Similarities Between The Rocking-Horse Winner And Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

The short story that has the best quality off literary fiction would be, The Rocking-Horse Winner by D H Lawrence, a story about a young boy trying to win his mother’s love by seeking the luck she thinks she does not have also, wanting to give her the luxurious lifestyle she dreams of by betting on horse races he begins to make money to hopefully make everything better. This short story represents setting, plot, theme, symbol and character very well. Without these main points of emphasis being made a short story would have no structure so that’s what I feel is most important.

They live in a stressful situation, but both hold it firm and lived through it. Their stories had taught a new generation a lesson that life was not easy as thought. Sometime it could be difficult to manage like both characters’ lives happened in the story. They were not crazy, but they were strong enough to live through their stress. Life sometime is unpredictable, but learning how to understand of the change could be a tool helping us to challenge our

To begin, this short story has a lot of secrets various people keep from one another. One of the secrets that is in the short story is that the mom does not like her own children. Only Hester and her children know that secret, everyone else surrounded thinks that Hester the mom loves and is happy with her children. The author states, “Only she herself knew that at the centre of her heart was a hard little place that could not feel love, no, not for anybody.

“where are you going, where have you been” by Joyce Carol Oates is a short story about a teenage girl named Connie. She lives a fairly normal life but then one evening she gets caught up with suspicious man who doesn’t want to leave her alone. The man who goes by the name “Arnold Friend” drives into Connie’s driveway, and after some very brief small talk he tries to coerce her into going on a date with him. the mood swiftly goes from uncomfortable to sinister.

“The Lottery” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” may have a few similarities, but when it comes to their conflict, plot, and structure, they differ for the majority.

If not thought about or read over more than once, the fact that Connie’s father was almost a phantom in her life might be missed. In this era, fathers in particular were not very active in their children’s lives, daughters especially; they were the mother’s problem. This same idea carries over to the father of Connie’s best girlfriend, who after driving them to the stores or movies “…never even bothered to ask what they had done.” (Oates, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"), the name of the story is also a question that should be asked of any daughter by her father. The fathers in question here display a sense of total apathy to the question of what their daughters are actually doing. These fathers came from a time in the 40’s and 50’s when men worried about men things and woman issues were exactly that. Men and in particular fathers of that time made no effort to be involved in their daughters lives as they are today. Oates noticed that issue in society and attached it to her work in this story although minutely. The main conflict in Connie’s life is trying to balance a fine line between the way she acts at home in front of her mother, and her secret wild side which she only shows to her friends and the boys she meets. Oates’ characterization of Connie is that of a round character, one of intense

Joyce Carols Oates highlights the importance of developing relationships in families. Connie’s future could’ve had a completely different outcome if she would’ve been raised with attention, love, and communication. Arnold would’ve never had the opportunity to manipulate her if she had her family’s protection; however, that was not the case. Connie’s family must live with a guilty conscience knowing that her kidnapping could’ve been avoided if only they were less neglectful towards

“The author's work is known for its explorations of human nature and illustrates the nature of materialism” (Jones). Throughout life, we are constantly developing who we are as people. As we grow, we grasp hold of things we wish to portray ourselves with. In doing so, we create ourselves as humans. In this philosophy that has been developed, we base how we are raised in order to develop who we become in the long run. Over time, we receive knowledge pertaining to who we wish to become. In the story story “The Rocking Horse Winner” written by D. H. Lawrence, we are taken to a questionable development of humans in an equally disturbing adventure. In this short story, there are many messages that can be traced throughout.

In these chapter we are introduced to a new character Ellander McCourry who is revealed to be john walker's mother. She meets a songcatcher about which the book is named. When she says she was afraid of being punished for going above herself it show how times where different. She displays a love for the Appalachian Mountains that is still common today. Ellander is a victim of the same curse “No McCourry from this day forth shall ever love best their first born child” as all the McCourry’s are. This is extremely relevant in John Walker’s relationship with his mother. Who seems not to care in the slightest for John. This is made even worse when his brother Malcolm dies. This would infuriate me. I feel that I would be very angry with my mother if she showed so as much favoritism as Ellander does. Even though i am not a parent, I don’t understand how a parent could love one of their children more than the other child.I find that the lack of love from one of the parents have given the oldest child in the McCourry family a determination to do more with their life. They strive to make their parent proud, but they never do

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was written in 1966 by Joyce Carol Oates. The short story introduces the main character, Connie, as a 15-year-old girl who is a lot like a stereotypical teenager. Connie is portrayed as a naïve girl who uses her looks to attract boys’ attention. However, her innocent flirtations cause her to attract the attention of a middle-aged man, Arnold Friend. She finds herself in a dangerous situation while home alone. Joyce Oates dramatizes a theme of good vs. evil by allowing the characters to take on realistic roles. Connie, representing the innocent and good, is unknowingly lured by the evil Arnold Friend.

In the short stories “A&P” by John Updike and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, both authors tell of story of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Sammy, from Updike’s story, is a nineteen year old boy whose parents got him a job as a cashier at the local A&P. Connie, from Oates’ story, is a pretty, blonde, fifteen year old girl who has an almost narcissistic attitude as she has a habit of constantly checking herself and comparing herself to others. Both of these teenagers are in the similar position of growing up, however, they are doing so in very different ways.

A relationship between a mother and son should be one that is full of unconditional love. The mother should be able to provide for the son and in return the son should look to the mother for comfort and stability. In D.H. Lawrence's, "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the relationship between the protagonist, Paul and his mother is not ideal at all.

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 dramatic short story "The rocking horse winner," is about a young boy who desires to be loved by his mother. The author, D.H. Lawrence develops a theme that states, the desire for money and social status is a destructive force. The story is about a young boy named Paul who tries to win his mothers love by gambling for money. Paul has a supernatural power which he can commute with his rocking horse to find out the winning races. However, in the end Paul tries too hard to win his mothers love and dies. The moral theme is revealed through Paul, who is the protagonist, and his relationships with the characters. The relationships which result in conflict is between Paul's mother and father, between mother and

Many stories include a child who vies for their parent(s) attention. One being, Oedipus, by Sophocles, where Oedipus rivals his father, who he believes is a stranger, to gain the attention of his wife/mother. The idea of a child, mostly boys, trying to gain their parent(s) (who tend to be a mother more often than a father) attention is known as “The Oedipal Complex”, created by Sigmund Freud. “The Oedipal Complex”, is a theory of a developing of feelings a boy develops towards his mother. He then is against his father, or another male figure with his mother, and has jealousy or anger towards the man. Eventually the boy tries to “rival” the man for attention from his mother. “The Oedipal Complex” is very prominent in the short story, “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, written by DH Lawerence. One of the protagonists, Paul, develops the idea in which he should raise money for his mother, since she considers herself “unlucky”. The mother, Hester, believes she is unlucky because herself and her husband work low-income jobs which are unable to support their lavish tastes. Therefore, Paul is introduced to horse racing by his gardener, Basset, who bids on who he believes will win the races. Paul tells Basset who he wants to bid on, and Basset would go and put the bid down for Paul. One day Paul was discussing his connection with his gardener with his Uncle Oscar. His Uncle Oscar took Paul to his first race, they both bidded on Daffodil, who won the race, afterwards Uncle Oscar is included