The Silent Killer The Responsibility for Paul’s Death in The Rocking Horse Winner Greed is a vice that affects every human being in one way or another. It is inescapable and often is the culprit for many broken relationships, shattered goals, and even death. Although greed cannot directly harm people, the repercussions that come with the overwhelming need for the biggest and the best becomes a horrible curse. The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence presents the perfect example of how greed can be detrimental to a person. Paul faces the sad tragedy that comes along when greed becomes unbearably controlling. The person that is responsible for the death of Paul in The Rocking Horse Winner is not actually a person at all, it is a thing; greed. Initially it would seem as if Paul’s mother is the person who leads to his impending doom. When Paul is talking to his mother, she gives him the idea of luck being the sole thing that gets a person money. My first thought when given the question “Who is responsible for Paul’s death?” was that his mother was. Because she gave him the idea of wealth coming from luck, it drove him to a place in his life where he was completely obsessed with winning and being lucky. Throughout the story, however, it becomes more …show more content…
The Rocking Horse Winner is a perfect example of the different things that can put stress on a person, leading to their demise. Oftentimes we do not think that death can happen just because a person’s life isn’t exactly how it should be emotionally. Emotional stress leads to physical harm; for example, because of Paul’s stress, he became more and more physically unhealthy, which is what made his body break down and become unable to hold itself up. The greed that Paul’s mother instilled in him in the beginning of the story ultimately led to the decline of his health and his