The Rocking-Horse Winner Essay - 1138 Words

D. H. Lawrence’s fable of materialism, affluence and a broken mother/son bond echoes greedy transgression. His writings are well-known for delving into human nature and he does an excellent job demonstrating the trait of materialism, morally questioning the value of love versus the hazard of greed. This upper-class family is shattered by avarice; their eventual downfall comes, despite the overwhelming effort of keeping up appearances. The mother’s misplaced affection for her children illustrates the negative results that wealth, destiny, and lack of love will produce -- the dehumanization of society as a whole. â€Å"They lived in a pleasant house, with a garden, and they had discreet servants, and felt themselves superior to anyone in the†¦show more content†¦Both parents are guilty of neglecting their relative responsibilities, choosing instead to worship wealth. Because of their unique obsession with future riches, their home becomes â€Å"haunted† by one particular phrase: â€Å"There must be more money! (101)† Though this word was never spoken amongst the residents of the house, it was well-known in the minds of all who lived there. â€Å"It came whispering from the springs of the still-swaying rocking horse†¦The big doll, sitting so pink and smirking in her new pram, could hear it quite plainly, and seemed to be smirking all the more self-consciously because of it. (101)† The whisper infiltrated the rooms with its secret, filling each and every corners and cranny, right to the woodwork itself. The manner with which the author illustrates Paul, th e young boy at the heart of the story, is replete with a child’s emotion, as though you are looking through his eyes. When he asked his mother about luck, â€Å"it’s because your father has no luck, (101)† she responds. â€Å"Is luck money, Mother?† She tells him that luck is the reason you have money, further confusing him with her choice of words. This prevailing attitude toward luck in the sense that you must be lucky instead of skilled to make money explains her attitude towards work in general. She would rather have money and not have to work than earn wages for a job well done. Paul decided since neither his mother or father had luck, he had luck of his own. â€Å"Well,Show MoreRelatedSummary Of The Rocking Horse Winner 813 Words   |  4 Pages1244-1245 BP Rocking and LS 1261 1-4 A Shocking Accident and LS 1268 1-4 The Soldier and LS 1275 1-4 Wires and Ls Anthem and LS 1277 1-3 1296-1297 BP Demon Lover and LS 1305 1-4 1306 1-10 1307 Vocab Writing Assignments: Write: Three messages from Rocking Thesis: â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† by D.H. Lawrence, represents three messages. POV #1: Lawrence, wrote â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner,† and brought forth the message that greed is a curse. POV #2: â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner†, by D.HRead MoreThe Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence Essay1000 Words   |  4 Pagesbut neglect the emotional aspects. The overpowering need for money takes a toll on families. D.H Lawrence’s short story explores the dynamics of money and its psychological toll. The story’s unhappy family in D.H Lawrence’s short story, â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner†, demonstrates the adverse psychological effects that derive from the insatiable desire of money and mindless consumerism. The stories dissatisfied family demonstrates the adverse psychological effects that arise from the insatiable desireRead MoreAnalysis of The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence1723 Words   |  7 PagesJust Keep Rocking Individuals have struggled with ignorance time and time again, and this ignorance can penetrate every aspect of their lives. In the short story by D. H. Lawrence, â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winnerâ€Å", young Paul has to encounter a series of misfortunate events, due to the fact that his beloved ambitious mother is unworthy of the what she has and each circumstance leads him and his family to great distress. With a burden on his shoulders, he will not stop until he gets what his mother desperatelyRead MoreThe Rocking Horse Winner: Examining Relationships Essay535 Words   |  3 PagesA relationship between a mother and son should be one that is full of unconditional love. The mother should be able to provide for the son and in return the son should look to the mother for comfort and stability. In D.H. Lawrences, The Rocking-Horse Winner, the relationship between the protagonist, Paul and his mother is not ideal at all. The first indication the relationship between Paul and his mother is not one that is ideal is when we are first introduced to the mother. She revealsRead MoreEssay about Examining Greed in The Rocking Horse Winner656 Words   |  3 PagesExamining Greed in The Rocking Horse Winner In The Rocking Horse Winner D. H. Lawrence tells us about the traumatic downfall of an upper middle class family struggling to maintain appearances through habitual overspending. Both the parents with common jobs and expensive tastes (pg.646) exploit all their resources to give their family the best; however, it was only to retain their high status in the society. The Rocking Horse Winner depicts a common demon we all face; greed, societys needRead More Character of Hester in Lawrences The Rocking Horse Winner Essay1068 Words   |  5 PagesCharacter of Hester in Lawrences The RockingHorse Winner Hester is one of the main characters in D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner.† The story describes a young boy, Paul, who tries to win his â€Å"mother’s love by seeking the luck† (Kaplan 1971), which she believes she does not possess. Lawrence â€Å"condemns the modern notion that happiness and luck come from the outside, rather than from within; that happiness must take the form of money and goods rather than the erotic, parental, andRead MoreEssay about D. H. Lawrences The Rocking-Horse Winner1535 Words   |  7 PagesD. H. Lawrences The Rocking-Horse Winner â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† is a short story by D. H. Lawrence in which he creates a criticism of the modernized world’s admiration and desire for material objects. It was published in Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 1926 for the first time (E-Notes). The story’s main character, Hester, is a beautiful woman who is completely consumed by the idea of possession, and so she loses out on the love of family and the happiness of life. Her son, Paul, also learnsRead MoreAn Abrupt and Surprising Ending in The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence753 Words   |  3 PagesThe Rocking Pig (An analysis of Abrupt, Surprising Endings) Life is a sudden gift, that is bestowed upon us in a magnificent way, with people all around us mostly for guidance and help, but with all of these gifts, there are tragedies. Even more sudden they come out of nowhere with enough malice to cause the death of thousands of people a day. This has become a very great trend for authors, the act of sudden disasters that will slap you in the face as you read them. In the story, â€Å"The Rocking-HorseRead More Use of Tone to Create Mood in D.H. Lawrences The Rocking-Horse Winner1820 Words   |  8 Pages D. H. Lawrence uses tone to create a mood in his short story The Rocking-Horse Winner. His ability to create tone allows us to understand the characters of the story, and enables us to actually feel as if we are in the story by creating such a vivid mood. Lawrence uses the eyes of the main character, Paul, to show how he feels about the events taking place, and this in turn helps the reader empathize with the boy and understand the story. Lawrence also establishes a theme by allowingRead MoreThe Rocking Horse Winner908 Words   |  4 PagesYour traditional life lesson is learned when an older, more experienced person leads by example or instruction. D.H. Lawrence has news for the status quo in his short story, â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner.† Hester is the unloving mother of three children that she describes as being â€Å"thrust upon her, and she could not love them† (793). The reason she cannot love her children is because of the nagging feeling of not having the cash flow to live the lavish life she desires. Hester is a beautiful woman who