Symbolism In The Rocking Horse Winner

A person would be wise to give little to no affectionate value towards materialistic items. When times get that in your facing life’s struggles it is the family and loved ones that will be there by your side until the end, not the big screen television or fancy diamond necklace. Placing too much value on items is a major problem that many people struggle with and ultimately it is the ones that care for these people who get hurt the most. In D. H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner,” the author develops the character Paul to symbolize his devotion and struggle to earn his mother’s love, in order to suggest a theme that love should not be materialistic.
Through viewpoint, the reader can tell that material possessions are highly
“He knew the horse could take him to where there was luck, if only he forced it. So he would mount again and start on his furious ride, hoping at last to get there,” (Lawrence). Lawrence uses the rocking horse and also his word choices to give the reader a deeper understanding of Paul’s obsession. Using words such as “mount” and “forced” gives a sexual connotation that is difficult to ignore in the Rocking Horse Winner. “In the writing and casting Pelissier opts for the latter, portraying a sensitive boy who is drawn into a dangerous relationship with his rocking-horse,”(Gillett). Although this theme was adapted into a movie, it still has the same underlying meaning. Directors of a movie that is adapted from a book have to pay great amounts of attention to the theme and symbols because it is harder to portray in movies than it is in writing. “Paul's secret of secrets was his wooden horse, that which had no name. Since he was emancipated from a nurse and a nursery-governess, he had had his rocking-horse removed to his own bedroom at the top of the house,” (Lawrence). Paul wants to keep his horse a secret and even goes so far as to move it up to his room, making it readily available to constantly fulfill his obsession. Obsession to ride his rocking horse is turning into an addiction, which is harmful for Paul. “It is impossible to ignore the allusions toward [self-pleasure]. In Paul's "secret of secrets" (especially in his death scene) if one recalls Lawrence's sentiments in his essay "Pornography and Obscenity": ‘[Self-pleasure] is the one thoroughly secret act of the human being.... The body remains, in a sense, a corpse, after the act of self-abuse,’” (Baker). This is not the first time that Lawrence has used sexual allusions within his work. The rocking horse symbolizes this self-pleasure and obsession. Getting his mother