Compare and contrast the fate of Mr. White in "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs and that of Paul in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence.

There are a number of similarities and contrasts in the fate of the two characters you mention. Firstly, in both instances, money (or the need for it) plays an intrinsic role in what eventually happens in the characters' lives. In Mr. White's situation, though, the need for money is not as desperate as in Paul's family. Paul is constantly aware of the need for more money in their household. He imagines hearing it crying out from all corners of their house. It is a constant, almost frenzied, plea. Paul's wild imagination and his belief in his own luck make him bet on the races, and he is fortunate enough to win often. Mr. White's circumstances are different in that he wishes for money to settle the bond on his house. There is no indication in the story that there is an urgent need for cash; in fact, Mr. White at one point states that he seems to have all he wants.
In addition, Mr. White uses the monkey's paw to make a wish for two hundred pounds at the urging of his son, Herbert. Mr. White is quite skeptical, however, and does not make much of it. He also ignores Sergeant-Major Morris's warning that he should get rid of the talisman. On the whole, then, the White family does not deem the object to have any real supernatural powers at all.
Paul, on the other hand, emphatically believes that his rocking-horse guides him to race winners. Although he has outgrown it, he insists on having it kept in his room, and this is where his mother discovers him frenetically riding one evening, just before the Derby. The boy falls into a fever and loses consciousness. Paul, unlike Mr. White, has become obsessed by the rocking-horse, which, to him, has become a talisman of good fortune.
In both stories, the two characters find both reward and tragedy. Mr. White receives the money he wished for but is utterly devastated when he learns that it is compensation from Herbert's employer for his gruesome death in a work-related accident. Paul wins a large amount of money, and his final win amounts to seventy thousand pounds. It is ironic, though, that his obsession has put him into a fatal fever. Paul will never enjoy the fruits of his obsession. The same irony is evident in Mr. White's situation. Herbert, his son, will also never see their wish come true. Further irony lies in the fact that it is his demise which ensures that the amount is paid.