Which author wrote The Monkey's Paw?

Which author wrote The Monkey's Paw?

• A. O'Henry
• B. Stephen Vincent Benet
• C. Nathaniel Hawthorne
• D. W. W. Jacobs

Answer: (D)

The Monkey's Paw is a classic English supernatural tale linked to a specific writer known for using a seemingly ordinary object to unleash unforeseen consequences. W. W. Jacobs crafted this story, published in 1902, weaving a witching twist about a magical talisman that grants three wishes and inevitably exacts a heavy price. The tale centers on a family whose wishes backfire in shocking, ironic ways, highlighting Jacobs’s skill at building suspense and unforgettable irony. The other authors listed are known for different works—O. Henry for famous twist stories like The Gift of the Magi, Hawthorne for classics such as The Scarlet Letter, and Stephen Vincent Benet for other prose and poetry—so they aren’t connected to this particular story. That connection to Jacobs is what makes him the correct answer.

The Monkey's Paw is a classic English supernatural tale linked to a specific writer known for using a seemingly ordinary object to unleash unforeseen consequences. W. W. Jacobs crafted this story, published in 1902, weaving a witching twist about a magical talisman that grants three wishes and inevitably exacts a heavy price. The tale centers on a family whose wishes backfire in shocking, ironic ways, highlighting Jacobs’s skill at building suspense and unforgettable irony. The other authors listed are known for different works—O. Henry for famous twist stories like The Gift of the Magi, Hawthorne for classics such as The Scarlet Letter, and Stephen Vincent Benet for other prose and poetry—so they aren’t connected to this particular story. That connection to Jacobs is what makes him the correct answer.