The Rocking Horse Winner
Summary:
This story is about a boy named Paul who received a rocking horse for Christmas, which made him excited about horse racing. At the same time seemingly unrelated events began to unfold: The boy's mother began to display lewd materialism and a drive for money, which in turn literally saturated the house in the form of reverberating voices which called for there to be more money.
When Paul continuously heard the voices ringing from his room it was like a clear call for him to do something. He climbed atop his rocking horse and began to ride. While enthusiastically riding his rocking horse he became aware of which horse would win at the local racetrack.
At first his business of picking the horse race winner was merely a game that the boy and the local handyman Bassett played. They earned a little money together, which Bassett kept for the boy.
Paul Stang
Animated sequence of a race horse galloping. Photo...
January SuchodolskiPaul hoped someday to give it to his mother. Eventually his rich uncle Oscar joined in to play the game with them. The stakes got higher and he began to distribute the money they win to Paul's mother via a lawyer. Before long the boy's excitement turned to agitation as he rode harder and faster in order to determine the horse that will win the next race and obtain as much money as he could, but his mother-who was unaware of where the money was coming from-just kept spending the cash as quickly as he won it. Eventually Paul's addiction became too severe, knowing that he couldn't impede the voices calling out for money and he expired shortly after naming the winner of the yearly Derby, winning seventy thousand pounds.
Characters:
Paul - Main character of the story. A young boy who believed that...