นางสาวว�ภาดา เก็�จโก็ว�ท 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.

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.

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.

AnswerThe 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.