I.

AUTHOR AND WORK

Writer's Background
David Herbert Lawrence was an English novelist, short story writer, poet and
essayist. Born 1885 in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. Lawrence was the fourth child of a
north Midlands coal miner who had been working since the age of ten. He spoke
dialect, drank heavily, and was nearly illiterate. Lawrence's mother, who came from
the south of England, was educated, subjected to cultivation and sacred.
- Family conflict, quarrels, and separation -> Develop a profound hatred of his
father and an anxious sympathetic love for his mother
It seems quite likely that, for long periods of their childhood, major quarrels between
parents were caused by a father's drinking habits, leading to Bert's hatred towards his
father and an anxious, sympathetic love for his mother remained a significant aspect of
their childhood. She was the inspiration for Lawrence's love of books and promising
future since she was a fan of literary education. However, the couple's strained marital
relationship became the focus of the majority of Lawrence's writings.
Writing style : Lawrence concentrates greatly on examining the aspects of human
relationships, the relationship between Man and Nature, between the spirit of Man,
and the spirit of industrialism which could deny the true nature of humanity. Besides,
his style was greatly influenced by the theory of Sigmund Freud. He believed that
industrialization and machinery degraded people and bitterly blame => the inhumanity
of the industrial culture.
• Young Lawrence never fit in with the other boys at school; he was often isolated
(possible inspiration for the character of Paul!)
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" is a short story and was first published in July 1926,
one of Lawrence's most popular short stories.
Writer's Other Works
• Novels: Lady Chatterley's Lover, Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love

II. SETTING
Time: in the 1920s, after World War I, the races involved were popularly
well-known when the book was published in 1926 and the children in the story had a
governess and the family had servants which were normal in this period. Materialism
and consumerism were prominent in English culture at the period, which had an
immense effect on the story's family.
Place: Paul’s house, in an affluent neighborhood. The children in the story had a
governess and the family had servants which were normal in this period. "They lived
in a pleasant house, with a garden, and they had discrete servants, and felt themselves
superior to anyone in the neighborhood."
The phrase “lived in style” indicates the fact that Paul’s family follows a luxurious and
elegant lifestyle. The income of the family could not sustain the lifestyle, which
further contributes to the obsession of Paul and other family members.
The house has got a major inferiority complex about not being in an even nicer one.
Instead of being a domestic space where the family is sheltered from the rest of the
world, the house is covered with the shallow, material values of society. The walls
literally whisper, "There must be more money, there must be more money." The
pressure for money and to maintain a certain status and lifestyle creates tension, greed,
and necessity in the house.

III. PLOT
SUMMARY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w87wmT8EtW8

PLOT
- Exposition
+ Paul's mother is described as unlucky in marriage and life. She does not feel
love for her children, only anxiety over the family's monetary troubles- they are
in debt and do not have the happiest family. Yet, they have this need to stay rich
with luxuries in their life.
+ Paul discovers his family's lack of money and his mother's desire for more. tells
Paul about the family's lack of luck. He decides to find the "luck" his mother
never had.

"There was always the grinding sense of the shortage of money, though the style was
always kept up.”
"And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more
money! There must be more money! The children could hear it all the time, though
nobody said it aloud."
"What is luck, mother?" "It's what causes you to have money”
"He knew the horse could take him to where there was luck if only he forced it.”

- Rising action
+ The boy Paul and his sisters hear figurative voices from the house, but the
sisters tend to let it be while Paul is bothered.
 + Paul develops a strong bond with his rocking horse and discovers that he can
ride it furiously to enter a trance-like state, during which he can predict the
winners of horse races. This becomes his secret method to bring wealth to his
family.
+ Paul starts betting on horses, a form of gambling to make money, and wins due
to the results of his rocking horse
+ He conspires with his uncle and Bassett to bet on these winning horses. Paul
makes a lot of money and gives it to his mother, but she just spends it all and
continues to still not be satisfied with her life as he wanted. The situation never
gets better.

"I only know the winner," said the boy. "That's Daffodil." Lively Spark came in first,
and the betting had been ten to one against him. Paul had made ten thousand."
"He said Paul's mother had had a long interview with the lawyer, asking if the whole
$5,000 could be advanced at once, as she was in debt."
"The Grand National had gone by: he had not "known," and had lost a hundred
pounds."
'The Derby was drawing near, and the boy grew more and more tense. He hardly heard
what was spoken to him, he was very frail and his eyes were really uncanny."

