Wisdom can be as worthless as a mound of dust, or as precious as a thousand jewels, it all depends on how you interpret and value the message. In the story The Monkey’s Paw, Mr. White comes across a talisman, a monkey’s paw, that is said to grant three wishes to three separate men. Despite Morris, the sergeant major that was in possession of the monkey’s paw before them, and his warning, Mr. White and his wife lost their only son by wishing for two hundred pounds. As his wife wishes for their son’s resurrection, Mr. White is aware of the consequences that will come and he uses his third and final wish to get rid of his son forever.

In the story The Monkey’s Paw by William W. Jacobs, the author believes that ignoring the wisdom of others always comes with a price. Morris constantly warns the married couple of the monkey paw’s consequences and tries to convince them to destroy it: “Better let it burn…Be sensible—throw it on the fire again.” (Jacobs 85). By getting rid of the monkey’s paw permanently, Morris believed that no one would get hurt by wishing from it again. He was trying to protect the family from its dangers, but he couldn’t stop Mr. White from taking the talisman. As the story continues, Mr. White ignores the sergeant’s warning and proceeds to make his first wish. The next morning, Mr. White and his family observed that nothing happened overnight, and he says “‘Why did we listen to such nonsense?…How could two hundred pounds hurt us?’” (Jacobs 151). From the text, you can see that Mr. White had completely ignored Morris and the wisdom he spoke. He believed that the monkey’s paw and the wish could not hurt his family, and it cost him his own son. In the end, Mr. White’s misfortune, the loss of his son, caused him to learn the value of wisdom, and the importance of listening to others’ advice.