the rocking-horse winner by dh lawrence

at first, i thought i wouldn't like it since sometimes very small and faded letters turn me off. but when i read the first sentence, i thought the story would be interesting. and it was. paul, the boy in the story, was one of the few fictional kids who actually did something to help their parents. most kids merely wished they could do something. well, maybe eventually they would do something, but that would probably happen when they're grown-ups already. but in this story, the kid gambled and won and most of the cash he got went right straight into his mother's purse.

i found it freaky, too, in a way. in the first paragraph, it was mentioned that there was a tension between the mother and the kids that they acknowledged but nevertheless kept mum about. and that was freaky, since we are all used to mother loving the kids very much. and the kids adoring their mother, looking at her with innocent and pleading eyes while she tells stories. but in the story, there was no display of affection whatsoever. but rather, there was cold war.

i also sort of feel that the story revolved around the mother. she was the subject of the first paragraph, and the last statement in the story was also about her. she actually started everything. she needed money, and so his son went hysterical in getting it for her. in the end, she was greatly encumbered. she had lost a son, and the money meant absolutely nothing to her anymore.

the boy was a fascinating character. but what fascinates me more are the things he does. he rides the rocking horse and it takes him to luck. and afterward, he will know which horse will win. i wonder what this event represents. is another psychological concept involved in the story? is the boy sort of psychic? and why did he die? i also felt that the boy was making up for the absence of the father in the story. i don't know, though, if that was what he meant to do. he also could have just made a move because he was tired of hearing the noises in his house. and yes, i think there was something sexual about the way he rode his rocking horse. in sex, or even masturbation, there is a climax, while in riding the rocking horse, the boy would reach the climax when he would find out which horse is going to win.

i liked the story. it's one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for classics.