The Rocking-Horse Winner Symbolism

Through out the book “The Rocking Horse Winner”, author D.H Lawrence uses a number of literary devices such as description, archetypes, and symbolism. One of the most prominent themes of the book is in fact the symbolism. Lawrence uses many different examples of symbolism in the story, to represent many different things. Three of the most important symbolisms however, are money; used to symbolize lack of love and affection, Paul’s rocking horse; to symbolize masturbation and his love and fantasies for his mother, Hester, his mother; who is used to symbolize greed, selfishness and materialism.
One of the most important symbolisms in the book is money. Money is used throughout the story to represent the lack of love, affection and relationships
Paul’s riding of the rocking horse makes the sexual suggestion of masturbation. This symbol comes from the psychologist Sigmund Freud who believed that young bys are sexually attracted to their mothers and subconsciously fantasize of replacing their fathers. The story states that Paul has reached an age “beyond the nursery control”, which is when most children become aware of their sexuality. Paul would mount his rocking horse, and ride it “madly into space, with a frenzy that made the little girls peer at him uneasily”. Paul rides his horse only when alone, and obtains the name of the winning horse when he reaches where he “wanted to go” (a climax from masturbation). Paul associates riding the rocking horse and winning the bets with acquiring money for his mother and being lucky, which could relate to the modern term “getting lucky” used to describe having sex. In the story Paul says “I shouldn’t like Mother to know I was lucky”, “she’d stop me” begging his uncle not to tell his mother about him betting money. This symbolizes the fact that he would not want his mother to know of his new sexual urges, as in this time period masturbation was not only embarrassing but a sin. Near the end of the story, Hester walks in on Paul riding his horse, “surging on the rocking horse”. “plunging to and fro”. This excited Paul, sending him to climax “his eyes blazed at her for one strange and senseless second and he
One of the most important symbols used is Paul’s mother Hester. Hester is used throughout the story to represent selfishness and greed. Paul’s mother is very superficial, selfish, and materialistic. She values her social status, appearance and materialistic items more than anything else. Hester is obsessed with getting money, and then spending it to acquire new things and enhance her image. As a result of her obsession for money, Hester is unable to show affection for anything, or anyone else. To Hester, money is more valuable than friends and family. “She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her”. Hester resents her children, most likely due to the fact that they cost money and time, which are both taking from being able to provide for herself. Although to others Hester seemed like a good mother, both her and her children knew that she did not love them. “Everybody else said of her: "She is such a good mother. She adores her children." Only she herself, and her children themselves, knew it was not so”. Instead of trying to love her children, Hester instead tries to compensate with buying them expensive gifts. “… at Christmas, when the expensive and splendid toys filled the nursery”. Everyone in the family knew that money was the only thing she was capable of caring for. Although when Paul became sick, she stayed by his bedside, Hester allowed him to die feeling