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Analysis Of The Rocking-Horse Winner

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“The Rocking-Horse Winner” is a short story. It was written by a British author D.H. Lawrence. It was first published in 1926. The story gained intense popularity because of concrete writing and interesting aspects, such as: luck, money, and greed. "The Rocking-Horse Winner" begins with a woman who desires a luxurious lifestyle she cannot afford. The story focuses on the protagonist, Paul, who lives with his parents and siblings. The protagonist is well aware of the family’s need for more money. No one talks about the family's financial issues, nevertheless, the children are aware because their house pleads for more money. Paul desires to prove his luckiness to his mother. Eventually he concludes that when he rides his rocking horse aggressively he enters this frenzy state where he is able to predict the winning racehorse. Using the prediction he creates bets with the help of Basset, the gardener. Paul sends his earnings to his mother. On the contrary, Hester oblivious to her son’s gambling routine, starts to worry about her son’s health. Therefore, she plans to send Paul away. Dismally, Paul passes away. Although Autism was not a diagnosed condition when Lawrence wrote “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” Paul seems to suffer from a form of this disorder known as Asperger Syndrome (AS), which can be examined in his obsessive and repetitive manner, lack of peer relationships, and manner of speech.
A dominant part of Paul’s behavior is his obsession with riding the rocking horse. According to the National institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a crucial part of Asperger syndrome is “. . . repetitive movements or unusual behaviors such as flapping their arms, rocking from side to side, or twirling”(2). This applies very well to Paul. In fact, Paul is extremely obsessed with the rocking horse toy that his nurse gave up on him (854). Furthermore, Paul rides the toy with intense force and he focuses on the ride significantly. As an illustration, the nurse states “‘You'll break your horse, Paul’” (854). In addition, Paul is not only obsessed with the toy, he is obsessed with knowing the winner. In fact, he becomes highly frustrated when attempting to acknowledge a winner. For example, the narrator states

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