Only Hester Is Mother
When one first reads "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence, one sees that it is a story about a little boy who rides his rocking horse to secretly gain money to buy his mother the happiness that she so secretly aches for. It is in retrospect, however, that one realizes that the story is not about the little boy but rather about his mother Hester and how she secretly loves her son, Paul.
To see that Hester is actually the focus of the story, readers must first try to get to know her through understanding her character and personality. It is within the first few pages that we learn that Hester is a beautiful woman who "started life with all the advantages, yet had no luck" and that she had once loved her unlucky husband, but that love had "turned to dust" (Lawrence 1).
The Rocking Horse Winner (film)
Hester with airplane, 1917
Hester in airplane, 1923It is by closely examining this and other corresponding information that readers can come to the conclusion that Hester defines herself not by who she is but by what she has. Take, for example, her marriage.
Hester describes her husband not as being loving, compassionate, or hardworking, but rather by being unlucky (Lawrence 2). In fact, his name is never mentioned in the story, somewhat alluding to the feelings of dislike towards him from his wife. But one must wonder why she dislikes him so much and why she no longer loves him. In fact, Hester even answers these questions for the reader via her actions throughout the story. Her answers are not that he is unlucky, but rather that his unluckiness causes a lack of money which could assure that the family's appearance is maintained.
Hester also defines herself by her appearances. This is best exampled when...