Rocking-Horse Winner Theme Essay

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Recommended: Social and emotional child development 0-19

“The kids who need the most love, will ask for it in the most unloving ways” -Unknown. When children feel unloved, they will cope with the feeling in many ways. Some by violence, quietness, or even slaving to win their parents love. In our case this is true. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence, Paul is a young boy who feels neglected often from his mother. When he realizes, his mother is upset by not having enough money, he decides to step up and be the man she never had. Paul went a desperate measure to keep his mother happy that ultimately led to a dead end. In the story, Lawrence illustrates how adults with destructive behavior can negatively affect children. From within the family, the mother, Hester is a very irresponsible …show more content…

The primary adult with destructive behavior is Hester. Hester is a very materialistic woman and instead of valuing her children, she values inanimate objects for her happiness. Hester had an expensive taste for everything. She was always buying new bigger and better things. “There were certain new furnishings and Paul had a tutor” (Lawrence 1003). Also, she allows Paul to attend a very exclusive, and expensive school. “He was really going to Eton, his father’s school, in the following autumn” (Lawrence 1003). These things prove to be extras, not necessities. Of course, the father had to be okay with allowing his son to go, which proves that he has an expensive taste as well. Living up to such a high standard of life proves to be too much for the family to handle. The mother doesn’t tell anyone of the money she receives in the mail. Of course, she chooses to keep it a secret and asks the lawyer to give her the full amount. He does so upon Paul’s approval, and Hester ends up blowing all of it on senseless material items instead of being responsible and budgeting correctly for the family. This leads to a desire to have more money (Wilson 234). In other words, Lawrence does well at proving that the adults in the family do not provide for the family in the way the children need them too. This leads to the stress, and need to have more

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