Monkey on his back
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In the short story, "The Monkey" by Stephen King, the author personifies fear into a toy monkey. Hal, the main character of this story, is plagued by this toy that symbolizes his inability to cope loss of people close to him.
In the beginning of this story, Hal and his family find the toy monkey that Hal thought he had gotten rid of. This monkey was thrown down a well over a decade ago by Hal. Amazingly the monkey and the memories that Hal has been repressing reappear. When Hal was a child, he loses both his father and mother. Around that time other catastrophic happenings are taking place around Hal; his best friend falls to his death, his uncle's dog dies, his aunt's cat dies. The toy monkey clapping its cymbals symbolizes someone's coming death. First his father dies in an unexpected manner and Hal does not. Then his babysitter dies in a tragic shooting...