1. นางสาววิภาดา เก็จโกวิท
51010512542 4EN
The Rocking Horse Winner
Discussion Question
1. (a) What causes the “ hard little place ” of the center of the mother’s heart? (b) How
does her attitude affect her children? (c) Although the children’s father is mentioned in
the story, he never actually appears. Why might Lawrence have excluded him from the
story?
Answer
(a) The hard little place of the center of the mother’s heart has many causes that
make her stick to the word “luck”. She got upset with her life after she got married with
the man. She believed that she lost the luck because of her husband. It makes her told
her son that they were poor and don’t have anything because of his father. She tries to
have more money to buy everything. The woman always accuses her husband who may
be a bad luck guy. She doesn’t want to be that she will be.
(b) The woman always annoyed her life. It was being bad because she doesn’t have
luck. She always tells her son that they don’t have enough money for their living and
she want more money, more, and more.
(c) In my opinion, I think that the author want to write the character of the children’s
father never actually appears because the author keeps secretly the man focusing on the
woman’s demand. And then the key of this story is the man that remains to her wife’s
belief.
2. (a) What causes the whispering Paul and his sisters hear? (b) Why does it frighten
them? (c) Why do the adults fail to hear the whispering?
Answer
(a) The whispering refers to the desire that Paul’s mother want like more luck
and more money. Paul and his sister hear it louder and louder because they know what
is thing that their mother wants and they want to success her desire.
(b) The whispering frightens them because it is louder and re-echo every time. They
think that the sound is from the house. Paul thinks he will do any way to stop this sound
like to find more money for his mother because it tells him about they don’t have
enough money.
(c) Adults in this story can not hear the whispering because they can not trust with the
woman’s desire. Normally, children have the relationship deeply with their mother and
they want to make their mother happy. Children want to success their mother’s desire
and then they think too much for find more money for her.

2. 3. (a) Why does Paul become so determined to have luck? (b) How does he go about
getting it?
Answer
(a) Paul becomes so determined to have luck because he heard his mother tell
him every time that they don’t have enough money and luck. This is a good relationship
between son and mother that it is quoted from the psychological. Paul is driven to his
death by the inflexible money to success his mother’s desire.
(b) Paul thinks that competition about horse racing is the best way to get too much
money and he want to bring the money to his mother because of his love. Paul tries to
be the horse winner but he was too young. Then he races the rocking horse in his house
during he heard the whispering.
4. (a) What causes the whispering to grow louder after Paul gives his mom five
thousand pounds? (b) How does Paul react to the increased whispering?
Answer
(a) The whispering to grow louder after Paul gives his mom five thousand
pounds because his desire to success the destination increases more than the part. When
Paul success first step, he want to get success in next and next step. Paul and his mother
want money too much and never enough. He wants to get more money for his mother’s
birthday.
(b) He hates his house for whispering and he think that he might stop it. He has five
thousand pounds that he want to paid out a thousand pounds at a time, on the mother’s
birthday, for the next five years. Paul was to bring money to his mother to stop the
house whispers that the sound likes people laughing at him behind his back if he was
unlucky. It might be stop, if he was lucky.
5. Shortly before Paul dies, his mother hears him on his rocking horse. What similarities
exist between the effect of noise made by the rocking horse on her and the effect of the
house’s whispering on Paul?
Answer
The mother fought with the feeling, might and main, for she believed in
common sense and mother’s instinct. It’s too strong to makes her think what is
happened with her children. And then she heard Paul’s sound that he said about one of
the horses running of the derby during he sat on the rocking horse. The mother cried and
fell her heart had gone because Paul was not okay like the house whispers makes Paul
scaring and bring him to be the boy who like to find more money to his mother. The
similarities exist between the effect of noise made by the rocking horse on her and the
effect of the house’s whispering on Paul is motivation of success about their
materialism and the sound has participate with each of desire.

3. 6. Reread the passages that deal with Paul’s eye, paying special attention to the
adjective used to describe them. How do the feelings reflected in his eyes show the
changes he undergoes?
Answer
Paul’s eyes looks like innocence boy who want to do everything for his mother’s
desire. He knows what is his mother want and then he want to be lucky person and get
more money to his mother. At the same time, his eyes change when he gets the first step
to success his mother’s desire and he want it more and more. He thinks that he love his
mother and he go to the Derby to get money for his mother. At the end of the story, Paul
rides the rocking horse and he re-calls the one name of horses running for the Derby
who were though the winner in this game. Paul was dominated by his desire to be lucky
son.
7. What elements of fantasy does the story contain? DOES this fantastic element
strengthen or weaken the story? Justify your answer.
Answer
The Rocking horse winner has some parts that it was fantasy like the house
whispering, the sound of the rocking horse and the mother’s common sense are so
strengthen and it were be the main clauses of the story. There are many reasons and
effects of the fantasy things in this story that they appear and happen from the main
characters in the story like Paul and his father. Normally, houses can not speak or tell
anything to people but it can possible in this story.
8. There are two important symbols are the story.’ the whispering and the rocking horse.
Explain the symbolic significance of each.
Answer
The symbol of the story is the house whispers that say things like, “There must
be more money! There must be more money!” So, these imaginary voices represent the
greed and materialistic attitude of Paul’s mother. Paul feels surrounded by the voices,
just like he is surrounded by the influence of materialism. And the other symbol in this
story is the rocking horse refers to the Paul’s desire that he want to attaining the luck.
Movement of the Paul’s rocking horse are back and forward like the life and luck move
up and down.

