Class 11 English Notes Chapter 3 (Short Stories – The Rocking-horse Winner) – Woven Words Book

Detailed Notes with MCQs of Chapter 3 of our 'Woven Words' short stories section: D.H. Lawrence's powerful and unsettling tale, 'The Rocking-horse Winner'. This story is frequently studied for its deep psychological insights and social commentary, making it important for your exam preparation.

'The Rocking-horse Winner' by D.H. Lawrence: Detailed Notes

1. Author and Context:

• D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930): A prominent English writer and poet of the early 20th century. His works often explore modernity's dehumanizing effects, psychology, emotional health, vitality, and instinct.
• Context: Written in the 1920s, a period following World War I, marked by social change, economic anxieties, and a questioning of traditional values. The story reflects concerns about materialism and the emotional emptiness of modern life.

2. Characters:

• Paul: The young protagonist. Sensitive, intense, and deeply affected by his mother's unhappiness and the family's financial struggles. He develops an obsessive need to prove he is "lucky" to win his mother's love and silence the house's whispers. His primary motivation is to gain his mother's affection, which he equates with providing money.
• Hester (The Mother): Attractive but cold and incapable of genuine love, especially towards her children. She feels perpetually unlucky and blames her husband's lack of success. Her core belief is that luck equates to money, and her insatiable desire for wealth creates a toxic atmosphere in the home. She represents the destructive force of materialism.
• Bassett: The family gardener. Simple, loyal, and superstitious. He becomes Paul's first confidant and partner in the betting scheme, taking Paul's "gift" seriously. He represents a more grounded, albeit enabling, presence.
• Oscar Cresswell (Uncle Oscar): Hester's brother. Initially amused and skeptical, he soon realizes the profitability of Paul's predictions and joins the scheme. He represents the opportunistic nature of the adult world, exploiting Paul's ability for financial gain.
• The Father: Largely absent and ineffective. He contributes little financially or emotionally, reinforcing Hester's sense of being unlucky in marriage.

3. Plot Summary:

• The story opens by establishing the family's financial anxiety despite living a seemingly comfortable life. The mother, Hester, believes herself unlucky and incapable of loving her children.
• A haunting phrase begins to permeate the house, seemingly emanating from the expensive objects: "There must be more money! There must be more money!"
• Young Paul becomes acutely aware of this unspoken tension and his mother's unhappiness. He equates "luck" with money and believes that if he can become lucky, he can win his mother's love and stop the whispering.
• Paul discovers that by riding his rocking horse intensely, sometimes into a trance-like state, he can predict the winners of horse races.
• He forms a secret partnership with Bassett, the gardener, placing bets and accumulating winnings.
• Later, Uncle Oscar discovers the secret and joins the partnership, helping manage the larger sums of money.
• Paul arranges for a significant sum (£5,000) to be given to his mother anonymously over five years. However, instead of easing the tension, this only makes the house whisper more frantically as Hester spends the money immediately.
• Obsessed with predicting the winner of the upcoming Derby, Paul rides his rocking horse with terrifying intensity.
• His mother finds him in a state of collapse, feverish and delirious, after he cries out the name of the winning horse, "Malabar!"
• Malabar wins the Derby, netting the partnership a huge sum (over 80,000 pounds, though Paul only knows of 70,000 initially).
• However, Paul, weakened by the strain and fever ("brain fever"), dies shortly after hearing the news of his win.
• The story ends with Uncle Oscar's chilling remark to Hester: "My God, Hester, you're eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad. But, poor devil, poor devil, he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking-horse to find a winner."

4. Themes:

• Materialism and Greed: The central theme. The relentless pursuit of wealth poisons the family, destroys relationships, and ultimately leads to tragedy. Money is sought as a substitute for love and happiness but brings only destruction.
• Love and Lack of Affection: Hester's inability to love creates an emotional void that Paul desperately tries to fill, tragically mistaking financial provision for genuine affection. The story critiques lovelessness within the family unit.
• Oedipus Complex: Many critics interpret Paul's obsession as stemming from an Oedipal desire to replace his ineffective father and win his mother's exclusive love and attention, with money being the means to achieve this. His frantic rocking can be seen as a symbolic, almost sexual, exertion towards this goal.
• Luck vs. Worth: The characters, particularly Hester, confuse luck (often seen as synonymous with money) with inherent worth or the ability to love. Paul internalizes this, believing he must be "lucky" to be loved.
• Critique of Capitalism/Society: The story implicitly critiques a society that values wealth above human connection and emotional well-being. The pressure to maintain appearances and acquire wealth corrupts individuals.
• The Supernatural vs. Psychology: Is Paul's ability a genuine supernatural gift, or is it a manifestation of extreme psychological stress and obsessive focus? Lawrence leaves this ambiguous, heightening the story's unsettling effect.
• Sacrifice: Paul sacrifices his childhood, health, and ultimately his life in a futile attempt to satisfy his mother's desires.

