Look at your responses that you prepared earlier about your Short Story. In your group, discuss your answers. Try to be sure everyone in your group has a chance to talk about what they have written.
- What "unspoken phrase" does the house come "to be haunted by"?
- Why do the mother and father in this story have too little money? What hints are provided in the story to explain their continual need for money?
- How does Paul come to know that a horse will win a particular race? What does he have to do to gain this knowledge?
- Paul believes that he is lucky, while his mother says that she and her husband are poor because they are not lucky. Evaluate these ideas about luck. Do you agree that Paul is lucky? What role does luck play in an individual's success or happiness?
- Receiving the five thousand pounds does not solve Paul's mother's problem. What point is Lawrence making here? What is the real problem in the household?
- How would you characterize Paul's relationship with his mother? He says he does the horse betting for his mother. Why would a small child want so desperately to get more money?
- Explain the following statement said to Paul's mother at the end of the story: "...you're eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad."
- Do you think Paul's mother finally understands his pain at the end of the story? Why or why not? Use details from the story to support your answer.