The Rocking

Horse Winner

By
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Lawrence
• 1885  in Eastwood – Nottinghamshire-
England
• 1930 in Vence – France
• English novelist, poet, playwright,
essayist, literary critic and painter who
published as D. H. Lawrence.
• Dehumanizing effects of modernity and
industrialization.
 The Short Story
• 1926: Harper's Bazaar magazine

• 1926: Hutchinson & Company - collection

“Ghost Stories.”

• 1933: Martin Secker - collection “The

Lovely Lady.”
• Characteristics:

Fable: Moral

Fantasy: Chimerical /Fantastic Events

Fairy Tale: Simple words to set the scene

(“There was a woman…”)
• Scholars’ Interpretations:

A social commentary on money and

relationships in a capitalist society

Oedipus complex

A boy searching for identity and love.

 Setting
• Place: England

• Time: Years after the First World War

 Characters
• Hester: Woman, mother, greedy,
irresponsible, unable to love, obsessed
with money and luck.
• Paul: Young boy, he bets on horses, ideas
of love, luck and money.
• Uncle Oscar: Paul’s uncle, wealthy man,
luxurious lifestyle.
• Basset: Gardener, religious views.
• Paul’s father: No name, unlucky man.
 Plot
1) Hester’s ideas about luck and money.
2) Paul and his sisters – sense of anxiety.
3) The House whispers “There must be
more money.”
4) Paul tells Uncle Oscar about betting on
horse races with Basset.
5) Paul saves money for his mother, but
she feels disappointed.
6) Paul tries harder to get the winning
name at the Derby race by riding his
rocking horse.
7) Paul makes a winning bet on a horse
that earns his family a handsome sum
of money.
8) Hester discovers Paul’s secret.
9) Paul says to Hester he’s lucky.
10) Paul dies.
 Themes
• Luck, money and love.
• Faulty sense of values
• Materialism and love are incompatible.
• Maturation and self-realization.
• Happiness comes from the inside rather
than external sources like luck or money.
• Generosity vs. Greed
• The Family's Breadwinner
Questions for Discussion
1. What’s the relationship among LUCK,
MONEY and LOVE?
2. Why is each character motivated to get
money?
3. How would you describe Hester? How
does she feel about her children and
husband?
4. How would you describe Paul?
5. What’s the relationship between Paul
and Uncle Oscar?
6. What exactly causes Paul’s death?
7. What’s the root of all evil in the story?
8. Why is the story considered a “tragic
irony”?
9. How is the story a critique of the
obsession with materialism?
Movie Scene:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbgsMDt
Sucs