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== Does Pet Sematary really belong here? ==
==Monkey's Paw is a suggestive type of story==
The story of Monkey's Paw is a suggestive type of story in which the reader can give a suggestion what was the ending of the story. Perhaps the end of the story was a debatable if it was really Herbert knocking on the door or just something. But whatever the reader's view it is still correct because eveery one is entitle of his/heer own opinion. <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:203.115.167.19|203.115.167.19]] ([[User talk:203.115.167.19|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/203.115.167.19|contribs]]) </span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> 03:50, 20 July 2005


Under '''Notable versions''' it says: "A 1983 Stephen King novel, Pet Sematary, is a retelling of the story." But I'm not sure the source supports that [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1983/11/13/pet-sematary-by-stephen-king-doubleday-373-pp-1595/c2a4bc17-1e88-429d-afd9-ea679ac95f4d/?noredirect=on]. The source says "And then, if that family's two-year- old son were to fall victim to another passing truck. . . . The book would be a conscious retelling of W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," that enduring short story about parents who literally wish their son back from the dead. After King completed the first draft, the book [...] was put away." So:
== The Monkey's Paw ==
# the reporting seems to be conjecture in Washington Post's voice, not King's
The story starts out as a family waiting for an old friend to stop by, in the bad weather. As it ends out the friend, Sergent Morris, stops by and has a nice conversation with the Whites. After a while, Mr. White asks about the Monkey's Paw, the Sergent doesn't really want to talk about it, but Mr. White insists. So he gives it to him.
# it appears to refer to an initial draft, not the final novel
what do u think should happen next.
# it is set up as a hypothetical ''if'', then the book would be a retelling...
Before sergent gave it to them he tells them the legend behind it. It had really belonged to somebody in india and it can only serve to 3 people and only grant 3 wishes. Then seregent gives it to Mr. White and Herbet, his son, tells him to wish for $500 to pay off the house. It seems like a good idea to him so he does it. After, nothing happens, and Herbert goes to work and tells his parents to save the money till he gets home. Little does the parents suspect anything that anything will happen to Herbert. After a while, they just sit there and somebody is by the door. He hesitates to come to the door looking like he was confused. Then he came to the door.
Having read the plot summary at Wikipedia here, it seems the novel may share some elements with, and/or have been inspired by "The Monkey's Paw", but the published result seems to stray very far from the narrative, enough that it cannot really be considered a ''version'' of the story. <small><sub>''signed'', </sub></small>[[User:Willondon|Willondon]] ([[User Talk:Willondon|talk]]) 20:32, 30 April 2023 (UTC)
Who was it?
It was somebody from the company Herbert works at. He told the Whites that their son was dead and the company wasn't responsible. But they do get $500 as a gift to make them feel better. So now the parents weep the whole night through. Before Mr. White even thinks about throwing it in the fire and forgetting about the whole Monkey's paw idea, he wishes for his son to come back. They dont think, because the mutilated body of their son would come, not the real thing, but mrs. white doesnt realize.


== What about [[Monkeypaw Productions]]? ==
I believe the story is in effect a tale of sacrasism and morale value. It shows that people who interefere with fate do so at their own risk, hence the words: "It had a spell put on it by an old fakir," said the sergeant-major, "a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow." when it concludes with the desperate behaviour of the "old woman", that rally has an escense of a modern horror story.


According to https://www.avid.wiki/Monkeypaw_Productions, It was named after this tale. [[User:Chiagozie Elobuike|Chiagozie Elobuike]] ([[User talk:Chiagozie Elobuike|talk]]) 19:08, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
Tales from the Crypt did a related tale. <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:70.107.87.235|70.107.87.235]] ([[User talk:70.107.87.235|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/70.107.87.235|contribs]]) </span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> 18:59, 16 October 2005


