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A story by D. H. Lawrence about a boy who seeks luck and money for his mother by riding a rocking-horse. The analysis explores the themes of luck, materialism, and the unconscious in the story.
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A short story about a boy who wins money by riding his rocking-horse into a trance. The story explores the themes of luck, success, and their dangers, as well as the possible symbolism of the rocking-horse and the title.
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- The Rocking-Horse Winner Characters Analysis
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The short story, “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence is one of his most appreciated works. It first appeared in July 1926 in the magazine, Harper’s Bazaar. For the second time, the short story was published in a collection gathered by Lawrence’s friend, Lady Cynthia Asquith. It is also assumed by some critics that Lady Asquith and her son w...
The story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” begins with the introduction of a fatalist woman, Hester. She is not named in the beginning which predicts her passive nature. Without doing anything for the family, she thinks that Hester and her husband are unlucky. In the early part of their marriage, she loves her husband. However, she ceases to love him lat...
Class Conflict
Lawrence, in a complex interwoven relationship between mother and son, depicts the economic standing of the people of his society. He presents how people are concerned with the idea of luck and money. For instance, one of the major subjects of traditional 19th-century life was marrying for social status. Lawrence highlights the effect of a failed marital relationship on family life. For example, Hester marries for money and social class. However, her husband is unable to earn more than their...
Hard Work and Luck Relationship
To continue the above discussion, Hester believes that luck is what brings riches. For example, she considers herself unlucky because she has married an unlucky man whose ideas fail to embrace reality. Whatever he does, he lacks to find any success. It is because Hester has made her concept of luck that it is what “causes you to have money”. She thinks that lucky people do not fear the loss or gain of wealth. They are already lucky; therefore, whatever they do they will end in material succes...
Greed for Material World
The story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” revolves around the theme of greed. To clarify, greed for wealth rests in the concept of approval. For example, Hester’s financial status does not coincide with her neighbors’ conditions. Therefore, she tries to rise to their level and give the impression that she is as wealthy as they are. The problem arises when her finances do not allow her to surpass her status. To seek their approval, she develops huge greed for wealth. This impacts her family life al...
Paul
Paul is one of the three children and the only son of Hester, a materialistic woman. He is the protagonist of “The Rocking-Horse Winner”. Paul’s specification is his intense blue eyes that turn his desires to a wild extent. He is a small child but his emotions and desires are big enough to be handled by his physique. For instance, he is aware of the fact that his mother loves herself only. She doesn’t love her children and only yearns for more wealth. Her obsession with financial gains destro...
Hester
Hester is one of the main characters and the protagonist’s mother. She is a selfish woman and craves for a luxurious life despite her middle-class social standing. She looks for the appreciation of those above her status. When she is unable to fulfill her extravagant desires to gain more and more, she becomes agitated. For instance, Hester begins despising her husband and luck for not providing her with bundles of money. She simply blames luck saying that they are unlucky. She explains that t...
Oscar Cresswell
Oscar is Paul’s wealthy uncle who lives a luxurious life. He is perhaps an inspiration for Hester also. Due to this materialistic race, she puts her family in trouble. Oscar allegedly cares for Paul and asks him to stop riding his rocking horse. However, he joins him when he comes to know about the seriousness of the matter. Oscar is somewhat a confusing figure. It is because he sometimes seems to care about his nephew while other times his greed overcomes him. For example, in the beginning,...
Setting of the Story
The story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” happens in the 1920s in England. For instance, there is a reference to World War I through the story of Bassett. Also, horse racing games were common in the 1920s. The family lives in a nice and well-ordered house near London with maids working for them. They have a moderate level of income and needs. However, Hester is not content with living a simple life. She is preoccupied with her wheel of luck. She only pretends to be rich as she has ordered her home...
Tone
Lawrence depicts the issues of materialism and appearances in society through his ironic narration of such instances. For example, Hester is a pretentious woman for whom appearance is more important than reality. She wants people to acknowledge that she is a good wife and mother. On the contrary, she knows that this is all false. Similarly, Hester’s family has no overflowing money to spend here and there but she does it to appear to be wealthy. Here Lawrence becomes ironic when he praises her...
Genre
The short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” is in the structure of classic gothic fiction. The gothic elements include whispering house, Paul’s strange glowing eyes, his supernatural way of predicting horses’ names, and Paul’s tragic death. As a modern story, Lawrence includes Sigmund Freud’s concept of the oedipal complex in it. For instance, there is a love triangle between Paul, his mother Hester, and his absent father. Paul can go to any extent of madness to seek his mother’s appreciation...
A comprehensive guide on D. H. Lawrence's short story, The Rocking-Horse Winner, which explores the themes of love, money, and supernatural. Learn about the historical context, characters, and literary devices of this modernist masterpiece.
From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes The Rocking-Horse Winner Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
Learn how D. H. Lawrence's short story explores the themes of money, luck, and madness through the character of Paul, who predicts horse race winners by riding his rocking horse. Discover the symbolism of the rocking horse, the house, and the mother-son relationship in this in-depth analysis.
A short summary of D.H. Lawrence's The Rocking-Horse Winner. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Rocking-Horse Winner.
