“The Rocking Horse Winner” is an elaborate short story by D.H. Lawrence, perhaps the best, about an awful pursuit of material wealth and destructive greed. This story occurred after World War I in England and is the story of a boy, Paul, who seeks his mother’s love through racing horses. The story is rich with symbolism, notably featuring the rocking horse, which symbolizes the connection between Paul and the supernatural forces he believes will afford him material success. Nevertheless, much as he strives relentlessly in what can be termed an imaginary effort to amass, so to speak, the wealth that can never erase the pain, lacking love, satiation, and security, the paper argues that although he is pursuing wealth, which will secure him some financial stability in this broken family situation, Paul fails to achieve the emotional satisfaction and balance he desperately desires.

The Obsession with Luck and Money

Paul’s insatiable desire to win his mother’s affection propels his boundless chase for money. Confined to a home in which affection is predicated on economic success, Paul concludes that the way and means of earning love from his mother are to accumulate wealth. His mother, who is materialistic and remains dissatisfied, complains about financial problems daily, so love is assumed to be a guarantor of actual material achievement. Paul internalizes one of its forms, which serves as the foundation for the futile and one-way monadic search for financial security. The story shows a gruesome dissecting of the mental abuse of a child helplessly forced to substitute love with material possessions, as explained by Maissa when she states, “He discovers that he has a unique talent for picking the winning horses in races, which he attributes to the help of a rocking horse that he rides in a frenzy until he reaches a state of heightened consciousness (Maissa 24). The rocking horse emerges as a powerful figure, representing Paul’s desperate, pathetic attempts to fill the chasm—the substantial emotional void—in his family. The horse acts as the conduit between the world of reality and the world of the supernatural; it is the bridge Paul crosses to believe in his luck, hence his pursuit of the winner of luck, the elusive mythical beast. This continuous swaying signifies his irrepressible quest for business rewards, being dazedly guided by the nonsense of how fortune, conducted through the horse—personified by the yearning to get mother’s love—is the conductor of riches. Paul’s total concern for money affects him physically and mentally in a negative way. His constant trips on the rocking horse bring him near the brink of collapse; it illustrates the bodily counterpart of his obsession. Additionally, the story suggests that Paul experienced some insanity as a result of this pursuit of money. This fixation introduced plenty, far exceeding simple pain that illustrates an act of death, heightened on fulfillment, impoverished on emotional well-being.

Lack of love and connection

The story emphasizes the delicate relationship between Paul and his mother, Hester. Hester appears like one whose love was conditioned on prosperity. Certainly, one of the tensions is sensed in their tranquil domestic life, as evidenced when Lawrence states, “Everybody else said of her: “She is such a good mother. She adores her children.” Only she herself, and her children themselves, knew it was not so. They read it in each other’s eyes.” Yes, Paul does his utmost, and she cannot transfer his devotion to her affection in monetary terms, strengthening their relationship’s emotional block (DeLia 133). Hester’s more profound discontent, intertwined with the eternal craving for more, becomes fatal because Paul is swallowed up in a bit of dream love he cannot reach.

Hester is a character who shows a materialistic attitude that has taken her away from the possibility of reflecting on love, and instead, she is focused on material wealth. Someone else may try to say that she does not listen to her son, but when it comes to wealth, she does not consider what others feel. Monetary success leaves her without satisfaction, hence being emotionless; this emotional emptiness leaves a void in the family (Gelal 6). Hester’s character can be used as an oppressing critique shown to us through a culture that valued more relentless importance in the richness within men and gold than what was meant to end in showing too many exposed connections with humans and connections to true dedication.

Rationally, though Paul makes money by proving himself successful, he leads a hollow life. No matter how much he accumulates wealth, it does not bring him peace or strong ties with his family. Ironically, the story implies that protecting