Symbols in "The Rocking Horse Winner"

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Symbols in “The Rocking Horse Winner”


In “The Rocking Horse Winner”, a tragic story demonstrating the destructive effects of materialism, D.H. Lawrence employs symbolism to develop the idea that love and happiness can be destroyed by money. Lawrence utilizes the character Hester as a symbol of greed to display the effects of materialism. The author’s use of symbolism is mainly to show that children require love and compassion. Paul’s rocking horse and the whispering of the house represent his evident need for love. Lawrence uses money to prove that avarice and negligence of a mother can contribute to the deterioration of an innocent, young child.


A main symbol in the story is the character Hester, Paul’s mother. She represents both greed and selfishness and her desire in life is to acquire large sums of money. Hester is notably materialistic and values lavish possessions more than her own children. “She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them” (0). Lawrence stresses the fact that Hester is incapable of developing an emotional attachment to her children. She feels that the children are a burden to her lifestyle and values wealth more than love. Hester believes that her children’s need for affection is easily replaced with expensive gifts. She is entirely consumed by greed and can only feel passion for money, a substitution for love. “When her children were present, she always felt the center of her heart go hard. Only she herself knew that at the center of her heart was a hard little place that could not feel love. ‘She is such a good mother, she adores her children’. Only she herself, and the children themselves, knew it was not so” (0). Hester appears to be the ideal mother, filled with tenderness and devoted to her children. She projects the image of being a caring mother, but actually has a heart that is incapable of warmth and affection. Hester cannot love any human being. She loves neither her husband nor her children. Money is the only item that Hester can truly embrace. Her constant need for money and endless debts place Hester in financial trouble. Although her wish for money is granted, wealth comes at the cost of her son Paul’s life. Superficially, Hester is worried when Paul is ill, but she cannot understand that her own actions have contributed to Paul’s death. “His mother sat, feeling her heart had gone, turned actually into a stone” (01). Hester offers no comfort to Paul. She remains by his bedside, but never expresses her feelings for him. She allows Paul to pass away, without telling him that he is loved. Paul dies feeling neglected and detached from his mother because her interest lies in the money he has succeeded in winning for her.


In addition, Paul’s rocking horse represents his isolation from the world and pursuit of his mother’s love. The financial state of Hester is a burden that eventually overpowers Paul and contributes to his demise. Paul leads himself to believe that he can win Hester’s love by winning her money. He is able to predict the winners of various horse races through the use of his rocking horse. Paul rides the horse around an imaginary track in a trance-like state, oblivious to the world around him. “‘Now take me to where there is luck!’ He knew the horse could take him to where there was luck. He would start on his furious ride again, hoping at last to get there” (). Paul is in a constant battle with emotional problems, created by a lack of love from his mother. He is greatly troubled and has in some ways lost the innocence of his childhood. Paul’s journey on the rocking horse develops into a task he is determined to achieve. The rocking horse changes from a simple toy to a symbol of death, as it acts to transport Paul away from his life. “He was very frail, and his eyes were very uncanny” (00). Paul’s furious riding leads to the deterioration of his health and his life is eventually taken. Even though Paul is able to win his mother a large sum of money, he later dies of exhaustion from frantically riding the rocking horse. All of Paul’s energy is put into predicting the winner of the next horse race. Paul’s pursuit of his mother’s love becomes a hopeless obsession.


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The strongest symbol utilized by Lawrence in the story is the whispering of the house. This symbol is used to show Hester’s vicious circle of greed and Paul’s apparent need for love. The silent whispering of the house crying, “There must be more money!” (1) is a repeated message that greatly affects the mindset of Paul. This frightening demand for money tortures Paul and forces him into a world where he is no longer a child. Paul is compelled to deal with problems that ordinary children are not subject to. The frantic crying overwhelms his thoughts and remains constantly in his mind. Paul believes that the whispering will cease if he can earn money for his mother. The powerful, yet unspoken message has the ability to affect Paul’s behaviour and control his emotions. As long as the message remains unspoken, Paul’s actions cannot reduce its insistent nature. Although Paul wins money at the horse races, the money causes the whispering to become louder. Hester is not satisfied with the money Paul has won and her need for increased wealth grows. “Paul’s mother touched the whole five thousand. The voices in the house suddenly went mad. There were certain new furnishings and Paul suddenly had a tutor. And yet the voices in the house screamed in a sort of ecstasy ‘There must be more money! Now, more than ever!’” (8). Paul’s attempt to win his mother’s love is unsuccessful and he becomes further withdrawn from society. His winnings only push his mother deeper into her circle of greed. Instead of paying off her debts, Hester returns to her excessive spending habits. Paul is crushed by the further disregard from his mother and his urgency for love increases. “The Derby was drawing near and the boy grew more tense. He hardly heard what was spoken to him” (01). Paul realizes that the Derby is his last chance to win a fortune for his mother and gain her love. Despite the money that he does obtain, Paul’s requirement for love is never met. The love of his mother is obliterated through her selfishness and greed.





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