The Rocking-Horse Winner Materialism

In D.H. Lawrence's “The Rocking-Horse Winner” the mother’s lack of love, materialism, and her concern for status ultimately destroys her son. The mother married for love, rather than money, but it faded over time. Not even her children could fill the void in her heart where love was meant to be. This “troubled” her and made her all the more tender and concerned for her children, “as if she loved them very much.” Only she knew that in the center of her heart was a place that could not feel love, not for anybody. Following her example and teachings, her son, Paul equates love with “luck” and money and begins his downward spiral into destruction. With a profuse desire for luck he began to “furiously” ride his rocking-horse on a “mad little journey” slashing the horse on the neck, knowing it would take him to “luck”, or a winner, if he only forced it to. …show more content…
However, she is dissatisfied and wants all of the money at once; prompting Paul to give into her demands in the hopes of her being content and believing his “luck” will continue to aid him. The mother’s materialism and greed grows and leads to the need for more money due to the families increase in debt, but this did not matter to her. She was finally experiencing “a blossoming of the luxury” she had been used to as a child. However, Paul strained under this constant pressure for more money. He was in terrified agony and became “wild-eyed and strange, as if something were going to explode in