The Rocking-Horse Winner Questions and Answers
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Uncle Oscar's final line in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" and its significance
Uncle Oscar's final line, "My God, Hester, you're eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad," underscores the tragic irony of the story. It highlights the futility of...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Analyzing "The Rocking-Horse Winner" through Marxist and feminist lenses
Analyzing "The Rocking-Horse Winner" through a Marxist lens reveals themes of class struggle and the destructive nature of materialism, as the family’s pursuit of wealth leads to tragedy. From a...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Symbolism and Themes in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the rocking horse symbolizes multiple themes including childhood, anxiety, and the futility of seeking love and wealth. It represents Paul's desperate...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Literary devices and figurative language used in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" employs various literary devices and figurative language, including symbolism, irony, and personification. The rocking horse symbolizes Paul's intense desire for luck and...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
The cause and significance of Paul's death in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
Paul's death in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is caused by his obsessive quest to predict race winners to earn money for his greedy mother. This obsession leads to physical exhaustion and a fatal fever....
The Rocking-Horse Winner
The moral, insights on life, and themes of "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
The moral of "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is the destructive nature of materialism and the pursuit of wealth. Insights on life include the idea that love and genuine human connections are more valuable...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" Analysis: Themes, Symbolism, Characters, and Moral Lessons
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the central conflict revolves around the family's incessant need for money and the mother's dissatisfaction, leading Paul to believe that luck equates...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What does the irony of the boy's actions increasing the whispers in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" reveal about the...
The irony of the boy's actions increasing the whispers in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" reveals the story's theme that the pursuit of wealth only intensifies greed and dissatisfaction. As the boy seeks...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
The significance and identity of Malabar in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Malabar is the name of the winning horse that Paul bets on in the Derby. Its significance lies in the fact that Paul's supernatural ability to predict winners reaches...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul's confusion about the concept of luck and its relationship to money, as defined by his mother, in "The...
Paul's confusion about luck and its relationship to money stems from his mother's definition. She equates luck with financial success, implying that being lucky means having money. This perspective...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul and His Mother's Relationship and Characteristics in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul is a well-meaning child driven by a desire to earn his mother's love through financial success, which he equates with luck. His mother, Hester, is cold and...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
In "The Rocking Horse Winner", what does the symbolism of the eyes represent?
Paul’s eyes represent his dreams, his passion and the futility of his attempts to get luck for his mother. The truth about Hester is in her eyes. When Paul tries to find luck, after his mother tells...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Fairy tale elements and their contribution to the story's purpose in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
Fairy tale elements in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" include the use of a magical toy, the personification of luck, and a moral lesson. These elements contribute to the story's purpose by highlighting...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Narrative Elements and Irony in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence is set in 1920s England and follows young Paul, who seeks his mother's love by using a rocking horse to predict horse race winners. The story explores...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What is Paul's "secret within a secret" in "The Rocking Horse Winner"?
You are correct in your assumption here. Clearly in the tale there are two secrets going on - the more overt, clearly narrated one about Paul and his betting with Basset and Uncle Oscar, but then...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Compare and contrast "The Rocking-Horse Winner" and "The Lottery."
Both stories certainly show the dangers of conformity. In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the mother feels that "she felt she must cover up some fault," and even though there's never any particular...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What's the purpose of religious references in Paul and Uncle Oscar's discussion in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?
There are references to religion itself but these occur in discussions between Bassett and Uncle Oscar. After Oscar first discovers that Paul is interested in horse racing, Bassett tells him that...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul's response to the house's whispers and his efforts to change his family's luck in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
Paul responds to the house's whispers by obsessively riding his rocking horse to predict winning horses in races, believing this will change his family's luck. His intense efforts stem from a desire...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
How is feminism prevalent in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?
A feminist reading of "The Rocking Horse Winner" would focus on the way in which the corrupt, patriarchal, money-obsessed society she inhabits dictates Hester's priorities as a mother and then...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul's Birthday Gift and Its Impact on His Mother's Problems in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul gives his mother £5,000 in installments as a birthday gift, hoping to alleviate her financial woes. However, his mother's greed and obsession with...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What does the description of Paul's eyes in "The Rocking Horse Winner" reveal about him?
The first description is "The boy watched her with unsure eyes" which indicates that he is thoughtful, ponderous. Most of the descriptions are: "His eyes had a strange glare", "big blue...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul's initiation into horse betting in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
Paul's initiation into horse betting begins when he starts riding his rocking-horse to predict the winners of horse races. His Uncle Oscar and the family gardener, Bassett, become involved after...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," what secrets do each character and the house hide?
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul thinks his wooden horse with no name allows him to predict the winners of horse races. He believes that if he can make the rocking-horse gallop, it will win the...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" critiques modern society's obsession with materialism and explores the relationship...
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" critiques modern society's obsession with materialism by illustrating how the pursuit of wealth can destroy familial relationships. The story explores the relationship...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
How does the mother in "The Rocking Horse Winner" differ from fairy tale stepmothers, and why is her love for her...
The story starts off with a very full description of the mother, and it would be worth going through this again to pick out some of the answers you are looking for. We are told that although she...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
How much money does Paul win during his first horse race?
