“Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants” (Benjamin Franklin). In a way, money has been seen as the antagonist in stories and has continuously blinded those influenced by it. In “The Rocking Horse Winner,” D.H. Lawrence uses situational irony, symbols, and the characters’ obsession with money to highlight that materialism does not solve everything, and at times, may even bring about problems. Through the personification of the house, D.H. Lawrence highlights the obsession of money within the family. As it says, “And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more money! The children could …show more content…
As it says, “The child had never been to a race-meeting before, and his eyes were blue fire.” His eyes convey that Paul is innocent and young, and is full of excitement; he believes he can earn his mother’s affection. However, it later states that Paul has “big blue eyes blazing with a sort of madness.” At this time, Paul has become obsessed with gaining his mother’s affection, believing that money can satisfy his mother. Finally, the last description of his eyes “were like blue stones.” Paul lost his innocence, became obsessed, and his dream of receiving his mother’s love is unfulfilled. Another symbol that demonstrates Paul’s transformation is the rocking horse. At first the rocking horse is described as “Swaying”, which shows how Paul had a weak desire to gain affection. However, later in the story the rocking horse is described as “madly surging”, and Paul’s desire to obtain his mother’s affection is far greater than before. The rocking horse may also symbolize the endless struggle Paul faces. Every Time Paul collects money he rocks the wooden horse forward, but the horse rocks back to its initial position indicating that money is not the solution if he wants to acquire his mother’s