4. 9. Defend or criticize this statement: “Money is the root of the evil” is an adequate
statement of the theme of “The Rocking Horse Winner”
Answer
The rocking horse winner story is talk about the materialism and the family
relationship. Alienation is the one of the component of capitalism. The mother lost her
real life and she want to have more money and never enough. At the same time, she
always tells her son that their life was too bad and unlucky to convey him try to find
luck for his mother. Money is the root of the evil from this story refer to if someone
were dominated by money or value things, they still live with evil. The evil dominate
people who want value things and never enough. The woman always annoyed her life.
It was being bad because she doesn’t have luck. She always tells her son that they don’t
have enough money for their living and she want more money, more, and more.
Moreover, Paul hear the house whispers that it was motivated him to find the value
thing that he want to success his mother’s desire. He want to be the rocking horse
winner and got too much money to bring to his mother on her birthday and got it to stop
the house whispers that he want it too much. He wants to be the rocking horse winner
because of love between the boy and his mother.

5. Questions for JOHN UPDIKE’s “A&P”
1. If put in Sammy’s position, would you have made the same decision? Explain.
Answer
If I put in Sammy’s position, I would have decision that it is not the same
Sammy’s decision. Although I want to show my desire about the three girls like to
display of affection or appreciation from the young women involved, I want to do and
work in an A&P grocery. In my case, I never lose my work because of my appreciation.
I will separate the main important part in my life between work and my appreciation
from the outside motivation. Sammy’s parents are the friend of Mr. Lengel so, this
event was not too small story. It was a big problem that related many people like
Lengel, Sammy’s parents, and Sammy. I will do my work without decision to quit the
job and pay attention with the girl who went to A&P and I think that everyone who
went to shopping in an A&P grocery are just only my customers. And then the problem
were not happened in next time.
2. Where in “A&P” does the dramatic conflict become apparent? What moment in
the story brings the crisis? What is the climax of the story?
Answer
The dramatic conflicts become apparent at Lengel’s admonition and Sammy’s
abdication. Lengel who was the old and prudish manager, feels that the girls are not
clothed appropriately to come into a grocery store. He admonishes the three girls, telling
them that this isn't the beach and that they must have their shoulders covered next time,
or have their business refused; which Sammy believes embarrassed them. Lengel want
to keep the rule of the store like the customer will wear their clothes politely. Sammy
wants to quit an A&P grocery because he wants to show his spirit to the three girls and
he hope they will impressive of his speech. But then three girls walked out the shop and
not thing happened. He decides that he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life working
at an A&P competing for the store manager's position. He think that he just nineteen
and he want to do normal thing that teenager do like party or any things else.

6. 3. Describe Sammy. What is your reaction to his description of the girl and what he
says about the customers?
Answer
When Sammy saw the three girls who wear only swimming suit, Sammy were
looked at them and follow them where they went like Sammy want to know every shots
that they do. Sammy keeps an eye on the three girls’ body and thinks in his mind about
their shapes. Sammy describes it perfectly. It was impolite that the man watches the
woman’s body and tries to imagine the woman shapes like he is a nineteen boy and
didn’t have more maturity. Sammy said that the three girls are very striking and
attractive. Sammy likes to see them everyday that is the general instinct of teenager who
can not separate his work and his feeling.
4. Is the supermarket setting vital to the story? Could the story have been set in a car
wash? In a fast-food restaurant? In a business office? Why or why not?
Answer
Everywhere can be the same situation because the situation was happened in
A&P story that have main causes from people, not at all the place. If the restaurants
have the waiter like Sammy who has a few maturities, the situation may happen in the
restaurants. And then if the restaurants have a prudish manager like Lengel who have
many rules to fix his customers and the employees. Although the office is not good, the
problem may not happen; the employees have a good spirits and ethics. They follow the
office’s rule and obey their employer. In this story, Sammy decides that he doesn't want
to spend the time to working at an A&P for the store manager's position. Because of
person, not place at all. In A&P have many departments like the big department store in
Thailand and there are many employees who are difference like Sammy, Lengel, and
Stokies. Many types of people can make many problem, too.

