Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a technique in which the writer hints at the events to come. Sometimes, authors depict events early in a story that are really microcosms of the plot that is soon to unfold; other times, writers create this effect by developing an atmosphere that projects the tone of what is about to happen. For instance, a rather cliched example would be a stormy night on the eve of a murder. Jacobs uses both types of foreshadowing techniques in"The Monkey's Paw."

The Whites' chess game at the opening of the story, when Mr. White puts his king into "sharp and unnecessary perils"—and soon sees "a fatal mistake after it was too late"—is a kind of mini-drama, one that tells us what is about to happen in the story.

The Whites (and readers) are given plenty of clues that the monkey's paw is dangerous and powerful...