The Rocking Horse Winner | Formalist Criticism

The Rocking Horse Winner

 by David Herbert Lawrence

Hello everybody! For today, I bring a “formalist criticism” for you, about this story by D. H. Lawrence.

In The Rocking Horse Winner, we can agree and defer with many points of view. For my personal point of view, this story was written with a projection about “the future” living the same really that David was living. I really like this story, because I can relate real things with it. The reading presents a family, a couple that has three children who live in a decent house with good furniture. They do not lack money and essentials things to live well. On the other hand, this woman, wants to project her life as “the worst situation in life” because she lacks of money. Besides that, we can see a “Mother” who is so selfish. Everything Hester wants in her life is money. She does not give love to her children and does not take of them. That is why, the youngest in the family, Paul, starts to ride his rocking-horse to earn money and please his mother.

I personally belief, there are a lot of parents (fathers or mothers) who prefer money and a good life, instead of their children. In The Rocking Horse Winner, we can learn a good lesson for life. Paul, the young boy, wants to see his mother happy. The way he found to make it possible, was through his rocking-horse. Hester always complains about her unlucky husband and the “lack” of money in the house. She thought that money could give them a “happy” life, full of love and desires. She forgot how to be a good mother. Paul, in his innocence, has a “lucky” life. He has good predictions about the horse races using his toy. Paul earns a lot of money by betting in the races. The boy has a goal, “make his mother the happiest”. He spends his life, making predictions in his rocking horse, until he died because of overthinking.

Until this moment, Hester the mother, realize that her selfish life and desires have killed Paul. She knew that money could fill her house, but without a son, there was nothing that could fill her life and her empty heart.

Now guys, I want to know a personal critic from you, towards the story.

• Is it something that happen in real life?
• What do you think about the death of Paul?

If you have not read the story yet, here I attach a website with a summary in detail about The Rocking Horse Winner

See you guys,

-Bell Solís