I am thinking that this may be an assignment you have for
class, and while I do not want to do the assignment for you, I will provide you with
partial answers so that when you (re)read the story you can complete the assignment on
your own.
1. Paul's mother says this to him when Paul asks
her if luck is money. Paul has been hearing the house whispering "There must be more
money." Intuitively he knows that his parents, particularly his mother, wish for more
money and highly value material goods. His mother is quite bitter about her current
economic status and blames her husband for her inability to live a more lavish
lifestyle. Paul interprets her answer quite literally and seeks luck to please his
mother.
2. The narrator states this to explain why the
uncle questions Paul's choice for the winner of the race. This is the first race Paul
will be attending with his uncle now that his uncle has learned that he can accurately
predict winners. Paul sees these winnings as his luck because they bring money. Also
consider Paul's desire to please his mother.
3. Uncle
Oscar says this to Paul when he agrees to let his mother have the entire sum of money at
once. This quote and section are directly linked to the mother's
greed.
4. The narrator explains Uncle Oscar's attempts to
calm and comfort Paul after he continues to lose money, for which he is desperate so
that he can give more to his mother to make the whispers stop. Examine how the desire
to win is affecting Paul, how his behavior and interactions are changing and how others
react to these changes.
5. Uncle Oscar says this to Paul's
mother just after Paul has died; it is the beginning of the last sentence of the story.
The "poor devil" is Paul. This phrase is followed by "he's best gone out of a life
where he rides his rocking horse to find a winner." Think about what the uncle may be
saying here and why he thinks Paul's death may be a good thing. I believe he (and the
author) sees Paul as a victim of his mother's greed.
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