:Has a [[WP:SECONDARY|secondary]] source made note of this? [[User:Doniago|DonIago]] ([[User talk:Doniago|talk]]) 19:24, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
==X-files episode==
::Idk [[User:Chiagozie Elobuike|Chiagozie Elobuike]] ([[User talk:Chiagozie Elobuike|talk]]) 15:17, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
I'm pretty sure I remember an X-files episode based on this theme, but I want to be sure before adding that to the article under the 'in popular media' section. I think the episode involved a genie(I think she came out of a carpet instead of a lamp), but the main similarity is that someone wished to bring his brother back to life(after dying as a result of wishing to be invisible and getting hit by a truck), and after seeing the horrifying result, used another wish to cancel it out. The first wish may have involved wealth, I don't remember all the details, or if the invisibility was the first wish or part of a seperate set of 3 wishes. --[[User:Outdoorvegan|Outdoorvegan]] 14:42, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

== Organizing "similar stories" reference ==

I have reorganized the references to similar works, but I'm not sure my new setup works well. Suggestions/improvements are welcome.
I tried to separate it into versions of the actual story itself (films, play, etc.) and then variations on it, with the latter divided into parodies, and similar works (stories about wishes gone bad featuring a moneky's paw). That meant combining a manga and TV show with literary works. I also removed a reference or two that weren't specifically enough similar to this story, since "wishes went unexpectedly bad" could encompass a vast amount of fiction. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] 20:34, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

== Monkey's Paw ==

(This comment moved from personal Talk page)
I understand the necessity to keep articles "clean," but one of the major aspects of Wikipedia I enjoy is learning and becoming aware of random information like other adaptations. Since the article is already terse, why do you feel the need to keep editing it for brevity when the information being added is interesting, relevant, and not superfluous? <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:JeezBreeze|JeezBreeze]] ([[User talk:JeezBreeze|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/JeezBreeze|contribs]]) 09:52, 3 July 2009 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

: I have been removing references to programs/films/cartoons that have storylines similar to "Monkey's Paw" but not identical to it - e.g., the Simpson's "Treehouse of Horror" - because the list was (IMHO) getting way too long. This person disagrees. Any other thoughts? - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 11:44, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

::How about creating a page listing the entries--List of adaptations of "The Monkey's Paw"? That would keep this article terse and yet document to interested readers adaptations to the story line. You could provide a link thru a "See also:" in the existing section "Variations, parodies". [[User:Pinethicket|Pinethicket]] ([[User talk:Pinethicket|talk]]) 15:59, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

:::Good idea - go ahead! - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 01:25, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

The Simpsons version, incidentally, had a cute gimmick: The monkey's paw had (like the Simpsons cartoon characters) a thumb and only three fingers, and is formed in a fist, but with the first wish the index finger straightens out, then the second and third fingers in turn. There was also a variant story as part of the theatrical British-made movie, Tales From the Crypt (1972), starring Richard Greene -- in dire circumstances his wife wishes for enough money to stave off bankruptcy, Greene is killed in a highway accident and she gets his life insurance. After the funeral his wife wishes him "back, just as he was before his car collided with the tree" - his coffin is suddenly brought into the house by silent men who promptly leave - but he is dead in the coffin and a friend must explain to the wife that her husband suffered a fatal heart attack while driving and then his car hit the tree, so she impulsively wishes him "alive again and never dying" and his corpse becomes animated and screams unceasingly, because filled with embalming fluid, and nothing will put him out of his misery - not even chopping him up with an axe. [[User:Sussmanbern|Sussmanbern]] ([[User talk:Sussmanbern|talk]]) 03:01, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

:Eternal agony - that's certainly cute, all right. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 12:00, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

== Buffy episode ==
BUFFY adapted the story in its fifth season, in an episode called FOREVER. Buffy's adoptive sister Dawn Summers obtains a spell and tries to ressurect their mother Joyce, who died in the previous episode. When she and Buffy hear a knocking at the door during a storm, Dawn loses her nerve and cancels the spell, and Buffy opens the door to find nobody there. In this version the sisters are not responsible for the original death.
[[User:CharlesTheBold|CharlesTheBold]] ([[User talk:CharlesTheBold|talk]]) 12:20, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
: That is a perfect example of the "based on/similar to Monkey's Paw" story lines that I have removed from the article because, IMHO, there are way too many of them to be listed (see my comment directly above). So far, nobody seems to have objected to that removal, but wikipedia is always in transition, so that may change. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 16:03, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

