Happy And Paul's Mother example essay topic

Appearances can be deceiving In the story "The Rocking Horse Winner' by D.H. Lawrence, it appears that the family is very happy, and Paul's mother is very loving and affectionate towards her kids, but she knows that is no so because they "read it in each others eyes. ' (p 343) In reality she is cold-hearted woman who is incapable of loving her children. Even though Paul realizes this he still is craving attention and longing to be loved by his mother. To Paul luck is equal to money, and he thinks that the only way to win her love is to become lucky in order to get money. It is apparent to the reader that the appearance of happiness shown to people outside of the household is very different from the reality of what actually occurs in their home.

By focusing on Paul's behavior he possesses when riding his horse, his mothers beliefs about luck and how they influence Paul's behavior in trying to win her love, and by his mother's behavior and reality of her actual love towards the children, it is apparent that D.H. Lawrence makes suggestions that things are not always what they seem. The reader is also able to see that appearances are deceiving. In the story, Paul's behavior regarding his rocking horse shows us how determined he was to get him to where he wanted to go. The horse appears to be harmless, but infact in reality it is like the Trojan Horse, which was also used for deception. The horse deceives Paul into thinking it "could take him to where there was luck, if only he forced it. ' (p 345) He would ride furiously with a glare in his eyes, silently commanding the horse "Now, take me to where there is luck! Now take me,' (p 345) until at last he thought he has gotten to where he wanted to go.

Paul seems like he is almost possessed while he rides the wooden horse, and he becomes a different person. From these examples it is apparent that Paul appears to be a normal boy on the outside, but he uses the horse as an escape from his feeling and his mother. Secondly, Paul's mother believed that if you had luck than life would be easier. She also believed that "it's better to be born lucky than rich' (p 344) because "if your lucky you will always get more money. ' (p 344) When Paul asked her why they don't keep a car of their own, and why they always use Uncle Oscar's or a taxi, she simply stated that "it's because your father has no luck. ' Paul's mother feels that her life is unfulfilled because of this, and that she would be much happier if she had money. He thought that if he earned money for his mother, and proved that he was better than his father was, he would win her love.

When Paul bet on Lively Spark, "which was a quite inconsiderable horse,' (349) he ended up winning ten thousand pounds, and for an early birthday present to his mother he anonymously gave her five thousand pounds, thinking this would make her happier. He also thought that if she had this money than she would love him; however, she still remained cold to her children. In the end, while on his deathbed, Paul had bet on a horse named Malabar and won. Now he had made over eighty thousand pounds. All Paul could say was "Did I say Malabar mother.

Do you think I'm lucky mother? Mother, did I ever tell you? I'm am lucky!' (p 353) All he wanted was his mother to realize that he was lucky and that he wants her to love him. Therefore Paul appeared to be lucky, but in reality he was actually the unlucky one because he let his seek for love, and approval of his mother not only took over his life, but killed him as well.

Lastly, to all the townspeople Paul's mother appears to be loving and devoted to her children. Many would say, "She is such a good mother. She adores her children. ' (p 343) In reality she felt that she could not love them because "they had been thrust upon her. ' Although she did truly care about her children, and showed them some affection, she did not have a strong bond with them like most mothers' do. For example as soon as she received the five thousand pounds for her birthday she decided to hire a tutor for Paul. He focused so much on his studies that he became very distraught.

Because of this, Paul's mother wanted to send him to the seaside with his Uncle Oscar. He did not want leave till after the derby, but his mother did not understand, and she said to him "I think you care to much about these races. It's a bad sign. My family has been a gambling family, and you won't know till you grow up how much damage it has done. ' (p 351) Also, while Paul's mother was at a big party in town she had a sudden feeling that something was wrong at home with her boy.

She called home and talked to his nursery-governess, who offered to check on him, but his mother did not want to invade her son's privacy. When she arrived home she went up to his room, and "softly, frozen with anxiety and fear, she turned the door-handle. ' (p 352) She saw him riding the horse and yelling out "It's Malabar!' (p 352) Then he fell to the floor, unconscious with a brain fever. On the third day of his illness "his mother sat, feeling her heart had gone, turned actually into stone. ' (p 352) This shows that she is concerned for her son, but it doesn't mean that she loved him. In conclusion, like Paul's mother, some people may seem normal, happy, and loving from the outside, but in reality they may be cruel, cold hearted and depressed. Paul's mother appears to be a loving woman who adores her kids, but she actually is incapable of loving them.

She feels nothing for her own flesh and blood. Her behavior suggests that appearances can be deceiving, and things are not always what they seem.