One should have little to no affectionate value towards materialistic items because when everything is gone it is the family and loved ones that will be there by your side till the end. This is a major problem that many struggle with and it's the ones that care for these people who get hurt the most. In D. H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner,” the author develops the character Paul to symbolize his devotion to earn his mother’s love, in order to suggest a theme that love should not be materialistic.
Through viewpoint the reader can tell that material possessions are highly valued over relationships in the family within “The Rocking Horse Winner” especially with the mother. Meeting the status quo to keep up with the higher class is a big …show more content…
In the story the children, “would stop playing, to listen for a moment. They would look into each other’s eyes, to see if they had all heard. And each one saw in the eyes of the other two that they too had heard. ‘There must be more money! There must be more money!’” (Lawrence). Here we see the tension within Paul's mind to consistently earn his mother money. In Paul's eyes this money is what will earn his mother's love. To the family this tension is released as a pulse which the children can sense. “All that Paul can do in response is to try harder, to transform yet more of that profound love he feels for his mother into luck”. Since the mother desires so much Paul's relentless stream of love can not transform enough of that love into luck, the one thing the mother strives for. This causes a problem because Paul's desire is so strong that he will stop at nothing to bring his mother happiness. Paul after realizing the power he has says,“’I’ve got to know for the Derby! I’ve got to know for the Derby!’ the child reiterated, his big blue eyes blazing with a sort of madness” (Lawrence). Paul's desire to achieve his mother's love soon turns into madness. This madness leads to a constant obsession to earn more and more money with little gain of his mother's love ultimately leads to Paul's death. “Young Paul tells his mother he is lucky, and subsequent events certainly bear this out: anyone who is able to beat the odds at the races and consistently pick winners is indubitably lucky. What he really means by this, however, is that he loves his mother so much that he is sure he can put right whatever is wrong in their family, can provide whatever she needs. His final words to his mother—‘Mother, did I ever tell you? I am lucky!’”. Paul's constant desire leads to his demise, all that he ever wanted was to give his mother everything yet got nothing in return.
Through viewpoint the reader can tell that material possessions are highly valued over relationships in the family within “The Rocking Horse Winner” especially with the mother. Meeting the status quo to keep up with the higher class is a big …show more content…
In the story the children, “would stop playing, to listen for a moment. They would look into each other’s eyes, to see if they had all heard. And each one saw in the eyes of the other two that they too had heard. ‘There must be more money! There must be more money!’” (Lawrence). Here we see the tension within Paul's mind to consistently earn his mother money. In Paul's eyes this money is what will earn his mother's love. To the family this tension is released as a pulse which the children can sense. “All that Paul can do in response is to try harder, to transform yet more of that profound love he feels for his mother into luck”. Since the mother desires so much Paul's relentless stream of love can not transform enough of that love into luck, the one thing the mother strives for. This causes a problem because Paul's desire is so strong that he will stop at nothing to bring his mother happiness. Paul after realizing the power he has says,“’I’ve got to know for the Derby! I’ve got to know for the Derby!’ the child reiterated, his big blue eyes blazing with a sort of madness” (Lawrence). Paul's desire to achieve his mother's love soon turns into madness. This madness leads to a constant obsession to earn more and more money with little gain of his mother's love ultimately leads to Paul's death. “Young Paul tells his mother he is lucky, and subsequent events certainly bear this out: anyone who is able to beat the odds at the races and consistently pick winners is indubitably lucky. What he really means by this, however, is that he loves his mother so much that he is sure he can put right whatever is wrong in their family, can provide whatever she needs. His final words to his mother—‘Mother, did I ever tell you? I am lucky!’”. Paul's constant desire leads to his demise, all that he ever wanted was to give his mother everything yet got nothing in return.