Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Theme of the rocking horse winner
The theme of greed in the rocking horse winner
The theme of greed in the rocking horse winner
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Theme of the rocking horse winner
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence is a very enthralling short story. Greed, among many other topics, stood out the most to me as I read this story. Paul's mother shows very little attention to her son or husband, but rather concentrates solely on money and is continuously looking for new ways to spend the money her family earns. Essentially, the money Paul makes from gambling goes directly to his mother, causing her to desire more and more money. It was apparent from the very beginning that the family did not have enough money to support the kind of lifestyle they wanted to live. Lawrence does an excellent job at proving the family’s monetary situation as follows: "Although they lived in style they felt always an anxiety in the house. There was never enough money." Lawrence made it clear that the family struggled from paycheck-to-paycheck and they were simply trying to get by all the while living a lifestyle or the rich and famous. Paul, their son, knew that his family desired and needed more money; he also knew that he had a special talent: betting on horses. Paul and the gardener became close friends and the gardener was the one who would place the bet while …show more content…
The son knew that his mother had a problem with money so he decided to let the lawyer take control over the money. Periodically, Hester would receive her money in the mail and when Paul asked if she received anything, all she had to say was, “Quite moderately nice.” This automatically lets the reader know that even though she enjoys receiving this extra money, she could not get enough; she wanted more. It was almost as if Hester was in a competition with her brother, also known as Uncle Oscar, since he had more money, and seemed to be happier, than
In order to sustain her indulgence for the finer conditions, her hunger for moneys grows so much that even the house whispers about it because there is never enough. Hester's anxiety over wealth affects her children to the point they feel as if they can hear the house constantly saying they need money: "And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more money!" (Lawerence 411). Children feed off their parent's energy. In the mother's constant state of distress, Paul feels trapped by the overwhelming cries that flow throughout what should be his safe haven. In an attempt to quiet the voices, Paul secretly gives money to Hester to be distributed over a span of 5 years. Unappreciative of this
Are all mothers fit for motherhood? The concept of motherhood is scrutinized in the stories “The Rocking Horse Winner” and “Tears Idle Tears”. In “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H Lawrence the mother, Hester, unpremeditatedly provokes her son into providing for her through gambling. In the story “Tears Idle Tears” by Elizabeth Bowen, Mrs. Dickinson disregards her son’s emotions and puts more emphasis in her appearance than her son’s wellbeing. Hester and Mrs. Dickinson both were inadequate mothers. Both the mothers were materialistic, pretended to love their offspring, and their dominance hindered their children’s progress in life.
had no money, and what the town would think of her. She was one of
In D.H. Lawrence’s The Rocking Horse Winner, Paul is searching for an identity and love. Paul’s mother was incapable of love; “when her children were present, she always felt the centre of her heart go hard.” Paul’s mother desires materialistic possessions and excludes priceless items such as love. Paul’s mother and father were incapable of maintaining the social position they had to uphold with the amount of money they made. The house was always high strung and believed that there was always a need for more money. The house became haunted by the unspoken phrase, “There must be more money!” Paul was outraged when he confronted his mother about the family’s lack of wealth, and she rejected his statement that he is 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.
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.
The Rocking Horse Winner - Money for Love In this short story, "The Rocking Horse Winner," there is a little boy. competing for his mother's love, and his mother bringing her son to his. death with her confusing vocabulary. Paul's mother confuses him with her.
Modern fairy stories are often very easily identified, this is not the case for D.H Lawrences "The Rocking-Horse Winner". This short story shares some of the defining characteristics with commonly identified whimsical tales. The dark tone of this tale can divert attention from its mystical core, but when analyzed "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is revealed as a true modern fairy story. Enchanting, magical objects are imperative elements in fairy stories and as such there are two magical objects presented in this fairy story. A house capable of whispering to its residents, reinforcing the crippling sense of a greater cause of their dismay, both with what it communicates and its sheer presence.
The story "The Rocking-Horse Winner" written by D. H. Lawrence tells of a young boy named Paul who tries to win his mother's affection by giving her that which she seems to want more than anything else, MONEY. The house in which the family lives is haunted by a voice that speaks the phrase, "There must be more money!" Everyone in the house can hear the voice but nobody ever acknowledges it. Paul and the family gardener, Bassett, begin to talk about horse races one day and they soon begin to bet on them. Paul's uncle, Oscar, learns of this and becomes a partner with Paul and Bassett. They are quite successful in their endeavor, because Paul is the one who chooses the horses that they bet on. They always seem to win. He goes about finding the winner by riding his rocking horse until the name of the winning horse becomes clear in his head. This method has never the team. Paul decides to give his mother, Hester, 5,000 pounds of his winnings, which is to be paid out one thousand pounds at a time on her birthday for the next five years. While Paul was trying to figure out the winner of the Derby, his mother went to check on him because she had heard a strange noise coming from his room. She opened the door and saw Paul rocking his horse like a madman. Paul screamed, "It's Malabar! It's Malabar!" and then collapsed onto the floor. Paul died a few nights later. This is obviously a story about family and the feelings of shame that we acquire from our parents that could have disastrous consequences for the whole family as was the case with Paul's. We will look at Paul's mother's obsession with money, Paul's plan to please his mother, and the price the family paid for wanting more money.
The first distinct moral in The Rocking Horse Winner is that we must not let ourselves be succumbed to greed and the need for materialistic items over our responsibilities in life. The mother and father’s obsession with wealth and material items is at battle with their parenting responsibilities within The Rocking Horse Winner. The mother and father have replaced love with the constant, overwhelming desire for additional money. It is the responsibility of the parents to provide for the children in their family. Especially, where as young children are concerned, they should never feel the need to provide for their parents. The Rocking Horse Winner portrays the financial destruction of an upper class family struggling to maintain their high level status while regularly spending beyond their means. The mother and father have expensive tastes that can not be supported with their mere common jobs. In order to give their family the best and retain their illicit status, both parents embezzle all of their resources to
Many people may argue that money can buy whatever ones want like happiness. Some will even argue with the fact that money cause sadness. In the story, “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence, a family faced financial hardships which allowed the author to teach the readers that the pursuit of money and material riches, or greed, will ultimately destroy happiness and lead to eventual downfall. The author uses love, money, and luck to convey his message.
At the beginning of this story the family did not have enough money to support their opulent lifestyle. Mr. Lawrence illustrates their situation like this: "Although they lived in style they felt always an anxiety in the house. There was never enough money." (p. 159) The family scrambles to pay the bills at the end of the month. An unspoken phrase "Whispered" throughout the house, "There must be more money! There must be more money!" (p.160) the whispering said. Even though the family had money, they wanted, they needed, more.
The only means by which one could attain complete happiness is to avoid living in constant expectation of it. It’s the expectation that causes our unhappiness and consequent bitterness about life. [Mohammed Naseehu Ali] Expectations aren’t often chosen, yet they’re assigned to each, and every person; whether, they’re from parents, teachers or even friends. All these people want the best for us, but sometimes in the process they can become overbearing and irksome. In D.H Lawrence's tragic short story The Rocking Horse Winner it’s prevalent that the writing is strongly influenced by the writer's outlook on societal issues, and how the writer may be resentful of expectations placed in his own life.
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.
Many people forget about the most important things in life, like family and enjoying life