- Climax
+ Mother walked to Paul's room to check up on him and hears strange heavy loud
noises. When she opened the door, she found him riding his rocking horse
fiercely as if in a trance yelling "Malabar" then got off it and fainted.

"when one of her rushes of anxiety about her boy, her first-born, gripped her heart till
she could hardly speak."
"Then suddenly she switched on the light, and saw her son in his green pyjamas,
madly surging on the rocking horse."
“ 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."

- Conflict: internal conflict + external conflict

+ External conflict:
Person vs. Object
In the story, Paul develops a need for the horse, which is the product of his need
to satisfy his mother's materialistic needs. To provide for her, he needs to ride the
horse until he acquires the miraculous, almost supernatural insight into which
horse will allow him to get the most money for his mother. The object in this case
also builds on other conflicts, such as that of person vs. self and person vs.
supernatural.

Person vs. Idea

Throughout the story, the motif of money and wealth is constantly resurfacing. To
Hester, money is everything.
To Paul, money is the thing that keeps his mother happy and keeps the voices in the
house from getting too loud. However, as the story progresses, this is seen to not be
the case. After winning thousands of dollars for his mother, she takes all of it and
spends it within a relatively short amount of time, right around Christmas. While
doing this, the voices of the house become even louder and intense. The point the
author trying to get across to the reader is that money doesn't solve all problems. It
shouldn't be the focal point of life.

Person vs. Society

The house that the family lives in is obviously too expensive for their relative income.
Although this is the case, Hester feels that she needs to maintain the expensive house,
to have her status upheld, as well as her mental state. If she sold her house, she would
be moving down in the material world, which is the only world that means anything to
her.

Person vs. Person

Hester vs. Paul's Father
Obvious conflict exists in this relationship. In the beginning, it states that Hester
married for love, but then eventually lost that love for him. She blames him for her
family's misfortune, due to his apparent bad luck.
Hester vs. Her Children
It is established at the beginning of the story that Hester has never loved her children.
Although she treats them nicely, they know that this is just a façade.
In turn, this has created mental instability in Paul.

Person vs. Supernatural

Paul's uncanny luck with gambling at the horse races brings to light the possibility of
his supernatural abilities. According to him, this capability stems from his rocking
horse, which he uses to gain insight into the races and their winners.
Paul also thinks that his house constantly repeats the line "There must be more
money," which could possibly bring to light the mental illness which he possesses
from his childhood
Person vs. God
When speaking to Hester about luck, Paul states that God told him he was a lucky
person. Hester responds with disbelief and disinterest, shrugging off his insistence on
his luckiness. At the end of the book, this is once again brought to light when Paul
says to his mom in a delirious state following his seizure "Mom, did I ever tell you? I
am lucky." To which she responds, "No, you never did."
This could be seen as Hester's negative view of God, where her God is actually
materialistic gain.

+ Internal conflict:
Person vs. Self
By far the most important conflict in the story. Paul's internal conflict is what
sets in motion the need for him to gain luck and satisfy his mother. His whole
life, he has felt neglected by his mother, and that has led to obvious mental
stability. The voices from the house that he hears are most likely auditory
hallucinations, and when he rides his horse he achieves a manic state where he
loses himself for vast amounts of time. Furthermore, when he rides the horse,
he could be acting off of his Freudian Oedipus Complex, which once again is due
to his mother's lack of love for him.

- Falling action
+ Due to his rocking, he had a seizure and became very ill.
+ Paul stays ill for three days in a coma-like state until he knows that Malabar has
won the horse race and he now has saved over eighty thousand pounds for his mother.
+ As he is in the process of trying to recover he tells his mom about being lucky
and asks her if she recognizes his luck, but she hardly reacts. She disregards this and
shows her discontent and desire for money still.
"I never told you, mother, that if I can ride my horse, and get there, then I'm absolutely
sure oh, absolutely! Mother, did I ever tell you? I am lucky."
"No, you never did," said the mother."

- Resolution
Paul dies in the night.
His inability to make his mom happy due to her greed causes Paul to die.
"But, poor devil, poor devil, he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking
horse to find a winner."
IV. POINT OF VIEW:
Third point of view.

- The author used lots of pronouns such as “he”, “she”, or “it” to describe all of the
characters.

=> It allows readers to understand both the mother's sense of frustration with her own
economic situation and the sense of disconnect she feels toward her own children.
Additionally, readers are able to understand Paul's desire to please his mother through
the omniscient point of view.