7. 5. What values and attitudes does Sammy assume about the fifty years-old woman and
the other sheep? How accurate are Sammy’ judgment about the other characters? How
might the characters be portrayed if the story were told be Lengel? To what extent is he
guilty of oversimplification?
Answer
If Sammy saw the fifty years-old woman and the other sheep, I think that
Sammy wasn’t focus on that girls and try to work hard but he did not have his
motivation for work as well. He have appearance and thinking likes the other teenagers
that he want to look at the beautiful girl and want to do anything without obstruction.
Sammy’s judgment about the other characters that they did not understand what the
boy wants. And Sammy think of the three girls were caution about their clothes that it
was not polite for shopping by the old prudish manager like Lengel. Sammy think that
the problem was not be too big and he likes to see that as well. In the Lengel’s part, I
think that he was portrayed on the polite man and did true things to other customers and
employees. He was remained the A&P’s rule and the social’s rule how to wear clothes
suitable for activity. There many points of view in each of characters that make reader
were over simplification. If readers understand Sammy’s part, they were only look at
the Sammy’s point of view and try to think that he did the best way. On the other hand,
readers look at Lengel’s part, they were agreed with decision of Lengel, too.
6. What really causes Mr.Lengel to be angry with the girls? Is his anger justified?
Answer
Mr. Lengel is the old and prudish manager, feels that the girls are not clothed
appropriately to come into a grocery store. He admonishes the three girls, telling them
that this isn't the beach and that they must have their shoulders covered next time.
And then I think that Lengel was anger possible because the girls did the impolite way
and they were not pray dignity for the place. The girls did not know about propriety that
they should do when they go to the other place. At the same time, Lengel was adult and
he knows something right and something wrong. I think that it’s justified. Although, the
way that Lengel tell the girls is hard to understand from Sammy, I agree with Lengel’s
decision.

8. 7. Does anything lead you to expect Sammy to make some gesture of sympathy for the
three the girls? What incidents earlier in the story (before Sammy quits) seem like
foreshadowing?
Answer
Yes, Sammy make some gesture of sympathy for the three the girls and he steps
outside to see the world; quit the job and its opportunities as well as its responsibilities
in front of him. Although they are dressed for the beach, Sammy allows the girls to
continue shopping while he appraises them sexually. Sammy feel upset that he saw
Lengel warn the three girls and did not allow them went A&P again if the girls wear
swimming suits like this time. On the other hand, Sammy wants to see the girls wear it
again and again. And Sammy try to against Lengel then leaves the store, seemingly in
expectation of some display of affection or appreciation from the young women
involved, only to find that they've already left, apparently oblivious to his presence.
8. Why does Sammy quit his job so suddently? Is his gesture genuinely heroic or is it
prepared for earlier in the story? Why is it ironic?
Answer
Sammy quit his job so suddenly because he wants to show his responsibilities to
the girls and he want to make impression between the girls; were about the sexuality.
Because of Sammy who was nineteen boy work in the store that was related with his
parents. It was boring but he has some destination like watching the beautiful girl in the
store but Lengel warn the girls like that he do. Sammy tries to think what he should do
next for refresh his gentle to protect the girl. This is the reason of sexuality.
His gesture genuinely heroic is true but it was true not at all. He quit the job including
the bad situation in front of him like he want to do good thing in the girl’s point of view
for his good impression. Then Sammy wants to go outside without compulsion from the
manager and he think that he just nineteen and he want to do normal thing that teenager
do like party or any things else. Finally, he has chosen to live honestly and
meaningfully.

9. 9. What do you think Sammy means when he says, “Now here comes the sad part of
the story”
Answer
In the end of the story, Sammy said that this is the sad part because he lost the
job and he may make the conflict between Lengel and his parents. The end of the story
was good opportunity even if it was sad because he hopes to open his new world and he
want to do everything like a normal nineteen boy. This situation may be the bad
including the good time to beginning the new life.
10. At the end of the story Sammy says, “I felt how hard the world was going to be to
me hereafter.” What does he mean? What do you think he learned from this experience?
Answer
Although, Sammy could see "how hard the world would be hereafter," he knew
that what was done had to be done. And then he ready to start his life even if it was the
sad story. Some Sammy’s experience can makes me know the life may be bound by the
other but not at all. On the other hand, I can choose to the way to makes me happy and
make my life was meaningful life. I learn how to control the bad situation to be the
good time for new world. He proudly quit the job for new life even if he faced the crisis.
Show his responsibility to the three girls is the good crisis for Sammy in this story. Try
to do for the good in the future.

10. 9. What do you think Sammy means when he says, “Now here comes the sad part of
the story”
Answer
In the end of the story, Sammy said that this is the sad part because he lost the
job and he may make the conflict between Lengel and his parents. The end of the story
was good opportunity even if it was sad because he hopes to open his new world and he
want to do everything like a normal nineteen boy. This situation may be the bad
including the good time to beginning the new life.
10. At the end of the story Sammy says, “I felt how hard the world was going to be to
me hereafter.” What does he mean? What do you think he learned from this experience?
Answer
Although, Sammy could see "how hard the world would be hereafter," he knew
that what was done had to be done. And then he ready to start his life even if it was the
sad story. Some Sammy’s experience can makes me know the life may be bound by the
other but not at all. On the other hand, I can choose to the way to makes me happy and
make my life was meaningful life. I learn how to control the bad situation to be the
good time for new world. He proudly quit the job for new life even if he faced the crisis.
Show his responsibility to the three girls is the good crisis for Sammy in this story. Try
to do for the good in the future.