A-Z SHORT STORIES

Commentary

Some critics have said that this story by D. H. Lawrence is an example of the perfect short story. It tells of a boy whose parents love money and their social position more than their children. The boy desperately wants his mother’s love and approval, and would seemingly go to any lengths to win it.

The Rocking-Horse Winner can be looked at on a number of levels. At the most basic level, it is a story of a boy (Paul) searching for identity and love, whose death teaches his mother that family should always come before material things. However, it seems highly unlikely that D.H. Lawrence would write a story with such a simple message. He is recognized as being one of the first modern writers to explore human sexuality and instinct in his works. On this level, the Rocking-Horse Winner could be looked at as a psychological fantasy. Many critics have suggested that Paul is described as if suffering from an Oedipus complex. In psychology, this is a sexual desire that a child (especially a boy) feels toward the parent of the opposite sex along with jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex. It is further suggested that, as Paul is entering puberty, riding his rocking-horse could be symbolism for acts of masturbation.

But there could be an even darker message. Paul’s father seems to have almost nothing to do with him and utters only one sentence in the story. However Uncle Oscar (Paul’s mother’s brother), shows a lot of interest in his life. When addressing Paul in the story, Oscar calls him by name only once and uses the familiar term “son” thirteen times. Could this be a suggestion that Oscar is Paul’s true father?