The Monkey's Paw

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Regret serves as a central theme that drives the plot and influences the characters, resulting in dire consequences.

• How do the characters’ actions and wishes in the story lead to regretful consequences? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 ways that different characters deal with the consequences of their actions. How is each character’s response different? What lessons can be learned from each one’s experiences?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the characters’ regret supports the theme The Dangers of Wishful Thinking.

2. Consider how the setting of the story contributes to its atmosphere.

• What role does the location play in the events that occur? (topic sentence)
• Use specific examples from the text to describe the setting. How does the setting affect the mood of the story? How does it influence the characters’ decisions and motivations?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, consider how the events of the story might have unfolded differently if the setting were different.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. How does the story comment on the dangers of greed? What are the consequences of greed, and how do the events that unfold relate to the characters’ greed? What lessons do you think the author is trying to convey about greed through the events in the story? In your essay, include at least three different examples of how the characters in the story exhibit greed, and explain how their greed influences their choices and behaviors. 

2. How do the characters deal with grief in the story? What effect does their loss have on themselves and their relationships? How does the story portray the complex emotions of death? In your essay, use at least three examples to explain how the characters deal with The Finality of Death. Cite specific quotations with the paragraph number to support your analysis.