ride your horsie into town

The Rocking-Horse Winner is about a boy who bets his money on racehorses to help out his family’s financial situation.

What does the mother say decides if you have money?
Why does the boy think he has to ride the horse to find the winner?
Is money really that important if you are just going to use it for material possessions rather than get out of debt?

There are a lot of stories that are centered around an object that helps the main character through a tough time or helps them find themselves, but a story that’s main character rides a rocking horse to find a winner is something new. I think its sad that his mother is so bitter about money the boy thinks he has to be lucky to help her. I feel badly not only for the boy but for the mother that they are so hung up on luck to be the deciding factor of how much money they have.
I love the simple rocking horse/ racehorse metaphor. The fact that they boy just rides a rocking horse until he sees the winner or until he finds what he wants is so simple that it makes the story so much better. He tells his mom that all he has to do is go where he wants to go and he gets what he wants. His mother cant understand that all she needs to do is make herself ‘lucky.’ The more she dwells on her poorness and unluckiness, the unhappier she becomes. Her son has figured out that he can do whatever he wants as long as he himself makes it happen.
I feel badly and take pity on the mother that only thinks about the money. When she is able to access the five thousand pounds, she spends it on material possessions to make her life the luxury it once was. She could have just paid off the debts they had and been satisfied in what they had. Because she spent the money, it just makes her want more, and the ‘whispering ’ in the house continues.