1a. What "unspoken phrase" does the house come "to be haunted by"?
2a. How does Paul come to know that a horse will win a particular race? What does he have to do to gain this knowledge?
3a. What happens as a result of Paul's winning the ten thousand and arranging to have half of it sent to his mother?
4a. The images of whispering and keeping secrets run throughout "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Identify the secrets kept by the mother and by Paul in this story.
5a. Paul believes that he is lucky, while his mother says that she and her husband are poor because they are not lucky. Evaluate these ideas about luck. Do you agree that Paul is lucky? Why, or why not? Do you agree that having enough money is a matter of luck? Why, or why not? What role does luck play in an individual's success or happiness?
1b. Why do the mother and father in this story have too little money? What hints are provided in the story to explain their continual need for money?
2b. What is the cost, to Paul, of getting to where the luck is?
3b. Receiving the five thousand pounds does not solve Paul's mother's problem. What point is Lawrence making here? What is the real problem in the household?
4b. How would you characterize Paul's relationship with his mother? He says he does the horse betting for his mother. Why would a small child want so desperately to get more money? Paul's frenzied rides on his rocking horse are examples of the use of magical realism in this story. In magical realism, fantastical or supernatural elements are treated as though they are realistic and often symbolize something else. What do you think Paul's rides symbolize?
5b. Paul's mother, like D. H. Lawrence's mother, struggled to keep up appearances and live in a style that required more money than the family had. Our modern phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" would indicate that this struggle is still a problem in our society. In what ways have you seen this kind of struggle cause harm?
Conflict. What is the central conflict in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"? Is it an internal conflict or an external conflict?
Plot. Complete the following diagram, called a Freytag's Pyramid, to identify the elements of the plot of "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
Foreshadowing. In addition to the passage in which we learn of Paul's frailty and his mother's uneasiness about him, there are other descriptive passages about Paul that foreshadow his final, crazed ride and his destruction. What are some of those descriptive passages?
1. Imagine that you are a newspaper editor. In a local race, an unknown horse named "Daffodil" has won. One of your reporters has written a story about the race, and you must write the headline, a few short words that convey the main subject and that engage the reader's interest enough to read the story. Write the headline.
2. Imagine that you are Paul and want to explain to your mother what you have been doing and why. Write a personal letter to her, telling her what is in your heart, without any deception or secretiveness.
3. Imagine you are a newspaper reporter assigned to write an account of the strange death of young Paul. As the reporter, you have interviewed Bassett, Uncle Oliver, and the boy's mother. From having read "The Rocking-Horse Winner," infer what they might have been willing to tell you. Then write your newspaper article about the death of Paul.
Comma Usage. Rewrite the following sentences and insert appropriate commas.
1. Wanting to please his mother Paul rode his rocking horse frantically to get to where the luck is.
2. Paul's last big win Malabar earned him over seventy thousand pounds.
3. Hester spent huge sums of money on clothing furniture jewelry and parties.
4. Bassett enjoyed his day at the track consuming huge quantities of fish and chips popcorn and beer.
5. Paul's mother was dreadfully afraid of having to give up her lavish lifestyle and Paul wanted very much to ease her anxiety and please her.
Researching an Author.Research the life of D. H. Lawrence, with particular attention to his childhood and his relationship with his mother. What was his childhood like? How might his childhood have influenced his writing of this story?
1. Researching an Author:
2. Sources Used:
