On To The Races We Go
“The Discussion of Rocking Horse”
The short story Rocking Horse by D.H. Lawrence is a great story about a boy, his mom, his uncle, and a rocking horse. In this story D.H. Lawrence writes about a boy named Paul that rides his rocking horse to try and imagine who will win the horse race. In the story Rocking Horse Paul tries to please his mother with the money that he wins from the horse races. Paul is very good at getting lots of money from the horse races. Although, Paul wins lots of money from horse racing, D.H. Lawrence has three messages in this story, they are economy, how you can hurt your children without realizing it, and some people think that it is better to be lucky than to be unlucky.
The first message that is in the story Rocking Horse by D.H. Lawrence is about the economics during the time. In the story Rocking Horse the little boy Paul knows that his parents want money and to be rich. D.H. Lawrence shows that the family is middle class by the things that they have. This is also when house keeps stating, “The must be money! There must be more money! And the children would stop playing, to listen for a moment. They would look into each other’s eye’s
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Lawrence is how it is better to be lucky than to be unlucky. D.H. Lawrence states this in the story because he wants people to realize that some people like Paul's mother think that it is better to be lucky than it is to be unlucky. This has been shown many times in the story for instance when Paul's mother states, “Filthy lucre does mean money, but it is lucre not luck. Then what is luck mother? It's what causes you to have money. Thats why its better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money, But if our luck, you will always get more money.” Paul’s mother states this because she thinks that luck is everything. Clearly, much like Paul’s mother, may people think that being lucky is very
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” is a short story about a young boy, Paul, who has the supernatural ability to choose a winning race horse. It is not clear how the boy has this ability but he hears his mother’s voice echo in his mind saying that they are poor and so he sets out to change that. Paul takes on the stress of his mother’s greed. This short story relates to the obsession of wealth which what motivates the characters aside of neglect, faulty sense of value, opportunism and deceit. Paul believes that there is more money to be made and thus goes on a frenzy to win more, but consequently dies after falling off his rocking horse due to convulsions of a fever.
The point of view of materialism in the Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence is the seen from inside the mind of child in the story, Paul. “He went off by himself, vaguely, in a childish way, seeking for the clue to “luck,” Absorbed, taking n...
In both “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the authors take critical aim at two staples of mainstream values, materialism and tradition respectively. Both authors approach these themes through several different literary devices such as personification and symbolism; however, it is the authors' use of characterization that most develop their themes. We'll be taking a look at the parallel passages in the stories that advance their themes particularly when those passages involve both of the authors' subtle character descriptions, and why this method of character development is so powerful in conveying the authors' messages.
Both the stories, "Barn Burning" and "The Rocking Horse Winner" demonstrates how children are dominated by parents and the way in which their harshness affects them.
It’s something to get children entertain. Although, the author uses the rocking horse to symbolize it as a vehicle to make money; because of this horse the family are now wealthy. In society, the rocking horse can be clients and how people uses each other to make money through businesses. Or it can be ones ego. When one can get too over their head and let that ego control and lead to the wrong values in life. Another symbol the author use to represent society is the house. The house can also be ones ego as well and to always have the drive to make more money like it was written in the story the house keep whispering the phrase “There must be more money! There must be more money!” (Lawrence 101.) Just like everyone’s’ mind set our motivation is to always have more
The beginning of "The Rocking Horse Winner" gives the reader a sense of fantasy. It starts off with "There was a woman who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck." Already the reader has a sense of timelessness, of an extraordinary, illusory reality. Lawrence continues on with this feeling when the narrator tells us of this beautiful woman and her feelings towards her children. "Only she herself knew that at the center of her heart was a hard little place that could not feel love, no, not for anybody." The narrator goes on to tell us the tale of a woman, unable to love her own children, who is obsessed with money. The house the family lived in was always filled with a whisper, "There must be more money!" This whisper is what leads to Paul becoming obsessed with money and luck like his mother. The dream-like tone that fills the story cont...
Paul was outraged when he confronted his mother about the family’s lack of wealth, and she rejected his statement that he was lucky. After this scene, Paul was easily influenced that he would be able to reach this place of luck and finally satisfy his mother. Her desires for more money and luck are never satisfied, and as a result, lead to tragic consequences when love and money are confused in Paul’s mind. Paul’s heartbreaking attempt to win his mother’s love inevitably leads to his own death. Lawrence’s, The Rocking Horse Winner, exposes the negative qualities associated with modern society and specifically adults.
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.
She complains about not having enough money that the house starts to echo the phrase, "There must be more money!" This statement caused the children, especially Paul the oldest, to feel the need help finding more money. Paul does this by gambling with the gardener. at the horse race track. Paul wins a lot of money before any of his family.
The way in which events are organized in a story is important in conveying a message to the reader. In D.H. Lawrence's short story, The Horse Dealer's Daughter, the plotting of key events in Mabel's life contributes to the overall depressive effect and meaning. First, Mabel's mother dies, causing her to have extreme depression. Then, this depression leads her to seek suicide. Her seeking suicide unites her with Dr. Fergusson, who in turn becomes her lover in the end. This story explores Mabel's struggle to find an identity for herself that is not defined by her mother, to regain a sense of purpose and meaning in life. The story shows how strong an emotion love is, and how influential it can be in the lives of those with depression.
In conclusion, "The Rocking-Horse Winner," written by D. H. Lawrence is a story about the family and the feelings of shame that we acquire from our parents that could have disastrous consequences for the whole family. We saw the effects of a mother's obsession with money, a son's plan to please his mother, and the prices the family paid for their obsession with money.
Within the story entitled The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence, the audience is divulged into the sordid family life of a adolescent boy named Paul, where there are three obvious morals told through the story’s style and symbolism. Also present within The Rocking Horse Winner are elements of supernaturalism and cold harsh reality.
“The Rocking Horse Winner” is a story that discusses a young boy, named Paul, and his family who feel they never have enough money. The family has insufficient funds, but when Paul provides the mother with money, she only desires further. This constant yearning causes the boy to feel the desperate and the interminable need to provide for his family. He in a sense almost hungers to replace his father and become the sole provider. Through trying to please his mother, the young boy Paul meets his demise. This tragic conclusion illustrates the lengths Paul will go in order to replace his father and become the provider for his mother. This story displays elements of an Oedipus complex, because of Paul’s desires to replace his father and the effects of insatiable greed, eventually resulting in his premature mortality.
The Rocking-Horse Winner is a tragic story that demonstrates how materialism is very destructive in people’s lives. D.H. Lawrence uses one of the main characters, Hester, to symbolize how greed heavily affects the idea of materialism. Hester’s need for money develops the idea that happiness and love is destroyed by the need for money. Lawrence uses money in her short story to convey the idea of how neglect from a mother destroys an innocent, young child such as Paul. Lawrence’s symbolism reveals that children like Paul need love and compassion from their elders. Hester, Paul’s rocking horse and the whispering of the house represent greed, selfishness, and love. They also reveal the character’s real feelings and thoughts of neglect, detachment, greed and selfishness.
"Overview: 'The Rocking-Horse Winner'." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.