V. CHARACTERS
1. Paul
- Protagonist.
- Appearance:
+ The story doesn't provide a detailed physical description of Paul,
however, the author, to some extent, has described the eye of Paul with
different adjectives such as “uncanny”, “blue fire”, “close-set”, “strange
glare” etc.
+ “Eyes are the windows to the soul.”
=> The physical state of the eye reflects a withered inner world – a lack of
youth, innocence, and cheerfulness. Usually, these qualities can be observed in a child,
but for Paul, the sign of them is hardly traceable.
- Background:
+ Although the family's financial condition was not well secure according
to what Paul’s mom said, we can still recognize that Paul’s family is not
poor at all. This is because in the story, the author mentions the detail
showing Paul’s decent background: “expensive and splendid toys filled
the nursery”.
+ However, Paul lived in a house where love and family bonds were
absent. Paul’s mom felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not
love them. Adequate and quite wealthy in terms of finance but poor in
terms of familial bond
- Characteristics
+ Lonely and Insecure:
- Being extremely annoyed by the whispering noises around the
house and lacking genuine love from his mother, Paul felt himself
a neglected child and somewhat of a burden to his family. He
 sought to control the one thing he thought he could fix
everything: luck as he wanted to gain attention and approval from
his mom.
- The moment he questioned his family's poverty, indirectly
showed his concern had reached an extent of maturity beyond his
year.
- The lack of information about Paul's relationship with his father
and the constant tension about money suggest a lonely and
insecure childhood.
=> He seems to strive for attention and approval, which can be easily noticed in
his desperate attempts to bring luck and wealth to the family.
+ Delusional:
- Driven by the whispers in the house "There must be more
money", and his mother's anxieties, Paul’s mind has been haunted
with horse racing as a solution. His obsession resulted in the
fervent ritual where he rides the rocking horse, betting on
imaginary races. The concept of luck – “Luck is what causes you
to have money” spreads throughout the Lawrence story, which is
why betting on the ponies acts as both the perfect solution and the
poisonous pill.
- Paul convinces himself that he has a special gift – the ability to
predict winners based on the intensity with which he rides the
rocking horse. This belief borders on delusion, a coping
mechanism for the harsh realities surrounding him. He wanted
luck.
- When the two girls were playing with dolls in the nursery, he
would sit on his big rocking horse, charging madly into space,
with a frenzy that made the little girls peer at him uneasily.
+ Having Oedipus Complex:
- The Oedipus complex is a concept of psychoanalytic theory first
created by Sigmund Freud. As being greatly influenced by the
theory of Sigmund Freud, D. H. Lawrence has introduced this
concept implicitly in the story.
- The Oedipal conflict refers to the "triangular relationship between
father, mother, and son" in which the son competes with the
father for the affection and attention of the mother, wishing to
replace the father's role in the mother's life. This complicated and
unhealthy relationship between parents and offspring flourishes in
"The Rocking-Horse Winner."
 - When his mother is reduced to secretly working outside of the
home to maintain their lifestyle, Paul determines to take action.
The boy realizes that his father is not able to satisfy his mother
financially and, therefore, decides to take upon himself the role of
husbandly provider and protector of his mother, thus establishing
his role in the Oedipal dynamic. In doing so, Paul places himself
in a position of responsibility- real or imagined-that is too mature
for his years, a position that he cannot fill the way he thinks he
can. Despite his age, Paul finds that he can meet the financial
needs of his mother, as his father never could, because he
discovered that he is possessed of "luck."
- Luck, he feels, is the trait that his mother desires and his father
lacks and that reveals to him the upcoming race horse winners.
Paul's frantic journeys on his rocking horse leave him with the
information necessary to win more money to provide for his
mother, thus proving himself more suited and capable than his
father for the care and affection of the mother.
=> Paul's story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of an insatiable desire for
money. Paul's childhood is stolen by the burden of adult worries. His obsession with
gambling signifies the loss of his innocence. In general, Paul is a tragic figure, a child
burdened by adult problems and seeking solutions in a world beyond his
comprehension.
2. Hester
- Antagonist character
- Background:
+ “Lived in style” but “Never enough of money”
+ Although she looks glamorous outside, in fact she has to struggle to
keep up with her living style. This indicates that she is self-conscious
about her status and appearance in society and tries to spend over the
amount that she earns to show that she belongs to upper-class society.
