Answer: By setting the story on a dark, rainy night, the author foreshadows the tragedy that the family will face later in the story.
Explanation:
At the beginning of The Monkey's Paw
, W.W. Jacobs foreshadows bad events to come with a dark, ominous setting. There is a storm outside, while Mr. White and his son play chess. The wind is quite strong, and we also find out that the family lives far away from town.The streets are flooded, so there is no one outside. The whole situation creates a sense of isolation, and foreshadows that Mr. White and his wife will have to go through a tragedy alone, with no one to rely on. The author gives us clues about the malevolent monkey's paw, which will represent a threat for the family.
