Allusions In The Rocking Horse Winner

“Eyes are the windows to the soul.” This common cliché tragically applies to Paul, the protagonist of The Rocking-Horse Winner and even foreshadows his death. By using effective imagery, symbolism, and religious allusions, D.H Lawrence conveys the message that the yearning for love from others can unfortunately be overshadowed by the love of money and the desire for money and love can potentially drive individuals towards insanity.

Throughout The Rocking-Horse Winner, Lawrence uses many symbols to convey a poetic quality to aid the reader in discovering the purpose the author gives in this piece of writing. Arguably the most recognizable symbol in this short story is Paul’s eyes. From the beginning of the story the author immediately influences

Paul’s horse racing addiction comes upon him all because his mother says his father is unlucky. At this point, Paul has some sort of calling from God telling him he is lucky, the reader believes this true since he earns a substantial amount of winnings at horse races, however this is the exact opposite of the truth. Lawrence skillfully tricks the reader into thinking Paul has found the clue to “luck” when truthfully, Paul is the most unlucky character in this short story. All throughout the story, Paul and Basset many references to religion and God when they speak about luck. When Uncle Oscar asks Basset about Paul’s luck, Basset says, “‘It’s Master Paul, sir,’ said Basset, in a secret, religious voice. ‘It’s as if he had it from heaven.” (Lawrence, bOOP). This shows the reader that Paul believes all of his luck has come from God, who has granted him a wonderful gift. However, it seems as if this God was the devil in disguise. This so called “luck” is what essentially drives Paul to his grave. As the story progresses, Paul’s health decreases to a point where his soul is already gone though he is still breathing. It is when Paul dies where the reader realizes that this God was a fake when Uncle Oscar says, “My God, Hester, you’re eighty-odd thousand to the good and a poor devil of a son to the bad. But, poor devil, poor devil, he’s best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking