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Literary Devices
Definition of Allegory
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and... read full definition
Allegory
Explanation and Analysis—British Xenophobia:
While, on the surface, “Monkey’s Paw” is a story about the dangers of selfishly trying to change one’s fate, there is a second, more allegorical layer to the story. At the time that Jacobs was writing (the early 1900s), India was under Britain’s colonial rule. While some British people supported this colonial relationship—believing it was economically beneficial for them to exploit Indian people and their resources—others worried that even a colonial relationship was too close for comfort. This conservative, xenophobic stance was tied to the idea that any relationship with India would lead to an influx of Indian people and customs into Britain’s majority white and Christian society.
Related Themes:
