What is the conflict in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence?

The main conflicts in the story concern the family's lack of money to keep up with their social status and Paul's attempts to make his mother happy. Paul's mother is unhappy because she is in debt and thinks she needs more money. She tells her son that in order to be rich, one has to be lucky. Unfortunately, she and her husband are both unlucky people. Paul wishes to make his mother happy and stop the "whispering" throughout the house about the shortage of money. Paul is determined to become lucky, and is able to prophetically envision the winning race horses after riding his rocking-horse. After winning large sums of money, Paul gives his mother a thousand pounds, but this does not make her happy. Paul's obsession with making his mother happy through financial gains is futile, and he eventually dies after winning over eighty thousand pounds. Lawrence conveys the message that one cannot find happiness in material objects and money.

The first main event in "The Rocking Horse Winner," which functions to set the story into motion after the exposition is established, is Paul's conversation with his mother about luck. Paul's mother tells him that luck is what lets some people make a lot of money—and, since Paul knows how important money is to his mom, he becomes determined to be lucky. Shortly thereafter, Paul discovers his ability to predict horse races.

This new talent convinces Paul to secretly convince the gardener to place bets for him. He anonymously sends his mother a huge chunk of his winnings, and she finally gets to buy the luxuries she's desired. Paul's health is failing, however, and his mother's concern for him won't convince him to rest before the next big race. Paul's health is much worse, and he only barely manages to croak out the name of the winner for the big race before he collapses. His partners run off with the winnings from the race, and Paul dies after hearing the news. These are the most important main events in "The Rocking Horse Winner."

All main events in a story will pertain to the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

The exposition generally occurs at the start of the story and concerns the moments the author introduces the setting, characters, and conflict. One of the most important events in D. H. Lawrence's exposition that sets up the conflict of "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is the narrator's description of the children and all their toys hearing echoing through the house the "unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more money!" A second major event that is part of the exposition is the moment Paul has a conversation with his mother about why their family doesn't have enough money and what luck is. It is at this point in the story that Paul decides he himself is lucky and will be able to find luck; he decides his rocking-horse will be able to take him to where luck is, a decision that helps lead to the climax and resolution of the story.

Rising action concerns all events leading up to the climax of a story. One of the most important moments of rising action is when Uncle Oscar finds out from Paul that Paul is working as partners with the gardener Bassett to place bets on the winning horses of races. A second important moment of rising action is when Paul arranges for his mother to receive an annual birthday gift of one thousand pounds for five years, but to his disappointment, she is not as happy about the gift as he had expected her to be. Instead, she demands of the lawyer to have all five thousand pounds at once, and Paul begins to hear the house scream:

There must be more money! Oh-h-h; there must be more money. Oh, now, now-w! Now-w-w--there must be more money!--more than ever! More than ever!

It is his mother's frenzied response to receiving a monetary gift that most helps drive the story to its climax.

The climax of any story is the turning point of the story; the moment rising action becomes falling action. It can also be the most emotionally intense moment of the story. The climax begins to develop the more Paul becomes obsessed with being certain of the winner of the Derby. The climax occurs at full force when his mother leaves a party, worried about Paul, and opens his bedroom door to find him furiously riding his rocking-horse.

Falling action refers to all events leading up to the resolution. Moments of falling action include Paul having made himself ill with "some brain-fever" and winning over 80,000 pounds at the Derby for his bet on Malabar. The resolution sadly occurs when Paul dies, leaving his mother to feel responsible for his death due to her obsession with luck and money.

There is a strange sort of conflict between Paul and his mother in "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Paul is the protagonist, and it is his story. He wants to please his mother, to make her happy, and to gain her love, all by winning money on the horse races and giving it all to her. But no matter how hard he rides his rocking-horse and no matter how much money he wins, she cannot be satisfied. When he sees to it that she receives the sum of five thousand pounds, her reaction is just the opposite of what he expected.

Then something very curious happened. The voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring evening. There were certain new furnishings, and Paul had a tutor. He was really going to Eton, his father's school, in the following autumn. There were flowers in the winter, and a blossoming of the luxury Paul's mother had been used to. And yet the voices in the house, behind the sprays of mimosa and almond-blossom, and from under the piles of iridescent cushions, simply trilled and screamed in a sort of ecstasy: "There must be more money! Oh-h-h; there must be more money. Oh, now, now-w! Now-w-w - there must be more money! - more than ever! More than ever!" 

Paul is trying what is obviously impossible. It is impossible to get anywhere on a wooden horse. It is impossible to foretell the future. And it is impossible for him to win his mother's love. She is incapable of loving her children, and she will never change. Mothers often expect their children to give them the things their husbands cannot provide. But Paul is only a little boy. It would be years before he could achieve the material success and social prestige she yearns for. No doubt if he had lived she would have pushed him into some career for which he wasn't suited, as mothers will do. He keeps winning money, and she keeps demanding more and more and more. The conflict has to end in disaster for the boy. He kills himself trying to satisfy her demands. Or it might be said that she kills him with those demands. This seems to be the main external conflict in "The Rocking-Horse Winner."

The main conflict in the story is the mother's inability to accept responsibility for her own happiness and also her false belief that money will supplant love and provide happiness for her. 

She resents her children (although treats them with gentleness); and both she and the children know it: "They read it in each other's eyes." Everyone in the house beome brainwashed that only money will ensure their happiness and survival: "There must be more money!" Rather than looking inside herself and figuring out how to be a loving person, the mother looks outside toward material things in order to satisfy the void in her life. The impressionable Paul is affected by his mother's disappointment and deduces from his mother's words that luck, happiness, and money are equivalents. Therefore, he concludes that to be happy, the family needs money. (This is obviously false and this is Lawrence's point: to show how materialism is not the correct route to happiness, love, etc.) 

Paul takes it upon himself to find this "luck." He paradoxically reverts to a childlike practice (riding the rocking-horse) while taking on the role of the father in the family. Psychoanalytic interpretations of this story often refer to the Oedipus complex (wherein the child/boy desires to take the father's place; the "riding" takes on a sexual connotation but is still, paradoxically, childish). The main conflict is the mother's desire to substitute money for love, in order to gain happiness. But the resulting conflict is the effect her behavior has on Paul, whose maturation is both interrupted and sped up, his sexual maturation infantilized while his role advanced to that of the father. This is the psychological subtext of the story. How Paul "gets to" his knowledge of the winners is disputable; the point is that he should never have been put in this confusing position at his age: " . . . he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking-horse to find a winner." 

There are actually two climaxes in the story:  the turning point and the point of highest interest.  The turning point occurs, as the previous editor noted, when Paul and the reader realize that no amount of money can stop the house from whispering.  The incident that makes this idea clear is the mother's reaction to the news that she'll receive a thousand pounds for five successive years on her birthday.  Instead of being content, the mother requests that she receive the entire sum of money at once, and the house intensifies its screams for more money, as the mother wants more things:  new furnishings and luxuries as well as an expensive education for Paul.  At this point the reader knows that Paul's winnings will never satisfy his mother.

The point of highest interest in the story comes later when we see Paul feverishly riding his rocking horse to determine the winner of the Derby.  Here the suspense is very high as we see Paul circumvent his mother's attempts to take away the horse and send Paul to the seaside.  We want to know if Paul will be successful, if winning the Derby will have any effect on the house, if it will take too much toll on Paul's health, if the mother will change.    As the mother rushes home from the party, the suspense builds as Paul is shown frenziedly riding his horse, and announcing the winner "Malabar" as he falls unconscious with brain fever.

The conflict in the story is complicated.  It is more an internal conflict caused by external factors.  Paul desires his mother's love and happiness.  We know the mother equates money and happiness, and this connection is seen in the house's whisperings.  Paul is willing to sacrifice himself to make his mother happy, much like today people will work themselves to death to provide more luxuries for their family.  But the truth of the matter is, the more people have--such as Paul's mother--the more they want.  Being happy requires changing values and priorities.  So the conflict can be defined as man fighting a losing battle against human nature.

Another significant turning point in the short story "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence is later on, when the boy starts to behave in an out-of-control sort of way. Even though this happens right at the end, this seems to mark the point where the mental and emotional strain has become so unbearable that the boy's mind begins to crack, and his personality to unravel. He has enjoyed the competition and ambition of winning money on the horses up until now, but I think he reaches a point where he knows that enough will never be enough, but he can't stop 'riding' the business of gambling. This is signified by the demented crazy way he rides his rocking-horse at the end, spurred on like a riderless horse in a race - with no destination.

Among the themes eNotes.com lists for D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the two that strike a chord with me are greed vs. generosity, and responsibility.

Paul, the young boy in the story, deeply feels his family's need for money. It is not only stressed by his mother, but the very house seems to whisper it to him. The child believes that by riding his rocking-horse, he will be able to predict what horse will win at the races. This plan actually works, but no matter how well he does, the need for money only grows until it drives Paul out of his mind—drives him to "ride" his horse to a state of collapse. As he lies dying, he learns that the horse he had picked has won the big race, and there is an enormous amount of money for the family. He tells his mother, ironically, how lucky he is—believing as his mother had said, that luck leads to financial success. Hester's brother (Uncle Oscar) is appalled at the situation. He says to his sister, whose "heart was a stone:"

...Hester, you're eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad. But, poor devil...he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking-horse to find a winner.

In terms of parental responsibility, Paul's parents' job is to care for their children and allow them to be children, not to transfer worry and obsession over finances onto the children. Paul's mother and father are irresponsible, never truly dedicated parents, and obviously unsuccessful in finding a proper way (working and budgeting) to pay the bills. Instead of showering her son with love and providing him with a sense of well-being, Paul's mother explains their poor financial state by blaming it all on her husband's lack of luck! Paul is too young to have to shoulder such a heavy burden, but he does, and he starts riding to make money.

With regard to generosity vs. greed, Paul is the generous member of the family who turns over all of his profits to the family with the hope that it will improve the constant worry over money. However, Paul's careful planning is confounded by his greedy mother who takes the 5,000 he (secretly) makes available to her, and spends it all on things for the house, rather than investing it or saving it. It is Paul's generous nature that motivates him to earn more money when the first "installment" disappears so quickly and leaves the family no better off than they were before. This generosity is what ultimately pushes the boy beyond his physical, mental and emotional limits, and eventually robs him of his life.

What is Lawrence's most important message to his reader? For me, it is that family is more important than things. Parents are adults and need to act as such in order to take care of their children. Nothing else is of importance. By assuming responsibility to the family, bills will get paid and the family will thrive in an environment of love. More money can be made by working harder, but family is the most precious resource people can have, and it must be guarded and cared for as such for it is irreplaceable.

How is the mother characterized in D. H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?

Paul's mother Hester is portrayed in a decidedly unflattering way, as a shallow, self-centered woman, obsessed with money and social status. Although everyone thinks she's a good mother, in actual fact she only cares for herself and her own needs. That largely explains why she's so insistent on having more money, which drives Paul towards getting back on the rocking horse time and time again.

Even though Paul continually brings her luck, Hester remains deeply unsatisfied, as if she senses that it can't last. No amount of money is ever enough for Hester; she must always have more. Hester's greed and overweening self-regard would be bad enough at the best of times. But in due course they will come to have tragic consequences. And although Hester could not reasonably have foreseen them, she should've realized that her monstrous selfishness would end in tears sooner or later.

In "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence, Paul's mother, Hester, is not an admirable woman in any way. She claims she has no luck, yet in the opening lines of the story we learn that she is beautiful, married for love, and has beautiful children. She "started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck." Her love "turned to dust," and though her children are lovely, she feels as if "they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them." She had a good life, but she chose to ruin it.

As a mother, Hester is a mess and does not really know how to fix herself.

[W]hen her children were present, she always felt the centre of her heart go hard. This troubled her, and in her manner she was all the more gentle and anxious for her children, as if she loved them very much. Only she herself knew that at the centre of her heart was a hard little place that could not feel love, no, not for anybody. 

Hester is clearly not a good mother, as she has to work hard just to feel "as if" she loves them.

Hester also lives in a constant state of discontent. She calls herself unlucky and she feels as if she can never have enough. Though her family lives in a fine house in a superior neighborhood and has servants and nice things, Hester is not satisfied and wants more--plus she has expensive tastes. She worries about why she is not successful, failing to measure success by a loving husband, two lovely children, and a fine home. She knows the fault is in her, which adds to her discontent. 

Hester is ungrateful. Though she constantly feels as if she needs more, when she gets it she is not thankful. In fact, she just wants more. Paul manages to gift her with some money, but she immediately spends it on worthless things and wants more, all without ever expressing any thankfulness or gratitude. It is as if she thinks she deserves it, though, ironically, she also feels unworthy. 

Hester was not born unlucky, but she creates an unlucky life. When Paul begins to seem unwell, she is mildly concerned. The narrator refers to her as "the heart-frozen mother," and it is an apt description. When her son actually dies, she remains unmoved; the last lines of the story are spoken by her brother and they are about money, not Paul.

Hester is characterized by her own selfishness and discontent. Since these are things created not by her circumstances but by her choices, she is not a sympathetic character. What happens to her is bad, but because she does not particularly care, neither do we. We do not know specifically what will happen to her after Paul dies, but we do know that she will spend everything her son left her and will then want more. None of it will make her happy and we remain unmoved by her plight. 

This is an interesting question. Hester is the antagonist in D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner," and she is a woman who has no discernible redeeming qualities.

Hester is selfish and cold-hearted, unable to love either her husband or her children. Presumably she does not love herself, either, but we find it difficult to muster up any sympathy for her. She is a beautiful woman who "started with all the advantages" and was able to marry for love; she has two beautiful children, and at least one of them is willing to die for her despite the fact that she is unmoved by his sacrifice. Nothing awful or extraordinary happens to change her auspicious beginning, so her becoming a miserable, selfish, and discontented woman is purely her choice.

Hester does not abuse her children in a traditional sense, but they are quite aware that she does not love them.

[W]hen her children were present, she always felt the centre of her heart go hard. This troubled her, and in her manner she was all the more gentle and anxious for her children, as if she loved them very much.  Only she herself knew that at the centre of her heart was a hard little place that could not feel love, no, not for anybody.  Everybody else said of her: "She is such a good mother. She adores her children."  Only she herself, and her children themselves, knew it was not so.  They read it in each other's eyes.

Her treatment of them is abusive in the sense that she neglects them. Things are worse for her son, Paul, once he begins to make money in an attempt to make things better for his mother. She may not know every detail of what her son is doing, but she is aware that he is not well and still does not care. When he dies after revealing the name of the next winner of the big horse race, we know that she is unmoved by anything but the money--and even her emotions about that will be gone soon enough.

Unlike Hester, the stepmothers in fairy tales are usually referred to as "evil." The stepmother in Cinderella, for example, is selfish like Hester, but she is also evil. She wants what she wants for herself and her daughters, for sure, but she wants it at the deliberate expense of Cinderella's life. She strips the poor girl of everything sacred: her memories of her father, her mother's belongings, and her future. In the end the stepmother's plans are foiled and she pays the price for her actions, but until then she is cruel, selfish, and unkind to Cinderella while her own daughters get the best of everything. Hester at least treats her children with equal disdain, and we have no sense that that she would have treated her daughter any differently than she did Paul if the girl had been the one making the money.

While Hester's abuse is shown primarily through neglect, Cinderella's stepmother's abuse is cruel and obvious, and this is the primary difference between the two women. The stepmother's selfishness and abuse is active, while Hester's selfishness and abuse is passive. In the end, of course, we get to see that the stepmother pays for her actions, but we can only imagine the life of continued misery and discontent ahead for Hester. 

In D. H. Lawrence's short story "The Rocking-Horse Winner," Paul's mother values material possessions. Because she values material possessions, she lives with her family in an expensive home cared for by servants even though neither she nor her husband can really afford the lifestyle:

Although they lived in style, they felt always an anxiety in the house. There was never enough money. The mother had a small income, and the father had a small income, but not nearly enough for the social position which they had to keep up.

Her husband also values material possessions. In fact, both are described as having "expensive tastes," and since they cannot afford their tastes or their lifestyle, they are constantly in debt.

Because the mother places so much value on material possessions, she values money. But, above money, she values luck, because she feels it is luck that brings people money, as she explains to Paul when he asks her why they never have enough money:

If you're lucky you have money. That's why it's better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money. But if you're lucky, you will always get more money.

Because she sees herself and her husband as unlucky, she is in a constant state of misery and worry and even becomes obsessively greedy for more money once Paul begins secretly winning money for her through betting on horse races.

What is the purpose of the story "The Rocking-Horse Winner?"

The purpose of the story is implied. This story has the structure and feel of a fairy tale or a fable, but it is set in a more modern context. Given this juxtaposition and that the fairy tale structure does not lead to a happy ending, the indications are that the fairy tale is unrealistic and/or such notions of heroes and happy endings can not be successful in the modern world which, as described in this story, revolves more around money than love or true happiness. 

The beginning of the story sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale: 

There was a woman who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck. She married for love, and the love turned to dust. 

As the story progresses, we learn that the mother is not the typical "damsel in distress." She is incapable of loving her children and she equates luck with money; she equates good fortune/happiness with money. Her husband is nonexistent, so there simply is no love and certainly no financial support from him in her life. Her son, Paul, attempts to find luck/money for his mother. Thus, Paul attempts to make his mother happy and to satisfy her needs. When Paul's winnings do not really change his mother's sad state of mind, the conclusion is that Paul, the knight on his horse, could not save the damsel (his mother). The fairy tale and the honorable knight are doomed to fail in a world where the damsel is superficial and concerned only with money. Paul is literally riding a horse to nowhere. 

The other conclusion is that the relationship of roles Paul and his mother were trying to play was also doomed to failure. Paul becomes the breadwinner of the family, essentially replacing his father. But Paul can not "satisfy" his mother's needs the way his father can, so Paul can not completely "save" his mother and restore love and happiness to her life. 

Freudian analysis (Oedipus Complex) aside, one of the general themes (or purposes) of the story is that money can not buy happiness, especially for a woman who had psychological issues and could not bring herself to completely love her children. When Paul's mother gets the $5,000, the voices in the house become more frequent ("There must be more money!"), symbolizing the futility of Paul's quest in the world that he lives. 

What is the significance of these quotes from "The Rocking Horse Winner"?

"It's what causes you to have money. If you're lucky you have money. That's why it's better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money. But if you're lucky, you will always get more money."

"There was a pause. Daffodil was an obscure horse comparatively."

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, laddie!" said Uncle Oscar

"Let it alone, son! Don't you bother about it!" urged Uncle Oscar. But it was as if the boy couldn't really hear what his uncle was saying.

"Poor devil, poor devil"

1. Before this quote, Paul has confused the word lucre with the word luck after hearing his uncle refer to "filthy lucre." Paul's mother tells him that lucre is money, not luck. Paul then asks her what luck is, and she responds with the quote that states, "It's what causes you to have money. If you're lucky you have money. . . ." The significance of this quote is that it shows how centrally important money is to Paul's mother. She doesn't equate luck with love, children, family, health or any of the many other attributes people generally connect with good fortune.

2. This quote shows that Uncle Oscar feels qualms or misgivings about placing money on Daffodil, despite his nephew's conviction that it will win. The horse is not expected to do well. The significance of the quote lies in that Daffodil does win, showing Paul has correctly predicted the winner.

3. In this quote, Uncle Oscar is suggesting to Paul that he keep his race winnings rather than give them to his mother. It's better to stick with what you have—a bird in hand—than to risk it on uncertainty in the hope of gaining more, his uncle advises.

4. Giving his mother the money only feeds her frenzy for more. Paul is feeling the pressure, and despite his best efforts, picks the wrong horse for two races in a row. His uncle is telling him in this quote not to worry about it and to relax. But Paul has become so obsessed with winning money that he can't absorb his uncle's sensible words.

5. His uncle says these words in sympathy for Paul's early death. He states that it is better to be out of this world than to be fixated on winning money. It's also significant that, although he is using a pat, cliched phrase, Oscar repeats the word "devil." In his last ride, Paul almost seems possessed by the devil:

It's Malabar!" he screamed in a powerful, strange voice. "It's Malabar!"
His eyes blazed at her for one strange and senseless second . . .

What is the falling action of "The Rocking Horse Winner?"

It depends on what you label as the climax of the story.  In my opinion, the climax of the story is when little Paul rides and rides and finally has the winner to The Derby.  His mother rushes home, unusually concerned for him, to find Paul, "in his green pyjamas, madly surging on the rocking-horse."  After he calls out that the horse will be Malabar,

"His eyes blazed at her for one strange and senseless second, as he ceased urging his wooden horse.  Then he fell with a crash to the ground."

This climax brings Paul down with illness, the name of the much sought-after winner of the Derby, and brings on the falling action of the story.

The falling action in this story is quick; the gardener and Bassett put money on Malabar and win, Paul spends several days very, very ill, and then dies.  There isn't much in the way of falling action, but we do see that his horse was the winner, and the end, disasterous results of Paul's obsession with being lucky.  His last words on earth speak of that matter:  "Mother, did I ever tell you?  I am lucky!"  This falling action wraps up where the entire story had been leading, and is an tragic statement on the devastating impact that greed can have on a family.

How does the author use symbolism to develop the theme in "The Rocking Horse Winner"?

The most obvious example of symbolism in this story is the rocking horse itself. It is clear that is has a symbolic function as it obviously stands for both itself and for something beyond itself. There are many possible symbolic means that can be attributed to the rocking horse, and I will discuss two of them.

Firstly, it is clear that the rocking horse could be a symbol of supernatural forces. This refers to Paul's "secret within a secret" - the way that his frenzied riding gives him the name of the horse that will win the next race. It is important to examine how Paul is described when he is on the horse, and how this description increases in intensity as the story progresses. For example, repeated references are made to Paul's eyes:

"I've got to know for the Derby! I've got to know for the Derby!" the child reiterated, his big blue eyes blazing with a sort of madness.

And then finally, when he is discovered by his mother:

Then suddenly she switched on the light, and saw her son, in his green pyjamas, madly surging on the rocking horse...
"It's Malabar!" he screamed in a powerful, strange voice. "It's Malabar!"
His eyes blazed at her for one strange and senseless second, as he ceased urging his wooden horse.

Clearly words such as "powerful", "strange" and "blazed" suggest that what is happening to Paul is something supernatural.

The other major symbol of the rocking horse is that it is a symbol for Paul's desire for his mother's love. From the start we are told that the mother is unable to love her children - when she is with them, she feels the "centre of her heart go hard." Clearly aware of the need for money in the house from the voices, Paul has a conversation with his mother where he associates luck and money as being the same thing. Therefore it could be argued that Paul's adventures with the rocking horse are an attempt to gain his mother's love because everything else has failed.

You could also argue that the horse could be a symbol for greed or temptation, so have a look at the story again and see how you might justify these symbolic meanings.

Are there Jungian archetypes in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence?

Clearly "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence is full of both obvious tension and undercurrents of psychological tension. This is a story which has been analyzed from a Freudian point of view, among others, and it is evident that the archetypes you mention can certainly can be found, as well.

One of the primary conflicts in the story is the relationship between Paul and his mother. While she continually claims to be "unlucky," we know that she has created her own bad luck. Since she starts with everything good but still has no luck, obviously she is the problem. Paul does everything he can to make that right; however, nothing is enough, not even giving up his life. 

Jung's theory of the anima is the "feminine image in the male psyche," and the animus is the opposite.

The anima/animus represents the "true self" rather than the image we present to others....

If we look at Hester, she is not anything a mother should be. She is cold and stony, not nurturing. Though everyone remarks about what a great mother she is, she knows differently.

Only she herself knew that at the centre of her heart was a hard little place that could not feel love, no, not for anybody. Everybody else said of her: "She is such a good mother. She adores her children." Only she herself, and her children themselves, knew it was not so. They read it in each other's eyes. 

This is a consistent theme in the story, and her animus is indicated in her inability to nurturing and her lack of motherly instincts. She is neither a mother to her children nor a wife to her husband. 

Paul, on the other hand, has an incredible nurturing instinct. He is not the only one in the house who hears the constant demand for "more money!" but he is the only one who makes a serious effort to change things in order to make everyone--especially his mother--happy. This nurturing instinct is his anima, and it is what compels him to pursue what will most meet the needs of his house and his mother--money. He wants to please his mother more than anything (which is of course fodder for the Freudian analyses), and he does so sacrificially.

Often male characters demonstrate some female characteristics and vice versa; however, in this story, the roles have been reversed in nearly every way. This anima and animus create what Jung called the syzygy, a representation of completeness and wholeness which is only possible when the male/female roles are so completely reversed. 

The persona, or mask, is represented in Hester. As indicated earlier, she seems to be the model mother; in fact, she plays the role so well that her friends remark about her superior mothering abilities. It is clear, however, that what they see is an act. 

Perhaps a case could be made that Paul also wears a mask. While he seems to be a devoted young son, he is also rather an astute, frenetic. and beyond-his-years businessman. Grown men are persuaded to risk great things because of this persona, and his mother does not suspect that he is the one behind the gift of money because he does not allow her to see it. 

The shadow is all the repressed desires, instincts, and flaws that comprise the darkest side of the self. This manifests in many ways here. Money may be Hester's shadow, the thing she insatiably craves and covets. The rocking horse is clearly Paul's shadow in this story. Everything he wants and desires but cannot express is eventually made manifest in his frantic, feverish rides and his eyes "blazing with a sort of madness." 

Is there suspense in "The Rocking Horse Winner"? What does the last paragraph mean? What moral lesson does the writer present? Does Paul's death symbolize anything?

The suspense of the story is created by Hester's obsession with having more money, the whispering house and Paul's unhealthy obsession with pleasing his mother. As the story unfolds, we learn that Hester, Paul's mother is never happy with the amount of money she has and that Paul has taken it upon himself to please her. However, the more money he wins, the more money she wants. Paul is too young to realize that she will never be satisfied and so he becomes crazed in his attempts to have "more luck" so it will bring his mother more money. Eventually, Paul breaks down both physically and emotionally. He dies just after telling his mother the secret to her success. However, his uncle realizes his sister will never be satisfied. That is why he says in the last paragraph that she has over 80,000 pounds but a dead son. Then he adds, ""he's [Paul] is best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking horse to find a winner." In other words, Paul's uncle believes Paul is better off dead because he never would have succeeded in fulfilling his mother's insatiable desire more money. This symbolizes the theme of the story, that the love of money can lead to obsession and death and that Paul became a slave to his mother's desire for material goods.

How does the title "The Rocking-Horse Winner" relate to the story's ending?

The title of "The Rocking-Horse Winner" refers to the ending of the story on two levels: one level is literal, the other ironic. On the literal level, Paul does ride the rocking horse furiously enough to learn the winner of the Derby, which means that by placing a bet with the help of adults, Paul wins 80,000 pounds for his mother, a huge amount of money. The title is ironic, however, because although Paul wins the money, he dies from his exertions. Further, what he has wanted to earn through being a "winner" is his mother's love, but we are left believing that the money he has won will not be enough for her and that she never does really learn to love Paul. What Paul "won" on his rocking horse was not what his mother needed to fill the hole in her heart. It got him nowhere, just as riding a rocking-horse, in reality, gets a person nowhere.

Does "The Rocking-Horse Winner" portray happiness?

Well, a quick look at the characters tells us there's little or no happiness for anyone in this story.  Here we go:

Father-- Married to a bitter wife who never has enough--even when she gets more, it doesn't satisfy her.  She claims he's unlucky.  His son dies.

Mother-- Has everything--house, servants, kids, stables, clothes, and more--but it's not enough.  Bitter and discontent because she feels she has no luck, despite the things she has, mentioned above.  Her son dies.

Sister--  Has to also sense the throbbing financial needs of the house and the bitterness of her mother.  Her brother dies.

Uncle Oscar--Perhaps a little happy, since he did make some significant money on the races; however, he also has to feel some guilt about being somewhat responsible for his nephew's death.

Bassett--The stable boy who gets Paul started on his betting "career" has made a lot of money, so he is certainly happier.  However, he, too, must feel some guilt regarding the boy's death. 

Paul--Hears the cries of the house and longings of his mother, understands that money is what will make her happy (because that's what she says), then discovers money is not enough.  He, of course, dies trying to create more money.  He tells his mother he's lucky, and there is apparently some truth to that--for awhile.  He may have a moment or two of happiness in his life, like when he anonymously gifts his mother with money, but it doesn't last.

Even the house is not happy--

"And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money!  There must be more money!"

Paul's mother says:

"If you're lucky you have money. That' s why it's better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money. But if you're lucky, you will always get more money."

Apparently, then,  Paul is lucky--but he's sure not happy.

One side note to this story--some have interpreted this as a story of abuse by one or more family members against the young boy.  If that happens to be your interpretation, I suppose we can say that Paul is now happy, since he is free from such torment. 

Is "money does not buy happiness" a suitable theme for "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?

Yes, you can use the theme “money does not buy happiness” or you can also make it a little more sophisticated.  For example, you could also say that we should not be so driven by success that we forget what’s really important in life.  As the enotes theme page notes, there is a "disparity between Paul's generosity and his mother's greed" (enotes themes).

Hester is a “woman who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck” (http://readytogoebooks.com/DHL-rock1.htm)

Hester desperately wants, but does not have, success.  Yet she pushes to get it so much that she loses track of what is happening with her own son.  Paul risks his life and his health to try to get her the information she needs, betting on and winning on horses.  She tells her son that luck is more important than money.

"Oh!" said the boy. "Then what is luck, mother?"

"It's what causes you to have money. If you're lucky you have money. That' s why it's better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money. But if you're lucky, you will always get more money."

"Oh! Will you? And is father not lucky?"

"Very unlucky, I should say," she said bitterly. (http://readytogoebooks.com/DHL-rock1.htm)

It is this fascination with luck, success, and money that leads to her downfall. Paul wants desperately to help her, but she seems to have no interest in helping him and does not even realize what he is doing. She is at a party when he turns ill, thus symbolizing her greed and selfishness.

What is the plot of the short story "The Rocking-Horse Winner?"

The narrator introduces us to a woman who was beautiful, once had a loving marriage, and in the end, had no "luck." She feels burdened by her children. Only she and the children know she feels this way. The family has servants and some money but there is always the feeling that there is not enough money. They live "in style" but barely keep up this social status. The impression is that too much money went into "style" and not enough for substance. 

The atmosphere in the house is haunted by the idea that they need more money. When Paul asks why they don't have a car, his mother tells him it is because they are poor. Why are they poor? Because they have no luck. Paul learns that luck is what causes people to have money and success. Paul goes off on his own to figure out how to find some luck. 

Paul rides his rocking horse in an attempt to imagine his way to luck. His Uncle Oscar discovers that he is able to ride and come up with future winners of horse races. Paul had been practicing this and giving winners to one of the servants, Bassett. With Paul's picks, he, Uncle Oscar, and Bassett keep betting and keep winning. They arrange to have some of the winnings sent to Paul's mother in the guise of a family inheritance. It is supposed to be given over a period of years, but his mother greedily takes the sum all at once. 

The feeling of needing more money haunts the house even more. This can be largely attributed to Paul's mother. To support his mother's growing need for money, Paul rides his horse more and more feverishly in order to keep finding winners ("luck"). In the end, the strain is too much for him. 

What is a one-sentence summary of "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence?

A one sentence summary is clearly going to be very short and brief, so you need to think very carefully about how you are going to construct this summary and what information you need to consider and include in this summary. Allow me to offer you a few thoughts before I go and give you my suggestion.

Firstly, you might like to consider the theme, and restating that to give an overall summary of the story. Clearly, one of the central themes of this brilliant tale is the dangers of materialism and greed, and how it can actually distance you from love and human relations. This might be a good place for you to start.

Secondly, you also might want to use the title as the basis of the summary. Remember how important the title to a short story is. Would there be any scope for exploring the importance of the title in such a summary?

Lastly, you might want to consider the major characters and how they change or develop (or not) during the course of the story. This often yields important information.

So, putting these three together, a one sentence summary of this story could be:

A boy is forced to dabble in the supernatural and find out the names of winning horses to gain money for his mother because of her greed and materialism, eventually killing himself.

Can you detail some characters in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence?

The characters in this story are all very interesting, especially that of little Paul and his money-loving mother.  His mother is described in detail in the first paragraphs of the story as a rather vain, materialistic woman who feels slighted that she does not have more money in life.  Also, an interesting fact is that she does not love her children; in fact, it says that "she could not love them" and that when they were around she felt "the centre of her heart go hard."  She tries to work here and there, and whenever she does get more money, she uses it foolishly instead of wisely.  Despite her lack of love for her children, she pretends to love them, and at the end of the story, shows a lot of concern for Paul before he dies.

Paul is the main character; he is young, intense, and focused on gaining his mother's love through the use of "luck," or money.  He is single-minded in this task for over a year.  He is sincere, intensely dedicated, trusting as he enters into partnerships with his uncle and gardener, and a rather haunted, disturbed little boy.

His sisters, father and governess are not dynamic characters; rather, they are just in the background and make a brief appearance every once in a while.  They don't impact the storyline as much as Paul and his mother. The only other two characters that make a difference are the gardener, Bassett, and Paul's uncle, Oscar.  Bassett is a kind, trustworthy person who did the best that he could with Paul's proclivity for guessing winning horses. He never cheated Paul on the races, and was very kind and fair.  Oscar is a bit of an opportunist, jumping in on the Paul bandwagon when it becomes apparent that Paul is always right, but he still treats Paul fairly, helping him to manage his money.

I hope that those descriptions help to get you started; good luck!