The author wanted to make sure that the wishes, especially the first one, were not outlandish, because he was writing about simple people who experience an extraordinary, seemingly supernatural intrusion into their humble, uneventful lives. He did not want them wishing for a million pounds in gold coins, or a marble mansion, or anything like The Arabian Nights. He wanted to leave some margin of possibility that the wishes only seemed to be granted because of pure coincidence.
"Might drop on his head from the sky," said the frivolous Herbert.
"Morris said the things happened so naturally," said his father, "that you might if you so wished attribute it to coincidence."
The narrator calls Herbert "frivolous" to suggest that he might wish for a million pounds in gold coins. The author wanted to establish that only Mr. White could make wishes, because only the owner of the monkey's paw could do so. That is why the narrator specifies that Mr. White insists on paying Sergeant-Major Moore for the paw.
"Did you give him anything for it, father?" inquired Mrs. White, regarding her husband closely.
"A trifle," said he, colouring slightly. "He didn't want it, but I made him take it. And he pressed me again to throw it away."
Mr. White is the sole owner. Only Mr. White can make wishes. He is a modest, cautious man, so he is unlikely to make any kind of wish that could obviously only be granted by magic. As a matter of fact, he can't think of anything to wish for. His son Herbert suggests that his father wish for two hundred pounds to pay off the mortgage, so the first wish is Herbert's, although his father has to make it.
The outcome could have been the result of coincidence. Herbert stayed up later than usual and probably drank more whiskey than usual to keep up with their "bibulous" guest. He must have gone to work next morning without his usual amount of sleep and feeling hung over. This could explain how he happened to get caught up in the textile machinery.
Mr. White makes the second wish at his wife's insistence. When he raises his hand and says, "I wish my son alive again," it is really his wife's wish and not his. The wish is not immediately granted, and this makes Mr. White hopeful that the monkey's paw does not really possess any magic powers. But then there is a soft knocking at the front door. This has a chilling effect on the reader. The soft knocking seems somehow worse than a loud knocking would be.
Mrs. White is trying desperately to open the front door, but she can't reach the high bolt. Finally Mr. White makes a wish of his own. The narrator does not quote the exact words, but the reader can understand that White is wishing that the knocking will stop and that whoever is outside will go away and stay away forever. The loud, persistent knocking stops immediately. There is still a possibility that this was a coincidence. The old couple will never know whether the knocker was Herbert returned from the dead all mangled and decayed, or whether it was some stranger lost in these remote, unlighted suburbs and trying to get directions.
There is an uncanny silence when the door is finally opened. Mr. White gathers courage to go outside and then all the way down to the gate.
The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road.
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