After speaking to Bassett about Paul gambling on horses, Uncle Oscar asks Paul himself about betting on horse races and Paul confirms that he does indeed gamble on them with the help of Bassett....
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Comparison between "The Rocking-Horse Winner" and general fairy tales
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" differs from typical fairy tales by presenting a darker, more psychological narrative. While fairy tales often involve magical elements and moral lessons with happy...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul's partnership and deal with Bassett and Uncle Oscar in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul partners with Bassett and Uncle Oscar to place bets on horse races. Paul provides winning predictions, Bassett places the bets, and Uncle Oscar funds them. They...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What are D.H. Lawrence's comments on parenting in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?
What are Lawrence's comments on parenting in the Rocking-Horse Winner? The parents are shallow, petty, and cold. They don't love their children and they don't show it.
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Bassett's role and motivations for keeping Paul's secret in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
Bassett's role in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is that of a caretaker and confidant to Paul. His motivations for keeping Paul's secret stem from his deep loyalty and respect for Paul. Bassett believes...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What is the significance of the "voice" in "The Rocking-Horse Winner," and why does it go "mad" when Paul's mother...
The whispering is symbolic of the family's financial problems. The phrase, "There must be more money," is the family's constant worry, but it is never spoken about openly. Thus, Paul senses...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Symbolism and Significance of Whispering in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the whispering symbolizes the insatiable greed and materialism of Paul's mother, reflecting the family's constant need for more money. The whispering...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What literary devices are used in the following quote from “The Rocking-Horse Winner”?
This quote from the short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” contains various literary devices, including personification, synecdoche, and hyperbole. First, the characters’ house is personified by...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What is the irony in the brother's last statement to Hester in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?
The irony of the statement is that the uncle implies Paul is better off dead. The uncle realized Paul was mad and believes that the boy has been released from his agony. This reinforces the theme...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul's Response to Stress in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul is a young boy who internalizes the stress of his family's financial struggles, driven by his mother's obsession with wealth. Unlike typical...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Is the story plausible if a boy gains divinatory powers by riding a rocking horse and a house can whisper? Is the...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge is famous for coining the phrase "the willing suspension of disbelief." What he meant was that the reader must accept the events in a work of fiction or poetry as being true...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Were Oscar and Bassett right to encourage Paul to keep betting in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?
But in fact, the adult characters are not at all responsible because they want Paul to keep betting on the horses. They want to maintain their enjoyment of gambling, but also they want him to use his...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
The incorporation and impact of supernatural elements in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," supernatural elements are incorporated through Paul's uncanny ability to predict horse race winners while riding his rocking horse. This mystical talent, which seems to...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," why is Paul's mother unnamed until the end?
Generally, when an author leaves an important character unnamed it is to make the character universal. In other words, Hester could represent any materialistic mother. In "Rocking Horse Winner",...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Thesis Statement for D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
A potential thesis statement for D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner" could be: "The story explores the destructive nature of materialism and the impact of parental pressure on a child's...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
How does the boy’s furious riding in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" symbolize materialistic pursuits?
The boy's riding is very symbolic of some people's pursuit of material wealth. He is not riding the horse to enjoy it - that would be a leisurely fun ride that we see children do all of...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Tone and Narration in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
The tone of "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence is predominantly bleak and tense, underscoring themes of materialism and familial dysfunction. The narrative uses a third-person omniscient...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Exploring the Dissatisfaction and Emotional Disconnect of Paul's Mother in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul's mother is emotionally disconnected and dissatisfied because she feels unloved and trapped in a life of financial struggle. Her constant desire for more money and...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Materialism's Impact on Characters in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," materialism profoundly affects nearly every character. Hester, the mother, is driven by an insatiable desire for wealth, impacting her son Paul, who...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Why does Paul's mother's face become hard and expressionless as she reads the lawyer's letter?
Paul's mother is greedy and incapable of being grateful for what she has. The fact that she will be given money over time is not enough for her. She want the entire amount at once. Instead of being...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Greed, innocence, and motivations in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," greed is a central theme that corrupts innocence and leads to tragic consequences. Paul, a young boy with a gift for predicting horse race winners, is...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," why doesn't Paul want his mother to know he's lucky?
No direct reason is supplied for Paul's reluctance to let his mother know about his "luck." Paul says that if his mother knew "She'd stop me," and this perhaps reflects the way that Paul is gaining...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
D.H. Lawrence's style and creation of atmosphere in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."
D.H. Lawrence's style in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" uses a blend of realism and fantasy to create a tense and eerie atmosphere. His detailed descriptions and use of symbolism, such as the whispering...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
Paul's Obsession with Luck and Horse Racing in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul's obsession with horse racing stems from his desire to win his mother's love by proving himself lucky, as she equates luck with wealth. Haunted by the whispering...
The Rocking-Horse Winner
What are three examples of foreshadowing in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" and what events does the title foreshadow?
The title, "The Rocking-Horse Winner," foreshadows what the boy becomes, but is also ironic. The boy wins much money, but of course loses his life in the end trying to win more. The voice in...