The importance of Materialism over family of Mrs. Dickinson and Hester “To be content with little is difficult; to be content with much, impossible” – Marie Von Ebner – Eschenbach. The short story “Tears Idle Tears” written by Elizabeth Bowen, and “The Rocking – Horse Winner”, written by D.H Lawrence, possess main characters with similar characteristics. Both stories are written about a mother who does not show the usual emotions that a mother should towards her son. Mrs. Dickinson and Hester live what would seem to an outsider as successful lives but neither are satisfied. Their materialism causes them to neglect their families. Neither mothers are capable of loving their children because they believe that their lives could be better than
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In “The Rocking – Horse Winner” it is written that “Only she herself [knows] that… she [can] not feel love, no not for anybody”, this states that Hester does not show affection towards anybody, including the ones closest to her (335). A lack of motherly love is also shown by Mrs. Dickinson. The only emotions she shows towards her clearly upset son is anger and shame. In addition when her husband died Mrs. Dickinson was described as an “unflinching woman” who only showed anger instead of the other stages of grief (112). Neither mother show any affection towards their sons. Another similarity is that both Mrs. Dickinson and Hester try to portray themselves as something they are not. Mrs. Dickinson cares about how she is seen by others and does her best to be seen as a woman who is in control but, in regards to her son that is untrue. Comparably in the story “The Rocking – Horse Winner”, “the mother [has] a small income, and the father has a small income but not nearly enough for the social position which they had to keep up” which represents that they cannot afford the lifestyle they wish to delineate to others (335). In some way both mothers try to depict parts of their lives as something they are not. From this information it is possible to infer that the two mothers care more about how they are perceived by the public than how their own children see them as …show more content…
In the story “The Rocking – Horse Winner”, Paul asks his mother if she is lucky in which she responds “I used to think I was, before I married. Now I think I am very unlucky indeed” showing the lack of appreciation she has for her family. Even though Hester has a husband, lovely children and a family that loves her, she still thinks that she is unlucky. By saying this Hester is teaching her son that there is not value in family and that if you are lucky and well off you will be truly happy. When Mrs. Dickinson is seen as a “charming woman walking by herself” when she leaves her son crying in the middle of a park it is noticeable that she does not care about the well-being of her son (112). Mrs. Dickinson also shows that she thinks of herself as a charming woman and would rather be seen as that than in a situation that she cannot control. If these women had chosen to be good mothers they would have shown their sons that being there for the ones you are supposed to love is more important than materialistic
In “The Rocking – Horse Winner” it is written that “Only she herself [knows] that… she [can] not feel love, no not for anybody”, this states that Hester does not show affection towards anybody, including the ones closest to her (335). A lack of motherly love is also shown by Mrs. Dickinson. The only emotions she shows towards her clearly upset son is anger and shame. In addition when her husband died Mrs. Dickinson was described as an “unflinching woman” who only showed anger instead of the other stages of grief (112). Neither mother show any affection towards their sons. Another similarity is that both Mrs. Dickinson and Hester try to portray themselves as something they are not. Mrs. Dickinson cares about how she is seen by others and does her best to be seen as a woman who is in control but, in regards to her son that is untrue. Comparably in the story “The Rocking – Horse Winner”, “the mother [has] a small income, and the father has a small income but not nearly enough for the social position which they had to keep up” which represents that they cannot afford the lifestyle they wish to delineate to others (335). In some way both mothers try to depict parts of their lives as something they are not. From this information it is possible to infer that the two mothers care more about how they are perceived by the public than how their own children see them as …show more content…
In the story “The Rocking – Horse Winner”, Paul asks his mother if she is lucky in which she responds “I used to think I was, before I married. Now I think I am very unlucky indeed” showing the lack of appreciation she has for her family. Even though Hester has a husband, lovely children and a family that loves her, she still thinks that she is unlucky. By saying this Hester is teaching her son that there is not value in family and that if you are lucky and well off you will be truly happy. When Mrs. Dickinson is seen as a “charming woman walking by herself” when she leaves her son crying in the middle of a park it is noticeable that she does not care about the well-being of her son (112). Mrs. Dickinson also shows that she thinks of herself as a charming woman and would rather be seen as that than in a situation that she cannot control. If these women had chosen to be good mothers they would have shown their sons that being there for the ones you are supposed to love is more important than materialistic