==Notable quotation==
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/37/messages/1138.html
The story begins with a quotation "Be careful what you wish for, you may receive it" - unfortunately attributed by the author to Anonymous.
Is it a popular enough saying to be worth noting ?
It would be nice to know if the author originated the quotation himself !
--[[Special:Contributions/87.194.174.252|87.194.174.252]] ([[User talk:87.194.174.252|talk]]) 10:22, 15 January 2010 (UTC)
==Removed from article==
Removed from article beginning 21:14, 29 June 2007

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
!Removed from article
|-
|
;==Film, TV or theatrical adaptations==
*A one-act play based on the story was first performed in 1907.
*There were numerous film adaptations in the silent era, as well as a 1933 talkie co-directed by [[Ernest B. Schoedsack]] which is now lost.
*The segment "Wish You Were Here" from the 1972 film [[Tales from the Crypt (film)|''Tales from the Crypt'']] is an adaptation.
*[[Bob Clark]]'s [[Deathdream]] is inspired by the short story.
*[[Michael Scott (filmmaker)|Michael Scott]] directed and starred in a short film version, available on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeAtbrYVqqs YouTube].
* The ''[[Are You Afraid of the Dark? (TV series)|Are You Afraid of the Dark?]]'' episode "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" is based on the story.
*The story also inspired an [[The Monkey's Paw (Brandy & Mr. Whiskers episode)|episode]] of ''[[Brandy & Mr. Whiskers]]''.
*Short film directed by James Henschen. Filmed in 2003. [http://www.tribalfilm.com Tribalfilm]
*A variant of this story, using a genie in a bottle, was featured in an episode of ''[[The Twilight Zone]]''.

;==Popular culture===
*One of the stories from ''[[The Simpsons]]'' Halloween special, "[[Treehouse of Horror II]]" is a parody of this story.
*The story was the subject of a humorous song by the same name on [[Laurie Anderson]]'s 1989 album ''Strange Angels''.
*In an episode of ''[[The Monkees]]'', titled "The Monkee's Paw", a nightclub magician sells the band a cursed monkey's paw in revenge after they unwittingly force him out of a job.
*In the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Marjorine]]", the character Butters is wished back to life by his parents; when he knocks on the door, his parents regret it and refer to him as "it".
*The ''[[Ripping Yarns]]'' story "The Curse of the Claw", first broadcast in 1977 and starring [[Michael Palin]], is a spoof in the style of [[Monty Python]], and is loosely inspired by ''The Monkey's Paw''.

;===Music===
*Industrial/goth band the [[Electric Hellfire Club]] released a song called "The Monkey's Paw" on their album ''Witness''.

;===Other===
*In ''[[The Sims 2]]'' for consoles, when a player selects ''Search Couch'' while sitting on a sofa, he can find a "Mysterious Zombie Monkey Paw".
*In the [[manga]] ''[[xxxHolic]]'', a teacher buys the monkey's paw from the character Yuuko, even though she is advised against it. The monkey's paw gives five wishes but all have negative effects.
*In the book ''[[The Dead Zone]]'', by [[Stephen King]], the character John Smith relates his new found psychic powers to the wishes granted in ''The Monkey's Paw'', realizing that his powers can help people, but they can frighten them away, and that they give him unwanted publicity.
|}
[[User:Ikip|Ikip]] ([[User talk:Ikip|talk]]) 18:12, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

