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Does the child in D. H. Lawrence's story "The Rocking-Horse Winner" seem innocent to you? Why or why not? What motivates him?

 Paul, the protagonist of this story, comes across as innocent. He is depicted as young and "childish." We know his mother is, sadly, not capable of loving her children. Paul confuses the words luck and lucre, a sign of his innocence, and also an unintentional irony, as money will be anything but lucky for him. Additionally, he displays an innocence in riding a rocking horse furiously and then demanding of it, "take me where luck is." Anyone with experience would know that wouldn't work. 


Further, when Paul begins winning races, he does it all to please his mother. He doesn't care about his own gain. When he wins the 5,000 pounds, he gives it all to her and does so anonymously. He doesn't even care if she knows it came from him. He just wants her to be happy. He is too innocent to realize that no amount of money will fill her empty space and too innocent to realize her problem is inner emptiness and not lack of money. He is so innocent that he kills himself trying to please his mother.


This doesn't mean, however, that he is an angel. The intensity with which he rides his rocking horse and pursues his goals is arguably unsettling, though perhaps not unrealistic in a boy yearning for his mother's love. 

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