychological portrayal, reflecting a sustained engagement with the transmission of foreign literature.