Analysis of a short story
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H Lawrence is a reflection of society's materialism, the search for material happiness leaving on the side the real matter of life. People are looking for happiness in the wrong place.This is the story of a family who pretends to have a life full of luxury while their income is low and their debts are high. Paul, the older son of the family, after seeing to the importance of money and luck in his mother's life, discovers that he is not as unlucky as the rest of his family. His luck helps him to predict the winner of horse races. For a time Paul gets money as a gambler thanks to Bassett, the gardener, and later on with the complicity of his uncle, who is curious about his nephew's abilities. The winnings were given to Paul's mother to pay debts, but she found the money wasn't enough to keep up their social status. Paul feels the need to win one of the three big races. He found himself worried when the two of the races came and he didn't know the winner. Finally, Paul predicts the winner while riding his rocking-horse. During the incident, Paul gets sick and dies. The story ends with some lines that make the reader wonder about the real meaning of life.
This materialism is what Lawrence wants to point out. But toward the end of the story, the mother's heart grows "curiously heavy" because of worrying about her son, who is going through a difficult stage trying to find out the winner of the race and provide more money for his mother. Paul's mother, who according to the narrator "has a great belief in herself", doesn't find this confidence useful because she considers herself unlucky and empty of the fake happiness she is looking for. Lawrence's time was characterized by fake high status, which covered poverty with expensive luxuries, a fact that is still found nowadays. The whisper is louder and intense, not asking for help anymore, but asking for more of this drug called money. Sometimes he is not sure about the results. While expecting something that is far away from her reach, she does not realize that the love of a family is there, ready to be nurtured. " These lines infer that Paul is better out of a place where the appreciation of material things is valued over everything else. Through the story we also see that the luck so desired by everybody is not as perfect as they expect. ents an impartial omniscient narrator. These characters, in spite of their beauty, are unable to be satisfied and happy. In the last paragraph, Lawrence ties all the signs of greed and ambition in a phrase said by Paul's uncle: ". The insatiable thirst for power and gold is the main disease in society.
Common topics in this essay:
Finally Paul,
DH Lawrence,
paul's mother,
reader doesn't,
desire luck,
spite beauty,
whisper house,
people looking,
rocking-horse winner,
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Acceptance Essays
