The Rocking-Horse Winner

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.

Fitzgerald starts off the opening of his short story by disclosing that “Some of the caddies were poor as sin.” The author refers to the lower class in this instance as the caddies and the golfers as the richer, upper class. There is a clash between these two figures and Dexter strives to be toward the higher end of the spectrum. Dexter is even made fun of because of his high success when Delvin causally banters to Dexter, “That’s funny - I thought men like you were probably born and raised on Wall Street.” Dexter truly appeared to have it all - the fortune, the wife, the job, but somehow he still was unhappy.

In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” we are introduced to a woman who author D.H Lawrence states, “was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck. She married for love, and the love turned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them.” When I dive into the psychology behind that statement, I come up with a thought that this beginning draws similarities to Lawrence’s own upbringing with his coal miner father and schoolteacher mother. Similarly the mother in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” is disenchanted with her marriage and the way her life

There are people in this world who think that money can give them anything. This can be food to water to ease and joy. Consequently, they comprehend that money will have a life filled with ease and happiness. But what you don’t visualize is that building these thoughts will lead to an obsessive, joyless, person going the extra mile to get that cash. Why this is unacceptable I might add is where is the ease and the joy you endured obsessively to have? Suffering long hours so you have ease but have no time to rest. Tolerating days of labor to find happiness, but find yourself empty when you have nothing to show yourself for it. D.H. Lawrence demonstrates this perfectly in his short story by including foreshadowing and symbolism, “The Rocking

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

In “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence, an immense amount of attention is poured towards the focus of money. Today, who someone is depends drastically upon the amount of money they have. Sadly, money determines who you are before you even realize it. The same idea is developed into this story. An essay says, “While his father is a hard worker, he does not bring in enough money to satisfy the expensive tastes of the latter’s wife. Because of this, Paul’s mother resents her husband and makes it clear that she wants more monetary benefits out of life” (Pierce). Although she may not realize it, Paul’s mother is beginning to demand so much of her husband that it not only wears out her husband, but continually rubs off onto Paul. Paul becomes so bothered by the thought that his family has little to none money, and his only desire is to change that feeling for his family. He begins to realize that he wants nothing but money for his family so they can experience life in such a way that they are able to enjoy what they have and obtain more. As Paul is growing up amid such an issue, he begins to realize that no matter what he is doing, he is constantly being reminded that his family is destitute. “He was looking so extraordinarily foolish for no other reason but that he heard the secret whisper all over the house: “There must be more money” (Page 1248). Given the circumstances, everything that Paul did reminded him subtly about the family issue. Because of

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.

The things his main character wants most in life, but just cannot seem to grasp. Dexter has this reality of being with this picture-perfect girl built up in his head. “ the ambitious boy whose dreams of success become blinded with the image of a rich girl; her inconstancy; his faithfulness; and the inevitable sense of change and loss.” (Lahood). Dexter had a dream of success, and for filling the American dream, but without the love of his life beside him, that reality isn’t real. As they grow older, and Judy moves on Dexter finally realizes his reality in his head isn’t possible. “He had thought having nothing else to lose was invulnerable at last but he knew that he had just lost something more, as surely as if he had married Judy Jones and seen her fade away before his eyes” (Fitzgerald). Fitzgerald shows the theme of reality versus realism with the built up imagination of a perfect world with Dexter and

One of the main aspects of both the passage and the overall story is the concept of power. Paul believes that, through money, he will have the power to determine his own future. In the early parts

Because Dexter’s life is unintentionally controlled by these dreams, he does not realize that he is being driven toward material success. He is unaware that these dreams are leading him to fall in love with the woman who stands at the core of his materialistic fantasies. His complete focus in life becomes geared toward “gaining the love of a beautiful woman who expresses the glamour and promise of the exclusive world” (Perkins). Dexter begins to strongly believe that Judy Jones is his key to unlocking the world of the rich and wealthy. By illustrating the luxurious lifestyle of Judy Jones, Fitzgerald reveals how she represents, to Dexter, what life is like for the rich and prosperous.

He meets people who's lives seem to be surrounded by their money, wether it be new or old money, though their lives are still empty and lacking. Along with flaunting their money some characters, such as Tom, like to flaunt their affairs. Though both new and old money always

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

Paul suddenly becomes consumed with this sudden ‘ good luck’ and feels this is the only way he will be able to gain to the affection of his mother. He does this several times, winning money for his mother. Eventually, however, he rides his rocking-horse into such a stocked that he collapses and, upon hearing news that he has won a large fortune from his last bet and dies. Paul spent all his energy trying to gain wealth, and it ended up destroying him, D.H Lawrence showcases the idea that obsessing over what you don't have will destroy what you do have and portrays money as a negative and alienating force that redirects people’s attention away from being truly human as hard work, love, and intimacy.

Paul also hears the cry, "there must be more money" echoing through the house's walls (Lawrence 525). "Paul . . . takes upon himself the intolerable burden of attempting to solve mother's 'problem' . . . the lack of money" (Jinkins 88). He takes this challenge hoping to receive his mother's love in return. Instead Paul rides himself to his death because he is unable to meet his "devouring" mother's needs (Jinkins 89).

Every person grows up with a different family dynamic. Some people grow up in houses of extreme poverty while others experience the life of wealth. Other children unfortunately grow up in abusive houses while some live with very living parents. These are all interesting dynamics, and something every child can relate to. The short story The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence is aa story that describes a family who lives in poverty. This story is very interesting and often told in the form of third point of view. This story is about a younger boy who lives in a family with very little money. He often questions their lack of money and even goes as far as to try and help. His actions can also be seen as very noble and selfless. Unfortunately,