(A Critique of Rocking Horse Winner…) “The author's work is known for its explorations of human nature and illustrates the nature of materialism” (Jones). Throughout life, we are constantly developing who we are as people. As we grow, we grasp hold of things we wish to portray ourselves with. In doing so, we create ourselves as humans. In this philosophy that has been developed, we base how we are raised in order to develop who we become in the long run. Over time, we receive knowledge pertaining to who we wish to become. In the story story “The Rocking Horse Winner” written by D. H. Lawrence, we are taken to a questionable development of humans in an equally disturbing adventure. In this short story, there are many messages that can be traced throughout. In “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence, an immense amount of attention is poured towards the focus of money. Today, who someone is depends drastically upon the amount of money they have. Sadly, money determines who you are before you even realize it. The same idea is developed into this story. An essay says, “While his father is a hard worker, he does not bring in enough money to satisfy the expensive tastes of the latter’s wife. Because of this, Paul’s mother resents her husband and makes it clear that she wants more monetary benefits out of life” (Pierce). Although she may not realize it, Paul’s mother is beginning to demand so much of her husband that it not only wears out her husband, but continually rubs off onto Paul. Paul becomes so bothered by the thought that his family has little to none money, and his only desire is to change that feeling for his family. He begins to realize that he wants nothing but money for his family so they can experience life in such a way that they are able to enjoy what they have and obtain more. As Paul is growing up amid such an issue, he begins to realize that no matter what he is doing, he is constantly being reminded that his family is destitute. “He was looking so extraordinarily foolish for no other reason but that he heard the secret whisper all over the house: “There must be more money” (Page 1248). Given the circumstances, everything that Paul did reminded him subtly about the family issue. Because of
The short story that has the best quality off literary fiction would be, The Rocking-Horse Winner by D H Lawrence, a story about a young boy trying to win his mother’s love by seeking the luck she thinks she does not have also, wanting to give her the luxurious lifestyle she dreams of by betting on horse races he begins to make money to hopefully make everything better. This short story represents setting, plot, theme, symbol and character very well. Without these main points of emphasis being made a short story would have no structure so that’s what I feel is most important.
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” is a short story by the English novelist, essayist and literary critic D.H. Lawrence. It represents how the author cautions about the negative effects of materialism, as it can never fully satisfy the human need and will eventually end in tragedy and unhappiness. Lawrence does so through the archetypes of the terrible mother, the hero, and the anti-wise old man.
In the short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, by David Herbert Lawrence, there is this family, as the family wants to keep their economic status, the mom want’s to have money all the time. The Mom has a mental mindset of the family being rich, as she believes that she has money, but in reality, the family is not rich and they have no money as they are in debt. The mom is unhappy as the parent's marriage is unsatisfactory, the mom thought she was lucky before she got married to her husband, so she thinks that her husband gave her bad luck. Both parents have no luck. The mom does not like her own children. The mom tells his son Paul, that she and Dad have no luck. This short story has many secrets that various of the characters keep from one another. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, the theme is a Moral Obligation as Hester the mom does not like her kids and only her and the kids know, Paul keeps from his mom that him, uncle Oscar, and Bassett have been betting on horse races and that the “Rocking-Horse” gives Paul luck.
The Rocking Horse Winner is the story based on a young child Paul and his greedy mother Hester. The author’s tried to give the message that children require love and compassion. Paul’s rocking horse and the whispering of the house represent his evident need for love. Lawrence uses money to prove that avarice and negligence of a mother can contribute to the deterioration of an innocent, young child. Hester thinks that she has no luck. She also think her husband is the unlucky person and she became unlucky after she got married with her husband. She don’t have any love for her children and husband. The only thing Hester love to embrace is money. She wants plenty of money to fulfil her desire. Paul is a young boy who thinks he has luck. Paul is the child who seeks love and happiness. Paul started to bet on horse race to earn money. At the end of the story Paul become sick and died at last. Before his death he used some money in horse race and win the race. He got plenty of money from this race.
In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” we are introduced to a woman who author D.H Lawrence states, “was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck. She married for love, and the love turned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them.” When I dive into the psychology behind that statement, I come up with a thought that this beginning draws similarities to Lawrence’s own upbringing with his coal miner father and schoolteacher mother. Similarly the mother in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” is disenchanted with her marriage and the way her life
There are people in this world who think that money can give them anything. This can be food to water to ease and joy. Consequently, they comprehend that money will have a life filled with ease and happiness. But what you don’t visualize is that building these thoughts will lead to an obsessive, joyless, person going the extra mile to get that cash. Why this is unacceptable I might add is where is the ease and the joy you endured obsessively to have? Suffering long hours so you have ease but have no time to rest. Tolerating days of labor to find happiness, but find yourself empty when you have nothing to show yourself for it. D.H. Lawrence demonstrates this perfectly in his short story by including foreshadowing and symbolism, “The Rocking
When a person is lucky, it does not have to mean that they are fortunate with money. Luck is the chance for things to go the way you want them to go with out having any control over the situation. In The Rocking Horse Winner, Hester, the mother seems to believe that luck is strictly having money, and when there is no money, there is no luck. Hester's idea of luck meaning money brings forth the two ideas of greed and death throughout the story.
Certain individuals have a drive that can lead them to achieve what they desire most. In the Short story “The Rocking Horse Winner”, D.H Lawrence showcases this through character motivation and symbolism. He further this using pursuit of desire, and how if you take it to a certain extent it can result in tragedy if the individual chooses not to conform. Paul wants to please his mother because his mother feels that there family has no luck, but Paul proclaims that he is lucky. Paul suddenly becomes consumed with this sudden spree of good luck and feels this is the only way he will be able to gain to the affection of his mother. D.H Lawrence reveals that Paul has a certain flaw that turns him to believe that the only way he will be able to gain his mothers love and affection is by winning money in the horse races. He leads this pursuit of desire to the standards he thought he wanted to, but not to the standards that would have achieved what he wanted, which leads to his down fall. When individuals desire love from another, they may choose to conform their beliefs and actions to that person. At first they may feel successful, however if they sacrifice everything, in pursuing this kind of goal, they may pay a heavy price instead of gaining there hearts desire.
Two divisions, two dissimilar endings, but the identical connotation, but what is that repercussion? We all phenomenon what it’s like to speculation and always know the conqueror, or to be able to tell how someone will retort when you tell them an anomalous, but catastrophic story. But which story has a more shocking ending? Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence has the most shocking consummation because you don’t envisage what will materialize to the boy. In Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence a young boy gambles by horse racing because he almost always knows who will triumph. He works with his family’s gardener to save and spend money on gambling at horse races, even when no one else thinks he will victory, he customarily does. And when he isn’t sure, he doesn’t gamble as much, so he doesn’t lose as much. In Rocking Horse there is voluminous messages because it is a life knowledge lesson from right and wrong, allotment on to money and spending it sagaciously and how his mother squelches to those types of condition.
“The Rocking Horse Winner” is a short story written by D.H Lawrence that follows the short and tragic life of a boy named Paul, who assumes he has amazing luck after realizing he can predict racehorse winners by furiously riding his rocking horse until he reaches a trance-like state. Unfortunately, as his family takes advantage of his gift and starts gaining more money, Paul’s luck begins to kill him. Literally. Throughout the story, there are several themes evident, such as wealth, life, conscious, existence; luck, family, and greed. The conflicts displayed are man vs man, man vs self, and man vs. society. The rocking horse has become an obsession for paul and the potential benefits it would have on his family, ultimately not knowing the actual harm it will cause.
Every person grows up with a different family dynamic. Some people grow up in houses of extreme poverty while others experience the life of wealth. Other children unfortunately grow up in abusive houses while some live with very living parents. These are all interesting dynamics, and something every child can relate to. The short story The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence is aa story that describes a family who lives in poverty. This story is very interesting and often told in the form of third point of view. This story is about a younger boy who lives in a family with very little money. He often questions their lack of money and even goes as far as to try and help. His actions can also be seen as very noble and selfless. Unfortunately,
In Rocking Horse Winner Lawrence brings up some questions about economics. In the story the little boys mother tells her son that they aren’t lucky because they don’t have any money. Even though the family has money they don't have enough for how they are choosing to live. To their family money matters. “Money is essential for living, but insufficient for striving”(Tatzel). This quote states that money indeed is important to survive but you don't need a lot, just enough to get you by. In the story the mom wants more. She is never happy with how much she has, because she doesn't have enough. In the story children hear the house speaking to them saying “there must be more money”(pg.1248). This is proving that there are economic questions a rising. The
In the story, the mother is described as poor, and in search of wealth. “Is luck money, mother?" he asked, rather fearfully. “No, Paul. Not quite. It's what causes you to have money." (2) Paul does not understand that money is not luck, so he asks his mother what it is. His mother then explains to him that luck causes you to have money. This is ironic because in reality luck does not cause you to have money all the time, it only occurs some of the time, and in this case luck causes Paul’s death. Another example of wealth leading to greed, "There must be more money! There must be more money!" (1) This quote shows the current situation of the mother’s family. Money is the reason Paul rocks his Rocking Horse for as long as he does. Money is the main reason Paul dies and the mother continues to force the fact that they need money. Paul’s mother believes the main reason her family is not amazing is due to the lack of money, so she stresses the fact that they need more of it. This idea is wrong and D.H Lawrence makes it clear throughout the short story. The final example of wealth leading to problems with greed is when the narrator says, “The house had been “whispering” worse than ever lately, and even in spite of his luck, Paul could not bear up against it. He was very worried about the effect of the birthday letter, telling his mother about the thousand pounds.” (8-9) Even with Pal’s newly
At some point, everyone has gone through an addiction that will end up tremendously costing them a lot throughout their life. In D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner,” the main character, Paul, has a gambling addiction towards betting on horse races. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner” has a similarity towards my life. As Paul had his gambling addiction and was betting to receive as much money as he can, I had also gone through a similar addiction towards gambling. The similarity Paul and I shared in relation to gambling was the amount of time and money we both dedicated towards our addiction.
The Rocking Horse Winner, by D.H. Lawrence, is an informative story about luck and one's own fortune. In this story, Lawrence attempts to illustrate how one can guide one's own fate, instead of allowing things to happen by chance. He believes that the only person that affects what happens to someone, is really that person himself. "Everything is what you make of it," is Lawrence's message to the reader. By his use of characterization, instructional images, and irony in The Rocking Horse Winner, D.H. Lawrence attempts to convey to the reader that success and luck are not something that one simply waits for to arrive, but things that one must works to achieve.