+ “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”
+ We can see that she is a beautiful woman, maybe she comes from a
middle-class family but after the marriage, it turns out to be not as happy
as she once thought. Therefore, because of her unlucky marriage, she is
discontented and losing her commitment to take care of the family
wholeheartedly and dedicatedly. This is reflected clearly in her
 relationship with the children “she had bonny children,...and she could
not love them”.
- Appearance:
+ The author only describes she is a beautiful woman and starts with all
the advantages.
- Characteristics:
+ Discontented and Frustrated:
- As inferred from the background, her marriage, based on love
that turned to "dust," contributes to her discontent. Married life is
not very happy, and she believes that "I married an unlucky
husband" contributes to the emotional flow of the story. That’s
why she could not love her kids wholeheartedly.
+ Obsessed with Money:
- The lack of money dominates the household atmosphere. The
mother constantly worries about debts and maintaining
appearances. This obsession is evident in her statement, "There
must be more money!". These obsessions do not come naturally,
they come from social pressures.
- The emphasis on maintaining appearances suggests the family
might be trapped in a social circle that values wealth above all
else. This pressure could exacerbate the mother's feelings of
inadequacy and fuel her obsession with money.
+ Indifferent:
- Despite her worries, the mother prioritizes her own desires. She
secretly takes up sketching to make money, even though it's not
very successful. She spends the entire windfall on herself when
given the opportunity. The mother fails to recognize the
unhealthy nature of Paul's obsession with horse racing and
gambling.
- While she notices his anxiety, she attributes it to the races
themselves, not the underlying need to bring money into the
household. The mother's inability to recognize the unhealthy
nature of his obsession highlights the tragic consequences of their
emotional disconnect.
=> The mother's inability to break free from her own obsession with money and
connect with her children leads to a devastating outcome. Her fear of Paul's gambling
prevents her from discovering the true source of his actions, ultimately sealing his fate.
3. Oscar
- Antagonist character
 - Background:
+ The brother of Paul's mother, Hester.
+ Interested in horse racing and the thrill of gambling, evident by his
participation in Paul's scheme. Based on his actions, we can infer that
Uncle Oscar prioritizes wealth and material gain.
- Appearance:
+ The story portrays him as wealthy based on his expensive clothing's
- Characteristics:
+ Greed: He likes horse races and uses Paul’s tips to make bets himself.
Oscar values wealth above everything else, and was only using his
nephew’s strange ability for his own benefit without considering Paul’s
emotional turmoil. If he is a good-mannered uncle and cares about his
nephew’s mental health condition, he will not allow Paul to continue
gambling after many times.
=> What is the role of Uncle Oscar character? He becomes more than just a static
antagonist; he serves as a complex catalyst for the story's central themes. His character
serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of prioritizing wealth and neglecting
emotional well-being.
4. Basset
- Appearance:
+ The author does not provide any description of his appearance
- Background:
+ Bassett works as a gardener for Paul's family. This places him in the
working class, likely with a lower social standing compared to Paul.
+ The story mentions Bassett previously served under Paul's Uncle Oscar
during the war. This suggests a past connection and potential loyalty to
the family.
+ Based on his role as a gardener, we might infer Bassett enjoys working
outdoors and has some knowledge of plants and gardening. His loyalty
to Uncle Oscar during the war suggests a sense of duty and a strong
work ethic.
- Characteristics:
+ Serious and addicted to gambling: He speaks about racing events with
a seriousness akin to "religious matters" (indicating a deep commitment
and potential naivety). He seems to believe Paul has a gift from heaven
regarding horse racing picks (highlighting his religious perspective
influencing his view of Paul's "luck"). Bassett's religious interpretation
of Paul's luck adds a layer of irony. The story explores the destructive
 nature of gambling addiction, contrasting it with the blind faith in a "gift
from heaven."
+ Simple and Trusting: He readily accepts Paul's claim of having a "gift
from heaven" for picking winners (showing a lack of skepticism). He
seems content with his role in the partnership, following Paul's lead
(indicating a trusting nature). However, from that simplicity has led to
unpredictable and sinful consequences. Participating in this hidden
world with Bassett creates a sense of secrecy and potential guilt in Paul.
=> By examining Bassett's character in more detail, we gain a deeper understanding of
the complex story in "The Rocking-Horse Winner." His role adds a significant layer to
the story's concentration on obsession, wealth, and the destructive nature of gambling.

