The Rocking Horse Winner
GENS1101 Fiction Analysis
Directions: Use critical thinking strategies to analyze the short stories from the fiction section of the Mercury Reader.
1. Title of Selection: The Rocking-Horse Winner
2. Author: D.H. Lawrence. Was born in a coal town in the dusty industrial area of England but didn’t find his way to the mines because of his mother. His writing mostly criticizes society.
3. Theme: Possessions are not more important than personal connections. Paul is trying to get more and more money for the mother because that seems all she cares about. He knows this and to make her love him, he tries to win the money for her.
4. Summary of the Selection: Paul is a son of a very poor family, however, Paul is really good in knowing which horse to bet on in the races. This is because of the horse he got for Christmas which helps him develop this intuitive power. His uncle finds out and together they win a lot of money. Each year for 5 years long they put the money on a bank account for Pauls mother and say it is from a far relative. Still Paul feels the need (and hears voices) that he needs to make more money. After boarding school over the summer it gets even worse and Pauls mom is worried. Finally her motherly instinct comes up when Paul is riding a horse in the dark but actually it is too late. Paul is already sick and he bets a final time, again wins a lot of money, but unfortunately he dies in the end.
5. Figurative Language: oxymoron: It was a soundless noise, yet rushing and powerful.
Simile: The voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring evening.
6. Elements of Fiction
•Characters: Paul: The son of a poor family with a lot of family conflicts. He knows that his mom doesn’t love him or his sisters. Hester: Pauls mother, she is dissatisfied with her marriage because her husband cannot come up with the money to pay for their debts. Bassett: The family gardener. He
Directions: Use critical thinking strategies to analyze the short stories from the fiction section of the Mercury Reader.
1. Title of Selection: The Rocking-Horse Winner
2. Author: D.H. Lawrence. Was born in a coal town in the dusty industrial area of England but didn’t find his way to the mines because of his mother. His writing mostly criticizes society.
3. Theme: Possessions are not more important than personal connections. Paul is trying to get more and more money for the mother because that seems all she cares about. He knows this and to make her love him, he tries to win the money for her.
4. Summary of the Selection: Paul is a son of a very poor family, however, Paul is really good in knowing which horse to bet on in the races. This is because of the horse he got for Christmas which helps him develop this intuitive power. His uncle finds out and together they win a lot of money. Each year for 5 years long they put the money on a bank account for Pauls mother and say it is from a far relative. Still Paul feels the need (and hears voices) that he needs to make more money. After boarding school over the summer it gets even worse and Pauls mom is worried. Finally her motherly instinct comes up when Paul is riding a horse in the dark but actually it is too late. Paul is already sick and he bets a final time, again wins a lot of money, but unfortunately he dies in the end.
5. Figurative Language: oxymoron: It was a soundless noise, yet rushing and powerful.
Simile: The voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring evening.
6. Elements of Fiction
•Characters: Paul: The son of a poor family with a lot of family conflicts. He knows that his mom doesn’t love him or his sisters. Hester: Pauls mother, she is dissatisfied with her marriage because her husband cannot come up with the money to pay for their debts. Bassett: The family gardener. He