Hester is one of the chief characters in D.H. Lawrences “The Rocking-Horse Winner.” The narrative describes a immature male child, Paul, who tries to win his “mothers love by seeking the fortune” ( Kaplan 1971 ), which she believes she does non possess. Lawrence “condemns the modern impression that felicity and luck semen from the outside, instead than from within ; that felicity must take the signifier of money and goods instead than the titillating, parental, and filial love” ( Kaplan 1972 ) .
The narrative is an “dry and mercenary calamity” ( 2 ). Many features of Hester are revealed as she begins to recognize that her fortune, which she believes she does non hold, starts to come back all because of her boys particular endowment he has with a swaying Equus caballus. To Hester, the particular things that her boy gives her are merely non plenty. Her greed, selfishness, and laterality over others emphasize her overwhelming character. Throughout the narrative, the female parents greed becomes more and more overpowering. The boy, Paul, is really determined to happen fortune for his female parent, but the female parents greediness supports pecking on Paul. Hester, the female parent, tells her boy that she is non lucky, and it is “better to hold luck than money because luck brings money” ( Kaplan 1971 ). To Hester, money is the most of import thing in the universe for her. Even though Hester knows she does non necessitate the money, there is something in the house that entices her to believe “there must be more money, there must be more money” ( 852 ). This conjuration reveals the female parents greed that emphasizes her character. This house becomes “haunted” ( 852 ) by the female parents mute ideas. Her ideas are largely about whether she truly loved her boy unconditionally. The female parents will and her powerful mercenary desire “pervade the ambiance of the house” ( 852 ) suggesting that the female parent influences the houses odd behavior. Paul and Uncle Oscars conversation about the female parent suggest that if she did cognize Paul was lucky, she would take complete advantage of that. What Paul does non recognize is that, his female parent has already taken advantage of him because she wants more and more money. She can non acquire plenty of it. Paul felt that if he was lucky, so the house merely might halt rustle. The female parents greed gets stronger and more powerful.
Paul makes and “intuitive connexion between his female parents inability to love him and houses insistent demands” ( 858 ). He erroneously believes that, if he can convey the house adequate money, all would be good. This implicates that the female parents influence on Paul had made him give more and more gifts to his female parent. Hester besides becomes sexually frustrated, “she had bonnie kids, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her” ( Kaplan 1972 ). She feels non fulfilled, but violated.Not merely does the female parent represent greed ; she besides reveals her selfishness. Hester is a selfish adult female who blames her hubby for non holding any fortune. Hesters endowment for drawing is another gift that she declines with her belief that she is luckless. A “immature adult female creative personearned several thousand lbs a year” ( 858 ), but mother merely made several 100s. Mother is dissatisfied here because another adult female makes more, and she can non stand the fact that person is doing more money than she is. This dissatisfaction reveals Hester as a adult female who wants more and better things than anyone else. All Hester thinks about is she. Paul, her boy, has five 1000 lbs to give to his female parent for her birthday, which will be distributed to her over the following five old ages. Hester becomes even “more haunted with money” ( Kaplan 1971 ) .
She seemingly does non look happy and wants all five thousand lbs at one time. Paul’s female parent should love him unconditionally, and he should “fell secure in his mother’s love” ( Kaplan 1972 ), but he is non. One ground could be that his mother’s “heart is excessively hardened to love her child” ( Kaplan 1972 ). She tries to give them nowadayss, but the kids and the female parent both know and see it in each other’s eyes that she is excessively selfish to even love her kid at all. The duologue between Paul and his female parent on the topic of fortune is interesting. The female parent answers the boy really “bitterly” ( Kalasky 258 ) and with a laugh. The “boy is soundless for a time” ( Kalasky 258 ) and tries to look at her as if she meant it or non. This duologue is why the boy’s ( hungriness for love is betrayed, and distorted into the chase of luck” ( Kalasky 258 ). It seems as if the female parent is merely utilizing her boy merely to acquire what she wants out of life and that is money.Hester is besides a really domineering female parent. She “cannibalizes” ( Detecting Writers 1 ) her boy.
She “temptingly invites Paul to take his male parents topographic point” ( Kaplan 1972 ) in her life and happen fortune for her. Mother deliberately makes Paul feel as if he has to make whatever she says, and reluctantly, Paul sets out to carry through this undertaking for his female parent. Hester has pushed Paul so much that he became really “frail” ( 860 ), and his legs were “eldritch” ( 860 ). Pauls comprehensive demand to fulfill the houses demands to win his female parents love has produced a noticeable physical alteration. The female parents laterality over Paul makes Paul feel as if “winning has non freed him” ( 855 ) from his houses insatiate demands. The female parent has besides put into Pauls mind that the “merely manner to win his female parents fondness” ( Kalasky 253 ) is through money to demo her that he, himself, is luck and his male parent is non. Paul negotiations to his uncle and tells him that he does non desire his female parent to cognize that her demands are insatiate.All of these features help the reader to develop a better apprehension of Hesters character.
The narrative is a “superb survey in the sustained usage of symbolism to propose with bold economic system the death-dealing effects of the permutation of money for love ”( Kaplan 1973 ). Hesters greed, selfishness, and laterality over others has brought an apprehension of her discourtesy and self-pity towards others including her boy.Kaplan, Carola M. “The Rocking-Horse Winner.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1986. 1971-1973.Kalasky, Drew, erectile dysfunction. Short Story Criticism. New York: Gale, 1995. 253-259.“ Lawrence, D.H.” Detecting Writers. Vers. 2.0. Compact disc read-only memory. Detroit: Gale, 1996.
