Freudian Reading Of The Rocking Horse Winner

“The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence is a story about a little boy who is neglected by his mom and desperately rides his horse in order to predict which horse will be the next winner at the race track. He wins a lot of money for his mother, hoping that it will earn her love; however, he is greatly mistaken. He ends up riding his horse to exhaustion just to get more money and ends up dying. In “The Rocking Horse Winner” Lawrence uses symbolism, a biblical allusion, and negative characterization of the mother to explain the pursuit of money is a futile quest and does not result in a happy ending.

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.

One of the emotional essentials of life is to be loved, and there are quite a few cases where material things can hinder receiving this much-needed love, the greatest culprit of all being money. D. H. Lawrence’s short story “The Rocking Horse Winner” tells of a boy, Paul, who desires love and affection from his mother, Hester, but she is so wrapped up in her concerns with money that she does not display any of this needed affection toward her son or any of her children. She has grown unloving and bitter due to her husband’s inability to meet her expectations, and she tells Paul his father is unlucky. Full of curiosity, Paul asks his mother what luck is, and she tells him, “‘It’s what causes you to have money. If you’re lucky you have money. That’s why it’s better to be born lucky than rich. If you’re rich, you may lose your money. But if you’re lucky, you will always get more money” (Lawrence, 2). Paul is quite intuitive and interprets that the only way he can finally obtain love from his mother is if he is lucky, much unlike his father. He proudly shares with his mother that he is lucky, but when she does not take his word seriously, he falls into a blinded rage as he madly rides his rocking horse, hoping it will take him to where the luck is, “‘Now take me to where there is luck!’” (3). By riding his rocking-horse, he knows which horse will win the derby. The association of love with money brings about the idea of a love for money, or greed, which is one of the seven

------Paul sees himself as very lucky, he also tells his mother about this. “The boy saw that she did not believe in; or rather, that she paid no attention to his assertion.”(4). When his mother did not pay any attention to him it really irritates him and makes him more strong-willed to be able to show his mother how lucky he is. Paul has a great interest in horses.uncle that got him to

237). By riding his rocking horse Paul is able to predict the winner of horse races at the track. He uses this ability in an attempt to provide for the family. In doing this he tries to assume his father’s in an attempt to please his mother and the household’s constant whispering the need for more money. “I started it for mother. She said she had no luck, because father is unlucky, so I thought if I was lucky, it might stop whispering.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp. 240) even as Paul is dying he is still consumed with trying fill the role of a provider for his mother, “I never told you, mother, that if I can ride my horse and get there, then I’m absolutely sure – oh, absolutely! Mother, did I ever tell you? I am lucky!” […] “But the boy died in the night.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp. 245). Paul’s death was a sacrifice to please his mother, who put her desires for money and material things above the love of her children.

The yearning desire for wealth changed Paul’s character, making him a round character by the changes shown through his eyes in, “his eyes had a strange glare in them…” (298). Paul gained his wealth by predicting the names of winning horses by riding on his rocking horse, his uncle would take him to horse derby’s where he would place high wages to earn money for love. Money cannot buy love nor happiness as shown in, “Quite moderately nice” (304) Paul’s mother said in a voice so cold and absent it made him strive for more. Paul’s greatest conflict is against himself, because he allows pressure from his mother and society to drive him into a yearning for money and social status, the outcome of this conflict resulted in his death.

Paul desire his mother’s love more than anything. However he believes he needs to prove he is lucky. He struggles to prove that he is to make his mother happy. Paul wants his mother to love him more than anything. For Paul’s mother money equals luck, and this will gain her love. “There must be more money”(19). He hears these voices throughout the house. They hear these voices when hey are receiving items of joy, especially around Christmas time. The other children can hear the voices and so can the rocking horse Paul received. Even though they can hear the voices they do not say anything. This is due to the fact that every one is used to it so it would be like saying “we are breathing”(20). This led Paul to realizes that there family is in debt and he believes that in order for them to get out of this debt, he has to take action. This shows that he is willing to take the problem into his own hands because he believes that no one else can do anything about

In realization of his mother's unhappiness and lack of money, the protagonist Paul begins to gamble with the help of his gardener, Bassett and his uncle Oscar, to fulfill his mother's desires for more money. To clarify, Paul obsessively rides his rocking horse, till he got the names of the winning horse in a race. Unfortunately, Paul’s gambling takes an unstable turn on his health, causing him to die of exhaustion. Lawrence discusses one's dedication to a family through the topics of neglect, obsession, and societal expectations regarding success and wealth.

