Critical analysis

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Outline
Introduction
Overview and Background information on ‘‘The Rocking Horse Winner’’ by Lawrence, H.D
Thesis Statement
Body Paragraphs
Greed
Heartlessness
Materialism
Neglect
Conclusion
Critical Analysis
Written in 1920 by D. H. Lawrence, “The Rocking-Horse Winner” is a famous short story which centers on the life of Paul, a boy who through Hester’s, his mother, teaching believes in luck. He bases his fortune on his ability to predict racehorse winners. To fulfill his heart’s desire for love and attention, Paul uses his ‘luck’ to generate money to try to quench his mother’s materialism. In the end, he dies a neglected son. Lawrence goes out of his way to bring out the impact of a mother’s greed, materialism, neglect, and heartlessness on a fragile and intelligent child whose only want is love.
Lawrence depicts Hester’s antagonistic nature through exhibiting her sheer greed. “Quite moderately nice,” is the answer she gives Paul when he aks if she received something good for her birthday, having gone through her letters (485). This response is despite her son bequeathing her with a generous amount of five thousand pounds that he had won during the horse races. To compound matters, she visits the lawyer through whom the money was channeled to, and feigning being in debt; she asks the lawyer to give her the whole amount instead of one thousand pounds per annum for five years. Paul and Uncle Oscar consult, and the former agree to fulfill his mother’s wishes with the hope of getting more money in future races.

Hester’s greed cannot decipher the significance of saving for the future.
The presence of her children makes her heart hard, such that she does not feel love for them. She tries to atone for this by her mannerism geared to depict her as anxious and gentle about the children. This treatment deceives everyone who ends up exclaiming, “She is such a good mother. She adores her children.” (485). Deep inside her, she feels that the thrusting of the children on her renders her incapable of loving them. The children seem to sense this and her superficial actions do not blind them since they can read it through her eyes. This, coming from a mother towards her own children, is quite cold.
Moreover, Hester’s materialism is quite clear. To prove this, she spends the five thousand pounds that are a birthday present from her son to buy home décor (492). Also, she looks down upon their lives despite them living stylishly and comfortably. “Because we’re the poor members of the family,” is her response when her son asks why they do not have a car of their own (485). She desires a luxurious life which her husband cannot provide and thus describes him as unlucky. The author introduces her as someone with quite an expensive taste, and she desires to maintain an elevated social position that drives her to not being contented, acting selfish, and leading a miserable life. The life she sees as of poor nature is her choice.
The death of her son after a right prediction of the next horse race, which rakes in eighty thousand pounds, does not move her much and she shows neglect. Lawrence alludes to this when she still can afford to lend an ear to the uncles’ proposal that she is better off with the money than her unfortunate devil son. “My God, Hester, you are eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad,’’ Uncle Oscar tells her after the boy’s death (495). Also, she shows little care despite her knowledge of Pauls ill health and the author brings out the scenario of the boy’s death as inflicting emotions on Hester that would wither away soon enough due to her greed for money. As the Paul lay before her while sick, she felt like a stone had taken the place of her heart. Her actions reek of neglect.
It is safe to conclude that Paul’s heart desires were genuine and they only came to a cropper due to the antagonistic mental wishes of his mother. As seen above, the mother had just her selfish gains and materialism at heart. Her inconsiderate self totally exploits her son’s ” luck” to get more money which she misuses and is ungrateful of what her son gives her. Lastly, being a mother, she does not show love to her children as people presume. This character could be enough proof that indeed money made man mad.
Work Cited
Lawrence, H.D. The Rocking Horse Winner in Theme, 1920. Print.