The main themes in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” are
materialism, happiness, and generosity
. Materialism: Lawrence suggests that materialism and love are incompatible. Hester is so focused on her own perceived sufferings that she fails to be an effective mother to Paul.
What is the moral of The Rocking-Horse Winner?
As in a fairy tale or fable a moral is clear:
the love of money can annihilate other loves
, even the ones we might consider incorruptible, like a mother for her child. In this fairy tale-like story, greed destroys family life, parent-children relationships, and even life itself.
Wealth
is a dominant theme of D.H.Lawrence's “The Rocking Horse Winner.” In this story, the acquisition of wealth becomes the measure of value for everything in life. The preoccupation with money as a measure of worth in the mother's mind becomes so prevalent in the home that her son Paul…
What is ironic about the ending of The Rocking-Horse Winner?
A final situational irony occurs at story's end when
Hester's brother announces Paul's death
: “he's best gone out of [this] life.” The brother, who has seen the tragedy from a distance, understands Paul far better than his natural mother does, noting that she has destroyed a miracle to gain a bank balance.
What are the plot theme characters and setting of The Rocking-Horse Winner?
The themes include
the dangers of materialism and greed
, as Paul exhausts himself trying to please his mother, who is never satisfied. The characters include Paul (the young boy), as well as his family (his parents and uncle) and the household gardener. The setting is likely 1920s England.
What does the rocking horse symbolize?
The rocking horse can be said to symbolize
childhood
, for one thing. Nobody but a small child could ride a rocking horse without breaking it. It can also be said to symbolize an interest in horses and horse-racing. It certainly symbolizes or represents Paul's anxiety.
What does Paul's death symbolize in the rocking horse winner?
In The Rocking Horse Winner, Paul's death symbolizes
the bottomless greed that materialistic people like Hester have and the lengths to which children will go to get affection and love from their parents
. … He was obsessed with being considered lucky by his mother so that she would love him and show him affection.
What is so special about Paul rocking horse?
Paul starts to spend a lot of time riding his rocking horse
. He believes that if he rides the horse long enough, it will tell him where he can find luck. … Paul's mother comments that he is too old to be riding a rocking horse, but Uncle Oscar is amused that Paul names his horse after winning racehorses.
Why does Paul avoid telling the secret of his rocking horse in The Rocking Horse Winner?
Why does Paul avoid telling the secret of his rocking horse?
He fears that the horse will lose its magic.
Why does Paul say honor bright?
Gentlemen's Agreements: The phrase “honor bright” is used by Paul
when he talks to his Uncle Oscar wants his Uncle Oscar to promise to do something.
Who is to blame for Paul's death in The Rocking Horse Winner?
In terms of the story's symbolism and themes about greed, Paul dies because his
mother
can not be satisfied. Even if he had continued winning more and more money, she would have simply craved more and more.
What is the central and most important irony in the rocking horse winner?
What is the central and most important irony in the rocking horse winner? The irony of the story is
the thought of them not having money and Paul secretely making money on horse racing
. It is ironic how he goes to such great lengths to win the last few races, to win the money to keep the family happy.
Who is the mother in The Rocking-Horse Winner?
Hester is Paul's mother, a middle-class woman with two other children as well. She is obsessed with appearances, and particularly with keeping up the appearance of being wealthier than she actually is.
What is plot in a story examples?
A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality.
‘The king died and then the queen died,' is a story
. ‘The king died, and then the queen died of grief' is a plot. The time-sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it.”
Is The Rocking-Horse Winner A ghost story?
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” (collected in The Lovely Lady, 1933), Lawrence's second attempt to write a contribution for a
collection of ghost stories
compiled by Lady Cynthia Asquith in 1926, is a fusion of various narrative modes. …
How does Paul use the rocking horse to gain luck?
How does Paul use the rocking horse to gain luck?
The mother thinks luck leads to money
. Paul rides the rocking horse to learn the names of horse-race winners so that he can win money. … He has his uncle give the money to his mother as if she had inherited it.
