Essay On D. H. Lawrence's The Rocking-Horse Winner

In D.H. Lawrence’s compelling and tragic short story, “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, the author discusses the relationship between a mother depressed by her lack of wealth and success, and her son, Paul, who desperately attempts to gain the affection of his distant mother. Lawrence’s story revolves around a family of a status in society that is neither rich nor poor, they possess and desire the luxurious way of life, but neither one of the parents obtains an income large enough to afford it. The desire for and shortage of money is so obviously present within the household that the children can always hear the torturing silent whisper of it coming from every part of the house. The need for prosperity and ‘luck’ consumes the Mothers life and ruins the bond …show more content…
On his way of hopefully granting his mother what she needs, Paul becomes overly consumed with stress on worries of money, which leads to his tragic demise. Throughout the story, Paul creates deductions and reaches conclusions on his mothers’ unhappiness, and achieving luck based off his strong suspicions and theories. To begin with, one of the first conscientious inference Paul makes within the story would be his mothers’ unhappiness and the financial stability of his family. Lawrence sets off his tale by first giving thorough background details behind the conflicting cause of all the misery that is to come, the mother. The mother is described as someone ‘who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck…” she and her husband have lavish and expensive tastes, and yet their income salary cannot afford to pay for all their wishes. Although they have a nice home and servants, their need to maintain a social status deprives them of happiness and haunts the house with whispers of “There needs to be more money!” Therefore, when her son Paul confronts her on his deduction that they never seem to have a car of their own, the mother responds carelessly and says that it is due