my oedipus complex / the myth of sisyphus/ the rocking-horse winner

my Oedipus complex author

frank o’connor

magpie

type od bird that picks up all kinds of unlikely materials to build its nest

terace

row of houses

ominous

threatening

petrified

rigid from the cold

trams

streetcars

pummeling

hitting repeatedly with the fists

winning

charming

incredulously

disbelievingly

perished

frozen

codded

british slang for “tricked”

cajoted

coaxed with falttery

intercession

pleading on behalf of another

lifted

british slang for “stolen”

alienated

to drive apart

obnoxious

offensive

guffaw

loud laugh

preoccupied

absorbed in one’s own thoughts

magnanimous

generous in rising above insults

in the story my Oedipus complex, the father as well as the son behave with jealousy

true

when the story begins, there is only one child in the family

true

it is narrated from the point of view of an adult man, but he is remembering his thoughts and feelings from when he was a young boy

true

the narrator refuses to play for the safe return of his father from war

false

the narrator’s father came from wwii

false

the mother feels torn between the demands of the father and son

true

after the father returns, the mother immediately forbids the boy to come into her bed in the morning

false

where the story takes place?

during wwi and the end of the war

what is the boy’s name?

Larry

how old is the boy?

5 years old

what is the name of the boy’s baby brother

sonny

author of the myth of Sisyphus

albert camus

levity

disrespectful, lightness, or frivolity

proletarian

member of the working class

Oedipus

character in greek mythology who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother

futile

no result or effect, useless; pointless

scorn

feeling that someone or something is not worthy of any respect or approve

surmounted

to deal with a difficult situation succesfully

what kind of hero does camus claim Sisyphus is

an absurd one, a poster boy of absurdism, bc he values life over death and wishes to enjoy his existence as much as possible.

how did the gods choose the punishment assigned to Sisyohus

futile labor, he was punish by Zeus

what crime did sisyphus commit

he cheated death, he was cursed because of his arrogance

what does the symbol of rock represent

represents man kind’s absurd dilemma, which is ultimately impossible to resolve

at what point does camus claim this myth becomes tragic

in the moment Sisyphus becomes aware of his fate

how does camus useses this myth

to highlight his point of the struggle of man againts the universe

to what modern figures does camus compare sisyohus

as a mediation on the theme of suicide, and the concept of absurdity, which he says is the essence of existance.

what nature does it touch?

the nature of the absurd

the author of the rocking Horse-winner

D. H. Lawrence

what does paul’s mother lack?

a peace of mind

the relationship between paul’s father and mother seems

distant

after speaking with his mother, paul believes that this is what the family needs.

luck

what is uncle oscar’s attitude toward Paul’s death?

resignation

how does paul’s mother react to the money from the relative?

greedy

theme of the story

greed destroys

who does mother contact while at the party

nanny

what is paul’s favorite toy

his rocking horse

what was paul’s mother unable to feel for her children

love

what reason does paul’s mother give him for why they are poor

paul’s father has no luck

What is the message behind the Rocking Horse Winner?

One likely interpretation is that if you expend (spend) all your energy trying to accrue (accumulate) wealth, over a period of time, it will end up destroying you.

What does the rocking horse symbolize?

It’s multifaceted. Paul’s ideal of luck and need for his mother’s love. Also, his death and undoing because he puts the need to “get there” on the horse above his own well-being.

What explanation is offered for Paul’s luck?

The rocking horse is bringing him all his luck.

Hester

Paul’s mother, who can’t love others. She is not only obsessed with money, but she is also irresponsible with the money she does get. She is greedy and materialistic.

• She has never being very affectionate toward Paul, but by the time of his illness, she seems to become even colder, and as D. H. Laurence describes her heart “turned actually into stone.

• He anonymously gives his mother the 5,000 pounds and then, the irony comes into play. His gift has the opposite that he had hoped for. 

• The whispers grow louder instead of quieter. The house is constantly whispering to Paul, “More money, more money…”There must be more money.”

THE SILENT KILLER

GREED- Consider a vice that affects every human being in one way or another

UNCLE OSCAR

Uses Paul for his own financial gain. He is shallow and selfish.

IRONY

 in the story is when Paul wishes to receive love from his mother by giving the luck that his father didn’t give to his mother.

What does money symbolize in the story?

Even though the family doesn’t have money, the parents offer Paul an expensive rocking- horse for X-mas. The horse also symbolizes Paul’s obsession  to get money to make his parents happy.

What do the eyes symbolize?

When Paul first begins to ride the rocking- horse; his eyes are described as being “close set” and having “a strange glare”. This is in contrast with the rocking-horse’s eyes, which are wide and bright.

Does Basset (the gardener) care about Paul?

He shares horse-racing with his partner Paul. He is serious but a simple man who seems to value Paul greatly.

He thinks Paul has miraculous powers, and keeps Paul’s money in a safe place.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PAUL RIDES THE ROCKING_ HORSE AT THE END OF THE STORY?

Hester catches Paul riding his rocking horse. He collapses in a brain fever, but only after announcing that Malabar will win the Derby Stakes. Three days later, Basset informs that Malabar, the horse, has indeed won. That night Paul dies.

income

money, investments not a salary

pram

, british for “baby carriage”

careered

rushed

asserted

declared

batman

an officer’s personal attendant

romancer

imaginative storyteller

parried

replied evasively

obscure

little known

comparatively

relatively, in comparison to others

writs

legal document demanding payment of debt

draper

dealers in cloth and dry goods

restarted

repeated

uncanny

strange, eerie, weird

irridescent

showing rainbowlike colors

overwrought

overly excited

remonstrated

protested

arrested

check or halted in motion