The Oedipus Complex, which, as defined by Freud, is the inner conflict of a boy’s conscious and unconscious sexual attraction towards his mother, and his jealousy towards his father. This Complex is, as Freud suggests, a phase that every boy passes through. The failure to do so will ultimately result in his eventual downfall. Such is the case with Paul, the protagonist of D.H. Lawrence’s short story “The rocking horse Winner”, who in an effort to appease his mother’s want for money, rocks himself to death on a rocking horse.
Though some may dispute Paul’s Oedipus Complex, it is confirmed by many a scholar, that he does indeed have one, and when critically reading “The Rocking Horse Winner”, it is easy to see why. Paul’s father is unable to satisfy his wife with his income as he can never satisfy her ever-growing thirst for money; as such, Paul feels the need to step in in order to gain money and satisfy her (Lawrence 236).
As a key characteristic of the Oedipus Complex is to replace the father, the fact that Paul desires to satisfy his mother the way his father cannot supports this point all too well. Furthermore, Paul constantly seeks his mother’s approval and confirmation of his luck. He often tells her that he is “a lucky person”, however, his mother simply brushes it off, neither disagreeing nor agreeing with him, which deeply aggravates him (Lawrence 238).
Comparative Essay Comparing My Mother And My Father
Where do they get this stuff Some people say that you are a sum of all of your influences. For the most part, I agree with these people. I have had many influential people in my life. I believe my friends, people I have worked with, schoolmates and even television has helped mold me into who I am today, but I think the two most influential people in my life were my parents. My mother and my father ...
His need of confirmation is a result of making up for what his father lacks. Finally, in what is the most obvious confirmation of the Oedipus Complex is Paul’s action of riding his horse. “Scholars have noted that the descriptions of Paul riding his rocking-horse have an erotic quality” which is often construed as masturbation (quoty quteot equte).
As he “rides the horse”, he is trying to please his mother by showing that he has what his father lacks: luck. This sexual reference only contributes to his unconscious sexual attraction towards his mother, reinforcing, once again, his Oedipus Complex.
Though Paul has an Oedipus Complex, overcoming it is the most important part for it is what is needed in order to develop into a successful adult. When the Complex is resolved, the Super Ego is formed, and the boy identifies more with his father (cite the one with the red dot).
However, Paul never gets to overcome his Complex, and that is what ends up being his ultimate downfall. The leading cause of his demise can be attributed to his Complex. Paul rocked his life away on his horse, sacrificing a bit of his life every time in order to assure that there was always money. However, though this is how he dies, it is not the reason why he dies. As stated before, Paul incessantly finds the need to satisfy his mother and gain her approval, which is attributed to his Oedipus Complex. Since he could not overcome this Complex and his attraction towards his mother, Paul always wanted to ride his horse to prove that he was lucky and to appease his mother, which ultimately caused his death. Additionally, due to his inability to resolve his conflict, Paul never develops his Super Ego, and since he cannot develop this, his Ego is also not able to fully develop. As a result, Paul cannot keep his Id under control with his non-existent Super Ego, nor can he reason with it with his underdeveloped Ego. He submits to his Id, his unconscious desire to appease his mother and in turn rocks himself to death as he is not able to use his Ego to achieve cognitive process that will allow him to reason his way through this, nor is he able to use his Super Ego to submit to the general rule of society that the father is the earner of money, and that children of their social standing should not be “working”.
The Essay on Rocking Horse Money Mother Luck
Controversy between Money and Loves shown in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" The Rocking-Horse Winner is couched in the symbols of the ancient myths. The mother is poor, unsatisfied fairy princess who yearns for happiness; Paul is the gallant knight on horse-back who rides to her rescue (Junkins 261). The mythical aspect of the story is evident in the style and symbols. In the opening lines, the first ...
Though, perhaps Paul’s main driving force is not in fact his Id, nor is it his Oedipus Complex, but in fact his “castration anxiety”, otherwise known as the phallic state, which is where both of the aforementioned characteristics occur. In this case, Paul undergoes castration anxiety in the form that he fears that his man hood will be taken away, should he not be able to be lucky, much like his father. He fears that should he lack luck, he will be degraded and become, metaphorically speaking, castrated; losing all of his manhood and becoming, in essence, like his father. So with this fear, Paul tries to combat it by constantly trying to prove that he is lucky. Sadly, however, the use of his rocking horse to do so eventually causes his self-destruction, and utter downfall.
the inability to progress and develop ego away from oedipusal complex inhibits superego in a way that restricts your priorites and values
also, failure to break such a complex threatens to render your ego impotent
resulting in crazy ass fiasco shit
“Introduction” Short Story Criticism Ed. Drew Kalasky. Vol. 19. Gale Cengage 1995 eNotes.com 17 Sep, 2013.
