# The Price of a Wish explained — The Lady of the Barge

> Chapter companion for The Lady of the Barge by W. W. Jacobs.

## What happens

The morning after the monkey's paw wish, the Whites laugh off their fears, but a visitor from Maw and Meggins arrives to inform them that Herbert has been killed in a machinery accident, and the firm offers two hundred pounds as compensation—the exact sum Mr. White had wished for.

## Themes in this chapter

### Greed and Its Consequences

The wish for two hundred pounds leads directly to Herbert's death, illustrating the destructive cost of greed.

### Fate and Superstition

The monkey's paw's curse manifests through a seemingly natural accident, blurring the line between fate and coincidence.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. White

Grieving father who made the first wish for money; collapses upon hearing the compensation amount.

### Mrs. White

Initially dismissive of the paw's power, then horrified as she learns of Herbert's death.

### Herbert White

Mentioned as the son who died in a machinery accident; his death fulfills the first wish.

## Key lines

> He was caught in the machinery

Herbert died in an industrial accident at work.

_The visitor from Maw and Meggins delivers the news of Herbert's death._

> Two hundred pounds

The exact sum Mr. White wished for, now given as compensation for Herbert's death.

_The wish is granted in a horrific way, fulfilling the paw's promise._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_lady_of_the_barge_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_lady_of_the_barge_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_lady_of_the_barge_se/chapters