Was Herbert's death by fate or chance in "The Monkey's Paw"? What are some examples from the story to prove this?

I'm not so sure that the story was meant to be a horror
story, primarily. Certainly a horrible thing happens in the story, the mangling to death
of poor young Howard, but the story is just as philosophical as it is a tale of
horror.

After all, much of the horror is in the mind of the
reader, for no conclusion can be drawn as to why Howard died. And did Howard's
disfigured, bloody corpse claw its way out of the grave, trudge all the way to his
parents' home and knock on there door in the dark of night because of a wish? Or was it
but the wind and your imagination?

Chance or fate? Who's to
say? And how can one hope to prove one's theory one way or the
other?

A wish was made. A death occurred. Money was
obtained. There was a late-night knocking at the door. So?