Hester in The Rocking Horse Winner Essay

The Rocking-Horse Winner

Hester is one of the main characters in D.H. Lawrences The Rocking-Horse Winner. The story describes a young boy, Paul, who tries to win his mothers love by seeking the luck which she believes she does not possess. Lawrence condemns the modern notion that happiness and luck come from the outside, rather than from within; that happiness must take the form of money and goods rather than the erotic, parental, and filial love (Lawrence, 658.) The story is an ironic and materialistic tragedy. Many characteristics of Hester are revealed as she begins to realize that her luck, which she believes she does not have, starts to come back all because of her sons special talent he has with a rocking horse. To Hester, the special things that her son gives her are just not enough. Her greed, selfishness, and dominance over others emphasize her overpowering character. Throughout the story, the mothers greed becomes more and more overpowering. The son, Paul, is very determined to find luck for his mother, but the mothers greediness keeps nagging on Paul. Hester, the mother, tells her son that she is not lucky, and it is better to have luck than money because luck brings money (Lawrence, 658.) To Hester, money is the most important thing in the world for her. Even though Hester knows she does not need the money, there is something in the house that entices her to think there must be more money, there must be more money (Lawrence, 659.) This incantation reveals the mothers greed that emphasizes her character. This house becomes haunted by the mothers unspoken thoughts. Her thoughts are mostly about whether she really loved her son unconditionally. The mothers will and her powerful materialistic desire permeate the house suggesting that the mother influences the houses odd behavior. Paul and Uncle Oscars conversation about the mother suggest that if she did know Paul was lucky, she would take complete advantage of that. What Paul does not realize is that, his mother has already taken advantage of him because she wants more and more money. She cannot get enough of it. Paul felt that if he was lucky, then the house just might stop whispering. The mothers greed gets stronger and more powerful. Paul makes and intuitive connection between his mothers inability to love him and houses insistent demands (858). He mistakenly believes that, if he can bring the house enough money, all would be well.This implicates that the mothers influence on Paul had made him give more and more gifts to his mother. Hester also becomes sexually frustrated, she had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her (Kaplan 1972). She feels not fulfilled, but violated.

Not only does the mother exemplify greed; she also reveals her selfishness. Hester is a selfish woman who blames her husband for not having any luck. Hesters talent for drawing is another gift that she declines with her belief that she is unlucky. A young woman artist earned several thousand pounds a year (858), but mother only made several hundreds. Mother is dissatisfied here because another woman makes more, and she cannot stand the fact that someone is making more money than she is. This dissatisfaction reveals Hester as a woman who wants more and better things than anyone else. All Hester thinks about is she. Paul, her son, has five thousand pounds to give to his mother for her birthday, which will be distributed to her over the next five years. Hester becomes even more obsessed with money (Kaplan 1971). She apparently does not appear happy and wants all five thousand pounds at once. Pauls mother should love him unconditionally, and he should fell secure in his mothers love (Kaplan 1972), but he is not. One reason could be that his mothers heart is too hardened to love her child (Kaplan 1972). She tries to give them presents, but the children and the mother both know and see it in each others eyes that she is too selfish to even love her child at all. The dialogue between Paul and his mother on the subject of luck is interesting. The mother answers the boy very bitterly (Kalasky 258) and with a laugh. The boy is silent for a time (Kalasky 258) and tries to look at her as if she meant it or not. This dialogue is why the boys (hunger for love is betrayed, and distorted into the pursuit of luck (Kalasky 258). It seems as if the mother is just using her son just to get what she wants out of life and that is money.

Hester is also a very domineering mother. She cannibalizes (Discovering Authors 1) her son. She seductively invites Paul to take his fathers place (Kaplan 1972) in her life and find luck for her. Mother intentionally makes Paul feel as if he has to do whatever she says, and reluctantly, Paul sets out to accomplish this task for his mother. Hester has pushed Paul so much that he became very frail (860), and his legs were uncanny (860). Pauls comprehensive need to satisfy the houses demands to win his mothers love has produced a noticeable physical change. The mothers dominance over Paul makes Paul feel as if winning has not freed him (855) from his houses insatiable demands. The mother has also put into Pauls mind that the only way to win his mothers affection (Kalasky 253) is through money to show her that he, himself, is luck and his father is not. Paul talks to his uncle and tells him that he does not want his mother to know that her demands are insatiable.

All of these characteristics help the reader to develop a better understanding of Hesters character. The story is a brilliant study in the sustained use of symbolism to suggest with bold economy the death-dealing consequences of the substitution of money for love (Kaplan 1973). Hesters greed, selfishness, and dominance over others has brought an understanding of her rudeness and self-pity towards others including her son.