4. (a) outline briefly two explanations of what really happened about the three wishes. (b) What advantages does the writer gain by allowing for alternative explanations?

Mr. White does not consider the monkey's paw to have magical abilities. Both the White's do not consider their wishes carefully nor do they consider the ramifications of them. Their failure to evaluate cause and effect turns out tragic for them. Is this tragedy real or is it simply a metaphor for greed? The author allows the reader to speculate on the morality and causality of the decisions that the White's make.