== Link to unabridged text ==

The link to the "Full Short Story Text" <http://www.scaryforkids.com/the-monkeys-paw/> was to a page that, as the name of the site might suggest, contains a purged version of the story. I have replaced the link with this <http://www.americanliterature.com/Jacobs/SS/TheMonkeysPaw.html>. As I haven't read the story but on those two webpages, I can't absolutely vouch that either is unabridged, but the version at the new address I provide is certainly a few lines longer. Perhaps someone who has read the story in a reliable edition has something to say? [[Special:Contributions/93.144.5.255|93.144.5.255]] ([[User talk:93.144.5.255|talk]]) 23:50, 27 October 2011 (UTC)
:That is not the unabridged version: but this might be http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/mnkyspaw.htm its several pages longer. But not sure if it contains the whole story[[User:MilkStraw532|MilkStraw532]] ([[User talk:MilkStraw532|talk]]) 23:56, 27 October 2011 (UTC)
::How is it several pages longer? Double spacing doesn't make it any longer. It's just the same as the version I suggested: <http://www.americanliterature.com/Jacobs/SS/TheMonkeysPaw.html> (and as the internal wikisource version, which ought to be unabridged). As for the version at <http://www.scaryforkids.com/the-monkeys-paw/> , this part is missing: "The old man turned and regarded her, and his voice shook. "He has been dead ten days, and besides he--I would not tell you else, but--I could only recognize him by his clothing. If he was too terrible for you to see then, how now?". [[Special:Contributions/93.144.5.255|93.144.5.255]] ([[User talk:93.144.5.255|talk]]) 13:43, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

== BBC radio adaptation from the 1940s ==
Unlisted in this article is an adaptation of the story which must have been made by the BBC during the 1940s, since I recall my late father describing his recollection of the same many years later. In that version, they added the extra-gruesome sound effect of the reanimated (but still unseen) Herbert White dragging one leg on the ground as he approaches the door.
[[User:Nuttyskin|Nuttyskin]] ([[User talk:Nuttyskin|talk]]) 17:45, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
: Cool! But we need a source ... memory (as we all know) is a tricky thing. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 18:56, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

== Other media ==
imdb lists a [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345500/ 1978 film] as well. [[User:TheTyrant|TheTyrant]] ([[User talk:TheTyrant|talk]]) 03:23, 16 October 2014 (UTC)

== Mysterious ending ==

I was wondering what Mr White wished for at the end of the story. Did he wish that he could cancel the second wish? [[User:AsphaltAssault17|AsphaltAssault17]] ([[User talk:AsphaltAssault17|talk]]) 12:18, 22 March 2016 (UTC)

:He probably would have wished his son safely dead and returned to his grave as before.

:Why didn't he wish that he had never asked for the £200 to begin with? [[User:Nuttyskin|Nuttyskin]] ([[User talk:Nuttyskin|talk]]) 00:07, 23 July 2018 (UTC)

What would that have solved? [[User:Hell pikachu|Hell pikachu]] ([[User talk:Hell pikachu|talk]]) 05:04, 28 January 2021 (UTC)

== Cultural Impact ==

At the very least, there ought to be a section devoted to criticism of the story's cultural impact. There is a reason people keep remaking, parodying and referencing ''The Monkey's Paw'': because we all fear death, and above all we fear the deaths of our loved ones, particularly our children.

But the most terrifying thing is, that we all know that if that was ''our'' child, we ''would'' make the second wish, and ''not'' wish it away afterward; because ''nothing'' is worse than losing your child, and you would give ''anything'' to have them back, back from the gates of death, even looking like '''that!'''

And after two world wars, and a broken heartful of industrial accidents and drug overdoses and car crashes and deaths-by-misadventure, and young people going through life like they think they're immortal; it has proven to be a very recurrent theme, for the most tearful of reasons. [[User:Nuttyskin|Nuttyskin]] ([[User talk:Nuttyskin|talk]]) 00:28, 23 July 2018 (UTC)
:If you have sources that have discussed it then, [[WP:BOLD|go for it]]. [[User:Doniago|DonIago]] ([[User talk:Doniago|talk]]) 16:14, 23 July 2018 (UTC)
::Be bold but only if you find a good source or two; otherwise it's just original research. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 16:23, 23 July 2018 (UTC)
:::I've always thought that it is primarily a cautionary tale about greed. Morris warns about wishing on the paw in the story. If you gave some people the paw today, they would immediately wish for a large sum of money, it is just human nature.--'''''[[User:ianmacm|<span style="background:#88b;color:#cff;font-variant:small-caps">♦Ian<span style="background:#99c">Ma<span style="background:#aad">c</span></span>M♦</span>]] <sup>[[User_talk:ianmacm|(talk to me)]]</sup>''''' 17:07, 23 July 2018 (UTC)

