Differences in Rocking-Horse Winner, Prussian Officer, and Second Best
Works by the same author often show the repeated use of certain words, images, or plots. In five short stories by the author, D.H. Lawrence, differences between social classes are the basis for conflict and provide the foundation for taboo relationships. These five stories are "The Rocking-Horse Winner," "The Prussian Officer," "Second Best," "The White Stocking," and "The Daughters of the Vicar." The inclusion of the motif of class differences in these particular works often leads to acts of violence or tragedy as the outcome.
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," a relationship forms between the pseudo- aristocratic Paul and his family's gardener, Bassett. Paul's family is not by any means rich, but "they felt themselves superior to anyone in the neighborhood." Bassett, in contrast, is a young war veteran turned gardener with a passion for horse racing. It turns out that this passion is shared by Paul and his uncle Oscar, as well. Oscar is at first disapproving of the relationship between "old man" Bassett and his nephew, but the love for horse racing and gambling puts them on the same level. The class difference between the men is used by Lawrence to show that debt and greed are universal desires — they are not confined to the lower classes. The fatal climax of the story is sadly also its end. When Paul falls off of the rocking-horse and lies dying in his bed, his mother is brought down from her imaginary pedestal of social superiority and allows Bassett (with whom the boy's "intense hours" were spent) to visit with him. The story ends tragically with social differences being readily apparent.
"The Prussian Officer" is similar to "The Rocking-Horse Wi...
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...is a result, whether direct or indirect, of tragedy and/or violence. "The Rocking Horse Winner" and "The Prussian Officer" describe the brutish deaths of the protagonist, while "Second Best" shows the perversity of a cross-class mating ritual. "The Daughters of the Vicar" is a tragedy due to the death of a character as well as the sentencing of the two heroes to a life of seclusion and tribulation. Motifs can come in many forms, and the stories of D.H. Lawrence can be linked in a variety of ways. Interestingly enough, as illustrated by this essay, one of the strongest links has to do with the differences between people and the problems that relationships between them can cause.
Works Cited:
Lawrence, David Herbert. "The Rocking-Horse Winner". Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirzner and Stephen R. Mandell. Forth Worth: Harcourt, Inc., 2001
The best place to start is the beginning. The Jackson family immigrated from Ireland, leaving behind a world of hardships to try their luck in the New World. Life there would not be so easy and Andrew Jackson’s father would die before he was born. Jackson had two brothers, both older, and his mother. The worked on the farm on which they lived and it was not easy. Life would soon take a more difficult turn as the Revolution began. Historians say that some of the worst fighting seen during the war was experience right around where Jackson grew up in the Carolinas. This kind of violence that surrounded him surely influenced the man that Jackson became. His brother fell victim to the war and soon after his other brother and mother would die from disease leaving Jackson an orphan and forcing him to fend for himself. “A boy soldier during the American Revolution, he became the only president ...
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
The outward passage carried manufactured goods from Europe to Africa, then, the middle passage carried captives to the Americas or the Caribbean. This would generally carry American goods (tobacco, sugar, etc.) back to Europe. The slave trade affected Africa by the Europeans forcing trade. All the states close to the coast or trade area was riven by these actions of slave capturing and trading. Of course, there were also tribes in Africa at the times, these tribes did not always get along with one another and would have enemies. Often, one tribe would convince another tribe to come along with them, or capture a member, and bring them to the traders (who would put the Africans on the ships and send them to the Americas).
Crow, S.J., Peterson, C.B., Swanson, S.A., Raymond, N.C., Specker, S., Eckert, E.D., Mitchell, J.E. (2009) Increased mortality in bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 166, 1342-1346.
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Ellison, Ralph. "Battle Royal." Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. 9th ed and Interactive ed. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. 555-566.
Rissanen, Aila., Naukkarinen, Hannu. Fluoxetine Normalizes Increased Cardiac Vagal Tone in Bulimia Nervosa. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 1998; 18: 26-32.
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Abrams, MH, et al. Eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.
Abrams, M.H. and Greenblatt, Stephen eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Seventh Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
Bulimia nervosa is a slightly less serious version of anorexia, but can lead to some of the same horrible results. Bulimia involves an intense concern about weight (which is generally inaccurate) combined with frequent cycles of binge eating followed by purging, through self-induced vomiting, unwarranted use of laxatives, or excessive exercising. Most bulimics are of normal body weight, but they are preoccupied with their weight, feel extreme shame about their abnormal behavior, and often experience significant depression. The occurrence of bulimia has increased in many Western countries over the past few decades. Numbers are difficult to establish due to the shame of reporting incidences to health care providers (Bee and Boyd, 2001).
Rorty M, Yager J, & Rossotto E (1994). Childhood sexual, physical, and psychological abuse in bulimia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 1122-1126.
...l, D. M., & Willard, S. G. (2003). When dieting becomes dangerous: A guide to understanding and treating anorexia and bulimia [Ebrary version]. Retrieved from http://libproxy.utdallas.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utdallas/Doc?id=10170079&ppg=4
Experience is the hidden inspiration in all of literature. Every letter, word, and sentence formed, every plot imagined, and every conflict conceived has a trace amount of its creator’s past ingrained within it. But most of all, authors reflect themselves in the characters they create. The protagonist of any story embodies certain traits and qualities of his or her creator; the virtues and vices, ambitions and failures, strengths and weaknesses of an author are integral parts of their characters lives. When authors’ experiences differ, so do their characters, as seen with Welty and King. Both authors had distinct upbringings, each with their own forms of hardship. The contrasting nature of these authors’ struggles is why their characters are the antithetical. As a result of these
The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition Volume1. Ed. M.H.Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, Inc., 1993.