Mr. White

Mr. White was the man of the White family. He was a person who got easily influenced by anyone, and needed others' approval for his actions. The fact that he believed Sergeant Morris at once reveal that he believed in the power of the mystic and took the risk to try it himself, although he sought his wife's and his son's approval.

His strange experiences with the monkey's paw triggered a sense of fear in him. The line "I was asleep and not asleep" suggests that he was unable to have a conscious control over his mind. He wasn't very sure of the first wish being fulfilled, but surely had anxiety prevailing inside him. After getting to know about Herbert's death, he turned into a helpless man. His dismantling emotions are seen in the lines-

"The old man takes no heed of her...

....her hands go out helplessly towards him."

The final scene of the play reveals a stronger side of Mr. White, as he takes a firm and quick decision in order to save his family from yet another danger. His power to predict an impeding danger came to his rescue as he quickly reverted his second wish. Taking such a decision as a father was not easy for him, but he had to make a sacrifice so that the danger is averted, which ultimately cost him his marriage.

To conclude, we can say that Mr. White did not appear to be a strong character in the beginning, but as the story progressed, we got to see him facing all the misshapen with a shield of strength in his hands.