Sergeant-Major Morris has spent years in exotic places and introduces the monkey's paw into the Whites’ lives.
Mr. White is an ordinary, conservative man whose curiosity leads to tragedy for his family.
Mrs. White is a loving, reserved housewife whose maternal instincts almost cause her son to be brought back from the dead.
Herbert White is the likable son of Mr. and Mrs. White who does not take the powers of the monkey's paw seriously. He is killed in a factory accident.
The stranger delivers the news of Herbert’s death to Mr. and Mrs. White. He symbolizes death or fate.