Paul's Revelation of Character in "Rocking-Horse Winner"

Paper Summary:

In the short story, "The Rocking-Horse Winner," author D.H. Lawrence reveals the disposition of the story's leading character by using abstract ideas such as the concepts of ghosts and fantasy. This paper examines how these unusual details are found inside the home of Paul, a young boy who is determined to rid his house of a force of greed by using his own extraordinary gift of fantasy. Early in the story, the reader is introduced to this unexplainable force that is driven by greed.

From the Paper:

"Shortly into the reading, the narrator informs us that although Paul's family seems rather opulent, there exists a feeling of uneasiness among them. He tells us, "There was always the grinding sense of the shortage of money,......" (Lawrence 50). Because of this, the boy's parents, especially his mother, are reluctant to feel satisfied with their current income and social status and as a result, Paul's mother becomes utterly determined to somehow retrieve more money. When she fails to do so, something very strange happens within the home of this already fractured family. The narrator says, "the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more money!" (Lawrence 50). These "unspoken" words may very well be a representation of the overwhelming sense of greed that has made its presence throughout the house, particularly within the mother. One may assume that these words belong solely to Paul's mother, however, they are clearly coming from some unknown source. This is where the idea of a ghost inside the house may be conceived by the reader, and although that is precisely what it appears to be, the author chooses not to tell us whether it is something supernatural, real, or completely false. Perhaps it is merely a voice inside the minds of the children. But regardless of what it is and where it comes from, it causes Paul to experience a great sense of frustration. Therefore, he feels it is necessary to help his mother retrieve more money and put an end to this unexplainable madness."

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