The Rocking-Horse Winner is a short story written by D.H. Lawrence. The story revolves around Paul, a little boy, who gets involved in gambling in order to improve the financial conditions of his family and prove his luck to his mother. At the first glance, from the title, I assumed that it would be an upbeat tale about a little kid who surmounts his little obstacles. However, it turns out to be completely different. Starting off as a gloomy tale, it turns even darker towards the end. It begins with description of a mother who is fed up of her life and husband. She has a never ending greed for money and does not live her children. Paul, on of her children is determined to find a way to end the financial problems and prove his luck to his mother in order to win her love. His endeavor, however, ends in defeat as he fails to get his mother’s affection.

Paul states,“Then what is luck mother? Its what causes you to have money. Thats why its better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money. But if you're lucky, you will always get more money.”(Lawrence 593). It is Paul’s understanding that it is luck that will make him rich. After keeping his gambling a secret, he finally admits to his mother that he’s been betting at the derby and that he is lucky. His hard work was all for nothing. After he admits his winnings, she still doesn’t acknowledge the hard work he put in to satisfy her. When a person tries hard to accomplish something and is shut down it leaves them devastated. It is Paul’s quest and drive for his mother’s love that allows him to persist in the pursuit of money. “‘I never told you, mother, that if I can ride my horse, and get there, then I'm absolutely sure —oh, absolutely! Mother, did I ever tell you? I am lucky!’ ‘No, you never did,’ said his mother”(Lawrence 602). The eighty-thousand pounds he received from his last betting was the price of Paul’s death. Paul rocking back and forth furiously and anxiously symbolizes that he was only a laborer for Hester. His labor working and anxiety was the cause of his

In J.D. Lawrence’s short story, The Rocking Horse Winner, a suffocating pressure for more wealth and luck makes its presence known to the child of a cold and detached mother, Hester, who thrives off of the desire for wealth and materialistic commodities that overshadow and, ultimately, sever the fragile ties set between herself and her family.

“The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence tells the story of an upper class dysfunctional family who struggles to meet its financial needs, as seen through the eyes of a child named Paul. Paul, (one of three children), lives with; his mother, father, a maid and a gardener, in a house without a car (Lawrence). The author reveals many psychological elements including, the Oedipus complex, reaction formation, and projection and displacement through the main characters Paul and Hester (his mother).

It is said in The Rocking Horse Winner that “She had bonny children...and she could not love them.” The children, especially Paul, grew up with the need for acceptance and love. Hester, the mother, told Paul the neither she nor his father have luck, which is what causes you to have money. He thought that if he solved the shortage of money, his mother would love him. He declared

Children are often smarter than most people think. They catch on to what the parents are saying, even if the parents think they are being sneaky. Children also want nothing more than to please their parents. All of these facts come together in D.H. Lawrence’s story “The Rocking-Horse Winner”. In this story, a young boy dies after trying to make his mother and family happy by riding his rocking-horse to find out the winners of horse races. The three major messages from D.H. Lawrence's “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, are economics, luck, and family dynamics.

“The Rocking Horse Winner,” a short story written by D.H. Lawrence is a testimony to the fact that parents can often harm their children, and yet be completely unaware of it. Often times in modern society, one of the most recognizable examples of this is for instance when a parent makes their child participate in a certain activity; the stereotype is a certain sport. Often times this will end up only harming the child because for a main reason they are participating in something that is not of their choosing, and also because their parent is not listening to them, is not tending to their needs. On the contrary, parents sometimes force their children to do something when they’re young, and the child ends up being a stunning success at that particular thing, and they in turn love the activity. The child’s resistance in these situations can often stem from laziness or the want to just play with their friends. There is yet another situation when the simple words or complaints of a parent harm their children and the family as a whole. So where is the balance? How does one find a balance between forcing your child to do something out of love, or forcing them to do something out of self-seeking motives? “The Rocking Horse Winner,” is a perfect example of a parent who seemed to be solely concerned with her will and what she wanted. It appeared on the outside that she loved her children