VI. THEMES

- Materialistic obsession and greed can kill a person.

The death of Paul is caused by the everlasting source of greed from his mother.
Hester has a tremendous desire for money in order to sustain her luxurious
lifestyle and to keep up the appearance of being wealthier than she actually is.
Her greed makes her blind to the fact that her anxiety over money has a deep
effect on her children and eventually, indirectly, leads to the death of her son.
Paul’s desire for approval also leads to greed, although he does not want any
money for himself. Instead, he wants his mother to think of him as lucky, so he
becomes obsessed with finding luck. Paul’s greed is much less selfish than that
of Hester, as he does not want money for himself, and only becomes greedy to
help his mother and quiet the voices in his house.

- Children can be negatively influenced by parents’ behaviors.

è Paul’s behavior and his distorted mindset about money and luck have been
caused by his mother’s greed and lack of sympathy. We have heard a
proverb that underscores the influence of parents’ behavior on children –
Children are the mirror that reflects the image of their parents. So, when
Hester, who has no love for her kids, disseminates the notion “luck is what
causes you to have money” into Paul’s mind, we can imagine that Paul’s
mindset somehow has been spoiled which later leads to his decision to enter
the world of gambling. The selfishness and over-obsession with money and
wealth have made a woman push her son into the disoriented path and
indirectly cause his dead.
 - True happiness cannot be found in external wealth but rather in genuine
human connection.
“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.”

=> In the story, we can see that there is a lack of deep connection between Paul
and the others. All members seem to only care about money.
However, when Paul could earn money , his mother wanted more instead of
being happy. That means that money cannot make Paul's family happier. And
from my perspective, even if they have more money, the family is still really
unhappy as they are not connected to each other.

- Being recognized is one of the most essential human needs.

+ "Well, anyhow," he said stoutly, "I'm a lucky person."

+ “The boy saw she did not believe him; or rather, that she paid no
attention to his assertion. This angered him somewhere, and made him
want to compel her attention.”

=> In the story, Paul often feels overlooked and unappreciated by his mother
and family. He feels a significant pressure to make himself "valuable" in his
mother's eyes, and he believes that winning and earning money is the way to
achieve that recognition. He feels that having money will help him gain love
and attention from his mother.

VII. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE + SYMBOLS

- FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
● And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be
more money! There must be more money! …..Behind the shining modern
rocking-horse, behind the smart doll's house, a voice would start whispering:
There must be more money! There must be more money!
→ Personification
→ The house, in particular, is given a voice and human intentions, representing
the social pressures posed by materialism and greed

● “The voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring
evening.”
→ Simile
→ To show that the voice in the house is so loud and repetitive
 ● "And then the house whispers, like people laughing at you behind your back."
→ Simile + Personification
→Paul uses this simile to illustrate how society laughs at people like his mother
behind their backs while praising them to their faces. As well as a simile, this is
also an example of personification, because human characteristics have been
ascribed to an inanimate object.

● "His eyes were blue fire."

→ Metaphor
→ Blue fire represents passion and determination → Paul’s eyes represent his
passion and determination to satisfy his mom, but also the destructiveness of it.
At first, it seems like his strong feelings help him predict winners, but in the
end, the fire also burns him out until he goes mad and dies.

● “When he had ridden to the end of his mad little journey, he climbed down and
stood in front of his rocking-horse, staring fixedly into its lowered face.”
→ Metaphor
→ His act of rocking is compared to a journey metaphorically in an unstated
comparison.

● It came whispering from the spring of the still-swaying rocking horse, and even
the horse, bending his wooden, champing head, heard it
→ Personification + Alliteration
→The alliterations in "şpring" and "ştill-şwaying" "horse", "head" and "heard"
are all rhythmic and monotonous. That is why these alliterations support the
monotonous, still-swaying rocking-horse.

- SYMBOLS
● The rocking horse: + symbol of race gambling - a destructive pursuit of wealth
→ Paul's desperate attempt to fulfill his mother's wish for more money.
+ A loss of Paul’s childhood innocent
- The rocking horse → a “back and forth” toy. “Back and forth”: Although you are
moving, you just stay at the same place and do not move any further or make any
progress. Because of being “back and forth”, it is still-swaying→ it is not stable.
→ Paul put much effort into the pursuit of wealth by gambling in the horse races.
Instead of leading you to the successful finish line like a real horse, gambling will lead
to nothing and it is not a stable way to have money. You'll just be stuck in an endless
cycle of gambling races. Like Paul has been blindly investing in gambling to have
luck, and to fulfill his mother's wish for money. In the end, he cannot satisfy his
mother’s desire, which is to gain her love.
→ Paul's desperate attempt to fulfill his mother's wish for more money.

