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Symbolism in


            Both the short stories "The Rocking Horse Winner- by D. Lawrence and "Araby- by James Joyce are made relevant by their use of symbols to portray what the author's point of view is on each respective subject of the short story. In "The Rocking Horse Winner- we have Lawrence's view of what mankind has become and in "Araby- we have Joyce's perspective on religion and spirituality.
             In "The Rocking Horse Winner- we have Paul, searching for his mother's love and approval which in her words is luck, "If you're lucky you have money. That's why it's better to be born lucky than rich- (Lawrence 2). The mother feels that even though they live an adequate and more than likely eloquent life she has to compete with her more affluent neighbours. "Because we're the poor members of the family, said the mother."" (Lawrence 2). These words from his mother cause Paul to be on a mission to bring luck and money to his family in order to please his mother. It is this warped definition of luck that ultimately kills Paul. He believed that when he was able to get money, this show of luck would also bring the love he wanted from his mother. However, as lucky as Paul seems to be in picking the right horses at the races, he is never lucky enough to receive the love that all children want. .
             Paul's "magic- device in getting lucky is his toy horse, another symbol of the materialistic view of the family, particularly his mother. The most obvious symbol of the rocking horse is portrayed by the back and forth movement; Paul is doing the same thing as the rocking horse, putting all the effort into pleasing his mother but not actually getting anywhere. It seems as though Paul is trapped in an unrelenting drive to achieve, and like the rocking horse he is unable to escape from that spot. Even at the end of the story when the amount of money that Paul gives his Mother is not enough.
             Lawrence also puts a strong sense of morality in to the short story.


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