What makes the story universal to readers? David Lawrence published “The Rocking Horse Winner” in 1920. The story is universal to readers because it applies to all cases that occur in today society. Hester is selfish, money obsessed and a materialistic lover. She does not express the love for her family. Though Hester actions, statements, and values say different. Hester is the definition of selfish, because of her lack of consideration for others. Concerned only about her own personal profit or pleasure, without any remarks of her wrongdoing. Everyone else said of her: “She is such a good mother. She adores her children, “only she herself and her children themselves knew it was not so” (Lawrence 485). Not once, to deny that the rumors were false; Hester only thought about herself causing things to be worse than what they really are, feeling trapped only due to her ego of selfishness. …show more content…
In hope that, anything can happen through luck, she became so depressed because her husband cannot provide the luxurious life she wants, due to his lack of money. So, the House came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more money! The children could hear it all the time, though nobody said it aloud (485). Obsession with money is a major problem for Hester because of the wealthy lifestyle she chose to live. Although there is a shortage in money, the fashionable style was always kept up. Always finding a way to value money more than family, it became a huge problem. Hester; believe [luck is] what causes you to have money. If you are lucky, you have money. That is why it is better to be born lucky than rich. If you are rich, you may lose your money. But if you are lucky, you will always get more money” (486). Insight of her advantages on life Hester still has no
Breathe not, to any soul. that thou didst ever call me husband. Hester shows great strength of. character by her ability to keep the secret identities of her lover and her husband. There must have been times when the temptation to reveal her secrets were overwhelming to me. &
Hester at first felt that her sin had taken away everything that she had and left her with only one thing, Pearl. When she first walked out of the prison and onto the scaffold, she was full of pride but from that point on, she was isolated from her community and forced to live in the forest with only her baby. Hester felt that suicide was the only thing she deserved after committing adultery. She says, "I have thought of death, have wished for it?would even have prayed for it, were it fit that such as I should pray for anything. Yet, if death be in this cup, I bid thee think again, ere thou beholdest me quaff it. See! it is even now at my lips." As time passes by, Hester?s personality gradually changes and she becomes a completely different person. She has become more caring although her lifestyle became worse.
Hester is indeed a sinner, adultery is no light matter, even today. On the other hand, her sin has brought her not evil, but good. Her charity to the poor, her comfort to the broken-hearted, her unquestionable presence in times of trouble are all direct results of her quest for repe...
One should not violate the godliness of a pure heart. Hester was a radical woman in her time, more like a 20th century woman. She knew that true love was more important than a phony, love-less marriage.
In this scene, the reader is able to see inside Hester's head. One is able to observe the utter contempt she holds for the Puritan ways. She exhibits he love and respect for the father of her child, when she refuses to relinquish his name to the committee. The reader can see her defiant spirit due to these actions.
This quote is a considered light about Hester because she
One of Hester’s greatest qualities is her unrelenting selflessness. Despite her constant mental anguish due to her sin, the constant stares and rude comments, and the
In the beginning of the written story the author reveals Hester to be a cold-hearted mother. "She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them"(75). In public she is thought of as the perfect mother, but in private she and her children know her true feelings. "Everyone else said of her: 'She is such a good mother. She adores her children.' Only she herself, and her children themselves, knew it was not so. They read it in each other's eyes"(75). Heste...
Throughout the novel, the harsh Puritan townspeople begin to realize the abilities of Hester despite her past. Hester works selflessly and devotes herself to the wellbeing of others. “Hester sought not to acquire anything beyond a subsistence of the plainest and most ascetic description, for herself, and a simple abundance for her child.
In fact, now many women revere her as a wise counselor and go to her seeking advice. Hester tells them that she has come to believe that the world is still growing and developing, and someday it will be ready to accept a new more equal relationship between men and women. However, despite her renewed optimism and the people’s apparent forgiveness for her transgressions, Hester still sees herself as “a woman stained with sin, bowed down with shame, or even burdened with a life-long sorrow” (232-233.36-2). In her youth, she sometimes envisioned herself as one who could usher in the newer and more accepting age, but she now believes that she is too tainted to play such a role and that the task must instead be left to a woman who could be “a medium of joy” and exemplify “sacred love” (233.4-5). In this final description of Hester, we don’t see any trace of the vanity she exhibited when she was young. Her opinion of herself has become much more humble and self-deprecating, and it is clear that she has matured greatly since the opening of the
Hester Prynne was said to have "perfect elegance on a large scale" (Hawthorne 56). While on the scaffold, Hester smiled and blushed as she held her baby (Hawthorne 56). Hester knew that the townspeople scorned her and thought horrible things about her, yet she was ladylike the entire time (Hawthorne 57). Hester was a prideful woman who was "marked with natural dignity and force of character" (Hawthorne 56). Hester’s pride in herself prevented the townspeople’s hatred from affecting her outward appearance (Hawthorne 56). Yet, despite Hester’s calm demeanor, she felt as if she were going insane. As the townspeople watched, Hester felt "as if her heart had been flung into the street" (Hawthorne 59). The narrator noted times when Hester seemed
The guilt that now rests in Hester is overwhelming to her and is a reason for her change in personality. The secrets Hester keeps are because she is silent and hardly talks to anyone. “Various critics have interpreted her silence. as both empowering. and disempowering. Yet silence, in Hester’s case, offers a type of passive resistance to male probing”
Throughout many years of her life, Hester was considered an outcast by the people of her town. These repercussions are felt by her daughter, Pearl, as well, because she has no friends. They don't associate with others and some instances occurred when Puritan children would throw rocks at the two. During this time, Hester refuses to make publicly known the name of her child's father. To bear the weight of her punishment all alone made her even stronger. As her life progressed, Hester became less of an outcast in the public eye. She was gifted at embroidery and was charitable to those less fortunate than she. (Although Hester was a talented seamstress, she did not make as much money as she could have because she was not allowed to sew wedding dresses. This is obviously because she had committed sins that were supposed to be confined to the sanctity of marriage.)
Hester was very trustworthy, she kept in secrets that could have possibly changed her and her daughter
One of the main symbols in Lawrence’s short story is Hester. She is the mother of Paul and both are main characters. Hester is a good representation of greed, selfishness and being materialistic. She values money more than her children “She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them” (Lawrence, 295). Hester is not capable of creating...