:::: I am not sure enough to post this for sure on the actual page(s), but I am wondering if this story, originally, was not an inspiration for Charles Addams' character, eventually named Thing. I posted this theory on Thing's talk page as well, but without confirmation from a reliable source, I am not sure it belongs on either wiki page. It did come out early enough in the 20th century that Charles Addams could have been aware of it. The story, according to the page, was first published in 1902, and Charles wasn't born until 1912. [[Special:Contributions/32.212.102.239|32.212.102.239]] ([[User talk:32.212.102.239|talk]]) 07:06, 1 November 2021 (UTC)

== Hatnote ==
I have removed an enormously long hatnote that said "This article is missing information about the story's development/inspiration, publication history, response, themes, and legacy. Please expand the article to include this information." Hatnotes are visually distracting items that exist to alert readers about issues that they may need to keep in mind - e.g., this article doesn't have enough references, so be cautious! - they're not long notes to editors. That's what the Talk page is for. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 12:22, 15 June 2019 (UTC)

== Simpsons parody ==
There is a subset of wikipedia editors who think that no article is complete until it lists something from the Simpsons cartoon. I've lost track of how many times some has added the Simpsons parody from their annual Halloween special to the list of versions. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 18:30, 20 February 2021 (UTC)

: If it is verifiable, and can be listed under something like "other media" or "cultural impact", then doesn't it qualify for mention? [[Special:Contributions/32.212.102.239|32.212.102.239]] ([[User talk:32.212.102.239|talk]]) 07:08, 1 November 2021 (UTC)

== wonder woman ==
The already long section titled "Notable versions in other media" is about places where "the story has been adapted" not merely referenced, and not a similar somebody-back-from-dead story. ''Wonder Woman 1984,'' the latest edition, is not a version of The Monkey's Paw although it references it; its got a "dreamstone" that has different powers than the paw and a different story. Ergo, I would say, it doesn't belong in what is already a section that borders on a trivia list. That's why I removed it and unless many object will remove it again. - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 01:12, 17 July 2021 (UTC)

:No response, so out it goes! - [[User:DavidWBrooks|DavidWBrooks]] ([[User talk:DavidWBrooks|talk]]) 11:30, 20 July 2021 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 16:54, 4 August 2024

Does Pet Sematary really belong here?

[edit]

Under Notable versions it says: "A 1983 Stephen King novel, Pet Sematary, is a retelling of the story." But I'm not sure the source supports that [1]. The source says "And then, if that family's two-year- old son were to fall victim to another passing truck. . . . The book would be a conscious retelling of W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," that enduring short story about parents who literally wish their son back from the dead. After King completed the first draft, the book [...] was put away." So:

  1. the reporting seems to be conjecture in Washington Post's voice, not King's
  2. it appears to refer to an initial draft, not the final novel
  3. it is set up as a hypothetical if, then the book would be a retelling...

Having read the plot summary at Wikipedia here, it seems the novel may share some elements with, and/or have been inspired by "The Monkey's Paw", but the published result seems to stray very far from the narrative, enough that it cannot really be considered a version of the story. signed, Willondon (talk) 20:32, 30 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

What about Monkeypaw Productions?

[edit]

According to https://www.avid.wiki/Monkeypaw_Productions, It was named after this tale. Chiagozie Elobuike (talk) 19:08, 10 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Has a secondary source made note of this? DonIago (talk) 19:24, 10 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Idk Chiagozie Elobuike (talk) 15:17, 6 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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