what is the theme

Another theme that you might consider is "Interfering With Fate". The story's main character, an elderly man named Mr. White, is told of a monkey's paw that has the power to grant three wishes. Despite being warned about the mysterious talisman–he learns that it had a had a spell put on it by a fakir (holy man) from India who wanted people to understand the dangers of interfering with fate–he takes the paw and wishes for money. His son then dies in an accident, and the family is given the money they wished for. This event emphasizes the story's theme, which is that interfering with fate, especially when driven by greed, leads to tragedy. The tale continues with the fulfillment of two additional wishes due to the supernatural force of the monkey's paw.