- The rocking horse is a toy for children. However, Paul holds on to the horse through
the years even if he's outgrown Paul is not growing up in a normal way. Due to a lack
of love from his family, especially his mother, he regards the rocking-horse as his best
friend. Despite being outgrown, Paul holds on to the horse through the years.
→ The loss of his childhood innocence.

● The whispers of the house: “There must be more money! There must be more
money!” - unspoken phrases
→ Symbolized the greed for money
→ The obsessive materialism of the society in which they live in
- The family lives constantly with the anxiety of a lack of money, but they rarely talk
of it. Only the house voices this anxiety by constantly whispering, "There must be
more money." Paul rides his rocking horse wildly in a desperate attempt to quiet the
whispering. He wants to satisfy his mother's need for more money. Despite his best
efforts, however, he's unable to do so. The more money he gave his mother, the louder
the whispers became, eventually turning into a scream → The greed is never satisfied;
no amount of money is ever enough for his mother. It also reflects the obsessive
materialism of the society in which they lived at that time.

“The house had been 'whispering' worse than ever lately, and, even despite his luck,
Paul could not bear up against it.”
“Paul's mother touched the whole five thousand. Then something very curious
happened. The voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a
spring evening.”

- Why does the house (and the luxuries within it) whisper?: The house and the
expensive objects such as expensive shining toys serve as a demonstration of wealth,
at least in terms of outward appearance and social status for the family. To maintain
this and satisfy the extravagant lifestyle with materialism, they need more money

- The "house" but not “home”?: + The author uses the word "house" but not "home" to
indicate that this place has no warmth or love at all, and the children are not content
with the family's atmosphere. They do, in fact, not have a close-knit relationship and
"house" is no more than an accommodation, not a true family, a place to go back to
soothe their soul.
+ The "house" is just a demonstration of wealth, a way to maintain the social
status of the family.

● The eyes:
→ Symbols of the character’s emotional state
- The characters don't have many conversations, nor do they share their feelings with
each other in the story. Instead, they communicate with their eyes. Lawrence uses eyes
as a symbol of the character's emotional states. The children can tell by looking into
one another's eyes that they feel the lack of love in the house and they hear the anxious
whisperings of the house. When Paul first begins to ride his rocking horse, Paul's eyes
are described as “close-set” and often have “a strange glare” in them. Even the rocking
horse's eyes are described as wide and bright. As Paul becomes more anxious, his eyes
become more wild. By the end his eyes are blazing, symbolic of the madness caused
by an obsession with wealth.

VIII. STYLE AND TONE

● Emotional Tone

Ironic, Sympathetic
The narrative tone in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is fairly neutral—the
narrator straightforwardly presents most of the characters, describing events in a
no-nonsense manner as they happen. Paul, Oscar Creswell, Basset, and the other
minor characters seem relatively normal through the eyes of the narrator, whose
attitude towards those characters does not trend particularly positively or negatively.
The narrator presents Paul as a rather intense young child, but this does not seem to be
a character flaw in the narrator's eyes:

“The child had never been to a race meeting before, and his eyes were fire blue. He
pursed his mouth tight, and watched.”
The characters' desires and anxieties create an atmosphere of tension and
dissatisfaction. There is a pervasive sense of disillusionment and tragedy as the story
unfolds, with the characters' pursuit of luck leading to their downfall.

Overall, the combination of Lawrence's modernist style and the melancholic tone
contributes to the story's exploration of complex human emotions and the destructive
consequences of materialistic values.
● Style
The story exhibits elements of modernist writing, which was prominent in the early
20th century. Lawrence's style in this story is characterized by concise and precise
language, with a focus on internal thoughts and psychological exploration.

The prose is often introspective, delving into the characters' emotions, motivations,
and conflicts. The narrative is structured with a sense of fragmentation, presenting a
nonlinear sequence of events and relying heavily on symbolism and imagery to convey
meaning.

This story also combines the supernatural elements of a fable, mainly Paul’s ability
to “know” the winners just by riding his rocking horse, with the serious themes of an
unhappy marriage and an unhealthy desire for wealth at all costs. The story begins
with fable-like simplicity but ends with a serious message about wasted lives.

Lawrence's style emphasizes the subjective experiences and inner lives of the
characters, often employing stream-of-consciousness techniques to immerse the reader
in their thoughts and perceptions.