5. Symbolism:

• The Rocking Horse: Represents Paul's desperate, static struggle. He exerts immense energy but goes nowhere physically. It symbolizes his arrested development, his futile quest for love, a connection to hidden knowledge, and potentially unhealthy, obsessive energy.
• The Whispering House: An auditory manifestation of the family's pervasive greed and anxiety. It externalizes the internal, unspoken desires and pressures, showing how materialism haunts their lives.
• Money: Symbolizes false values, corruption, and the inadequate substitute for love and emotional connection. It is the object of desire that ultimately destroys.
• Paul's "Blazing" Eyes: Represent his unnatural intensity, his connection to the secret knowledge, his feverish obsession, and the immense psychological toll of his quest.

6. Literary Devices:

• Fairy Tale Elements: The story employs elements like a quest, a secret gift, and a whispering house, but subverts the traditional happy ending, creating a dark, modern fable.
• Irony:
  • Situational Irony: Paul achieves his goal of getting money but dies as a result; the mother gets the money she craved but loses her son.
  • Dramatic Irony: The reader understands the destructive nature of Paul's obsession better than the characters involved (especially initially).
• Foreshadowing: Paul's increasing secrecy, physical deterioration, and the intensity of his rides foreshadow his tragic end.
• Personification: The house is personified through its whispers, giving tangible form to the family's anxieties.

7. Conclusion:
'The Rocking-horse Winner' is a chilling critique of materialism and emotional neglect. Lawrence masterfully uses symbolism and psychological depth to explore how the obsessive pursuit of wealth can replace genuine human connection, leading to devastating consequences. Paul's tragic fate serves as a stark warning about the destructive power of greed and the desperate measures taken to gain love in a loveless environment.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

1. What phrase does Paul constantly hear whispered in his house?
   a) "We need more luck!"
   b) "There must be more money!"
   c) "The children need new toys!"
   d) "Father must find a better job!"

2. Who is Paul's first partner in his horse race betting scheme?
   a) Uncle Oscar
   b) His Mother (Hester)
   c) His Father
   d) Bassett, the gardener

3. According to Hester, why does she believe her family cannot be wealthy?
   a) Because her husband is lazy.
   b) Because she has expensive tastes.
   c) Because she believes she and her husband are inherently "unlucky".
   d) Because they spend too much on the children.

4. What object does Paul use to predict the winning horses?
   a) A crystal ball
   b) A set of tarot cards
   c) His wooden rocking horse
   d) Dreams he has at night

5. How does Hester react when Paul arranges for her to receive £1,000 a year for five years?
   a) She is grateful and the whispering stops.
   b) She insists on receiving the full £5,000 at once and spends it quickly.
   c) She refuses the money, suspecting its source.
   d) She gives the money back to Paul.

6. The rocking horse in the story primarily symbolizes:
   a) Childhood innocence and play.
   b) A connection to nature and animals.
   c) Paul's futile, obsessive effort and arrested development.
   d) The family's journey towards wealth.

7. Which major horse race is central to the story's climax?
   a) The Grand National
   b) The Ascot Gold Cup
   c) The Derby
   d) The St. Leger Stakes

8. What is Uncle Oscar's final comment after Paul's death?
   a) He regrets ever getting involved in the betting.
   b) He blames Hester for Paul's death.
   c) He notes that Hester has gained money but lost her son, suggesting Paul is better off dead.
   d) He vows to use the winnings to honour Paul's memory.

9. A prominent theme explored through Paul's relationship with his mother is:
   a) The importance of education.
   b) The Oedipus complex and the desperate need for maternal love.
   c) The conflict between generations.
   d) The joys of country living.

10. The whispering sound in the house represents:
    a) Ghosts haunting the family home.
    b) The wind blowing through the trees.
    c) Paul's developing mental illness.
    d) The pervasive anxiety and unspoken greed within the family.

Answer Key:

1. b) "There must be more money!"
2. d) Bassett, the gardener
3. c) Because she believes she and her husband are inherently "unlucky".
4. c) His wooden rocking horse
5. b) She insists on receiving the full £5,000 at once and spends it quickly.
6. c) Paul's futile, obsessive effort and arrested development.
7. c) The Derby
8. c) He notes that Hester has gained money but lost her son, suggesting Paul is better off dead.
9. b) The Oedipus complex and the desperate need for maternal love.
10. d) The pervasive anxiety and unspoken greed within the family.

Study these notes carefully. Understanding the characters' motivations, the key symbols, and the underlying themes is crucial for analysing this story effectively. Let me know if any part requires further clarification.