The man that does not know sick women does not know women.

"The Rocking Horse Winner" is the story of a boy's gift for picking the winners in horse races. An omniscient narrator relates the tale of a boy whose family is always short of money. His mother is incapable of showing love and is obsessed with the status that material wealth can provide. This paper will explore the premise that D.H. Lawrence presented the figure of the mother as the villain; a loathsome, unloving character with no commitment to genuine values. This evil mother figure will ultimately be the "male-destroyer" by turning her "nameless" husband away and, in essence, killing her young son, Paul.

Hester, Paul's mother, is incapable of loving others. "Only she herself knew that at the center of her heart was a hard little place that could feel no love, no, not for anybody./ Only she herself, and her children themselves, knew. They read it in each other's eyes." (RHW) The mother is not only obsessed with money, but she is also irresponsible with the money she does get. When Paul arranges through his attorney to give her a thousand pounds a month from his winnin

"All right, son! We'll manage it without her knowing."

"No, Paul! Not quite. It's what causes you to have money."/ It's what causes you to have money. If your lucky you have money. That's why it's better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money. But if your lucky, you will always get more money."

gs, she immediately begs for the entire amount. However, instead of paying her debts, she spends the money on new things for the house. This results in an even greater need for more money. She also does not express any thanks for this sudden windfall, depriving Paul of the joy of providing the much-needed income for his family. "She was down to breakfast on the morning of her birthday. Paul watched her as she read her letters. He knew the lawyer's letter. As his mother read it, her face hardened and became more expressionless. Then a cold and determined look came on her mouth." (RHW) The vivid description of the mother's face hardening and her look, a cold one, is characteristic of a villainous woman- the femme-fatale. Paul asked her if she has received anything nice in the mail for her birthday. The mother responds in a cold and absent voice. Then "went away to town without saying more." (RHW) This coldness of heart, the neglect of her son, the villainous qualities that run throughout the story will ultimately be the cause of Paul's untimely death.

The unfortunate component of the story is that the family, especially Paul could not stop the wicked witch mother from destroying all that was good and genuine. She didn't not even learn anything from Paul's death. This villainous creature will still be unsatisfied and seek for something to fulfill her needs. Paul died in vain. Paul never gave her life. He merely sustained the illusion of life that she was seeking; money. One only hopes to warn the next male victim that this loathsome woman chooses to destroy for her own monetary gains.

The father in the story, who does not play a big part and remains nameless throughout, seems to be a weak and "tortured" character. It is apparent that the wife, Hester, has no respect for him and has no problem verbalizing just how "unlucky" he is to anyone who will listen, including her young son, Paul. "The father, who was always very handsome and expensive in his tastes, seemed as if he never would be able to do anything worth doing." I'm sure Hester reminded him of his inadequacies day in and day out. The way the father seems to be victimized and imprisoned by the wicked witch mother can only further point out to Paul that he needs to be the savior for the family. When Hester confides in her son that she is, in fact, dissatisfies with her husband, the mother sets in motion the boy's futile quest to please her; the very thing that winds up killing him.

"I hope He did, dear!" she said, again with a laugh, but

Some common words found in the essay are:
I'm Hester, Hester Paul's, Paul It's, Uncle Oscar, DH Lawrence, Paul Mother, Hester Hester, Horse Winner, Oscar Paul's, Paul Oscar, uncle oscar, thousand pounds, wicked witch, rocking horse winner, male characters, son paul, evil mother, paul mother, horse winner, picking winners, rocking horse, little feel love, hard little feel, winners horse races, picking winners horse,
Approximate Word count = 1917
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)