Essay Comparing The Destructors And The Rocking-Horse Winner

Have you ever tried so hard to impress you parents? Have you ever felt like you needed to be something for them? Can you remember a time when you were a kid, and your parents said something that you have never forgotten? Can you ever really impress your parents? Does it feel like you 're doing so much, but they don’t realize it? In the story The Rocking- Horse Winner, by D.H. Lawrence explains how a little boy named Paul tries to prove to his mother that he is lucky. This young man had started to gamble on horse races to make money for his mother, so she would be happy. A young child literally killed himself trying to give his mother the best of everything. The three messages from The Rocking- Horse Winner are, the parents influence, economics, and Luck.

In both “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the authors take critical aim at two staples of mainstream values, materialism and tradition respectively. Both authors approach these themes through several different literary devices such as personification and symbolism; however, it is the authors' use of characterization that most develop their themes. We'll be taking a look at the parallel passages in the stories that advance their themes particularly when those passages involve both of the authors' subtle character descriptions, and why this method of character development is so powerful in conveying the authors' messages.

In Daniel P. Watkins journal entitled “Labor and Religion in D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking- Horse Winner,” ” he references the piece of the story where Paul’s mother has begun to take and utilize the money he has been making. Unbeknownst as to where it actually came from she simply accepts and inquires as to more and more money coming in. It is not utilized to better their situation but to again keep with appearances and advance social standing and status. “There were certain new furnishings, and Paul had a tutor. He was really going to Eton, his father’s school, in the following autumn. There were flowers in the winter, and a blossoming of the luxury Paul’s mother had been used to. And yet the voices in the house, behind the sprays of mimosa and

In “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” by D. H. Lawrence, and “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, the two authors illustrate symbols and themes throughout their stories in which one common idea is present: perhaps winning is not always positive.

Supposedly, both the individuals with ascribed statuses with hereditary wealth and the poor and homeless have equal chances to become successful although, Orestes Bronwnson in The Laboring Classes, pointed out that this is not true. “Do the young man inheriting ten thousand pounds and the one whose inheritance is merely the gutter, start even?” (219). As a result, the harsh separation of the rich and the poor, where capitalism thrives and,” the division of the community into two classes, one which owns the funds…the other provides the labor” (216). The inhumane apprehension of a capitalist society that keeps its workers “in a permanent system, [has] given preference to the slave system” (214) says a lot about the evils of capitalism corresponding with the false American Dream. An outcome of capitalism is the frustrating rivalry between the poor. “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining the country. The competition is maddening”

Graham Greene’s “The Destructor’s”, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Rocking Horse Winner” (Both stories reprinted in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 9th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth] 111-124, 285-298) are two short stories set in post-war England. Despite the similarities of both stories set in post-war eras of Great Britain, the mood and physical settings are vastly different. In fact, the stories each give differing amounts of details and clues about the setting. For instance, “The Destructors” setting is easily discernable, but in contrast, “The Rocking Horse Winner” gives only vague clues regarding the time and setting. Regardless of the differences in the amount of details given, the

“The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence is an unpredictable, fairytale-like short story about a mother of three who constantly worries about her financial problems. She has a son who is fervent about figuring out a solution to her predicament. This story also has an abrupt ending that gives off strong emotion. Another short story, called “The Lottery”, has the same spectacle of ending the story with suspense. Written by Shirley Jackson, this story begins with a sunny day in a village, but miserably ends with the stoning of one of the villagers. “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” are two sensational stories that have tragic ironies; however, they differ in tone

In Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery”, and Graham Greene’s “The Destructors”, the author creates a story filled with symbolism, irony, grim reality, and a ritualized tradition that masks evil, which ultimately showcases how people blindly follow tradition.

When a person is lucky, it does not have to mean that they are fortunate with money. Luck is the chance for things to go the way you want them to go with out having any control over the situation. In The Rocking Horse Winner, Hester, the mother seems to believe that luck is strictly having money, and when there is no money, there is no luck. Hester's idea of luck meaning money brings forth the two ideas of greed and death throughout the story.

Through “T he Rocking Horse Winner’s” theme of the quest for materialism is realized in the end. In “The Destructors” materialism is destroyed. Where Paul in “The Rocking Horse Winner” strives to fulfill his family’s need for more money; in “The Destructors”, T. along with Blackie, burns seventy-pound notes in what T. called “a celebration”. In both stories, there is an intense struggle to satisfy the frustration over being impoverished.

Money in each story is scarce, but how the characters in each story cope with this shortage is very different. In Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” the children know that they are not part of the “upper class” but it has minimal affect to there ego or there self esteem. The need for money is not there. In D.H. Lawrence’s “Rocking Horse Winner” the affect is completely opposite. The family in “Rocking Horse Winner” is part of the “upper class” but the money is not there to uphold this status for much longer. This is known by the children but there is little or nothing they can do to help. The children start to

Certain individuals have a drive that can lead them to achieve what they desire most. In the Short story “The Rocking Horse Winner”, D.H Lawrence showcases this through character motivation and symbolism. He further this using pursuit of desire, and how if you take it to a certain extent it can result in tragedy if the individual chooses not to conform. Paul wants to please his mother because his mother feels that there family has no luck, but Paul proclaims that he is lucky. Paul suddenly becomes consumed with this sudden spree of good luck and feels this is the only way he will be able to gain to the affection of his mother. D.H Lawrence reveals that Paul has a certain flaw that turns him to believe that the only way he will be able to gain his mothers love and affection is by winning money in the horse races. He leads this pursuit of desire to the standards he thought he wanted to, but not to the standards that would have achieved what he wanted, which leads to his down fall. When individuals desire love from another, they may choose to conform their beliefs and actions to that person. At first they may feel successful, however if they sacrifice everything, in pursuing this kind of goal, they may pay a heavy price instead of gaining there hearts desire.

    The plot in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence reveals to the reader conflicts between Paul and his mother using different levels or forms of secrecy. There are secrets hidden throughout the house that leads Paul and his mother to an unpleasant life. The first level of secrecy is the actual secrets that Paul and Paul's mother keep from each other. The second form of secrecy is that D. H. Lawrence uses a story telling style of writing. This way of writing in itself holds many secrets. Finally, the third level of secrecy is through the use of symbolism.

There is a family who lives in a nice house with a garden and servants. Although they seem like a happy family to others, there were money issues and a mother(Hester) who lacked love towards her children. The house frequently whispers “there must be more money,” which haunts Paul (protagonist). Later, he has a conversation with his mother about “luck.” Hester tells him she has no luck which is why they are poor. Paul then insists that he is a lucky person in hopes of gaining money for his mother’s love. To find luck, Paul furiously rides a rocking horse until he is certain which horse will win the race. Basset the gardener helps Paul by lending him five shillings to begin his bets. With the support of Uncle Oscar, he ends up winning a lot of

War brings chaos and death, but it also serves to change society. Graham Greene’s short story The Destructors takes place in London, England during the 1950’s, when England is slowly rising out of the rubble and devastation caused by World War II only 9 years ago. During the time before the World Wars, England had a stern social order that made it extremely difficult for someone to achieve higher social status starting from the bottom. World War II brings change to the social hierarchy, causing the rich and middle class to lose their opulence and granting the the lower classes more mobility. The characterizations of Trevor, the newest addition to the Wormsley Common Gang, Mr. Thomas, a pretentious old man, and the lorry driver, the man who drove the car that pulled down Mr. Thomas’s house, all represent different attitudes toward social hierarchy. Graham Greene uses Trevor, Mr. Thomas, lorry driver, and plot to signify different class distinctions and to display how the gang fights against previous social order.