Question

What was the reason for young Paul's restlessness at the beginning of the story? How did it find expression?

Answer 1

Paul, the first born of Hester, desired to be lucky for his mother's sake. He desired her affection and wanted her not to worry. The mother, however, considered her husband unlucky. Even she herself was not able to earn much, though their lifestyle extended beyond their income. This left dissatisfaction in the mother's heart and thus she found herself incapable of loving her children. The boy, Paul, sensed the tension that hovered the house and heard every other thing in the house whispering that there should be more money He realised how his mother grieved at his father having no luck or 'lucre' to earn money that led to a loveless household. Thus, he tried to prove it to his mother that he was lucky unlike his father, and worthy of his mother's love. He wished to wipe his mother's worries and got her what she desired, money, to win what he desired, her mother's love. Thus, he rode his rocking horse and betted on the horses predicting the winning horse through his clairvoyance. This made him tired and restless. The desire to earn more and more and even more left him insatiable and thus his anxiety showed on his face. He strained and thus rode harder before Derby and though he achieved 80,000 pounds for his mother, he died proving his luck to his mother for love's sake.