The Rocking Horse Winner

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The ‘Rocking Horse Winner’ by D.H. Lawrence demonstrates how a young boy, Paul, assumes an enormous amount of risk in order to try to improve his family's financial situation. Paul's parents do not seem capable of resolving the situation on their own so Paul assumes full responsibility for the burden. There will be four textual concepts that will be focused on, conflict, protagonist, antagonist and the plot structure. The conflict in this short story extends to almost all the characters mentioned. The first conflict is based on the mother and her children. “They looked at her coldly, as if they were finding fault with her” (Lawrence 28). The conflict with the children could be due to the fact that they see their mother with no real career objectives. "The mother said: 'I will see if I can't make something.' But she did not know where to begin. She racked her brains, and tried this thing and the other, but could not find anything successful. The failure made deep lines come into her face. Her children were growing up, they would have to go to school” (Lawrence 28). The second conflict lies between Paul and his mother. “The boy saw she did not believe him; or rather, that she paid no attention to his assertion. This angered him somewhere, and made him want to compel her attention. He went off by himself, vaguely, in a childish way, seeking for the clue to 'luck'” (Lawrence 29). At this point, Paul is angered that his mother does not believe his luck as he was told by ‘God’ he was. “Well, anyhow, I'm a lucky person, God told me” (Lawrence 29). This conflict arises because Paul is not taken too seriously, this only can anger Paul based on previous potential luck he has had. The conflict between the mother and children is resolved when the mother comes to her senses and starts to show her feelings and love for the first time. “Very well, then! Don't go to

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