Characterization of Hester

Characterization of Hester In D.H. Lawrence’s offsetting story The Rocking Horse Winner, there are a number of intriguing characters presented to us. None, however, are quite as thought provoking or as clearly defined as Paul’s morally culpable, denatured mother, Hester. In a story full of viscous, confusing characters, Hester is directly and indirectly characterized as being a loveless, spiteful, greedy woman, who abides to the philosophy that luck coincides with prosperity. The first indicator of Hester’s personality is found by examining her relationship with her offspring, for although she has mothered and raised multiple children it is also shown that the relationship between mother and child is anything but maternal. Her neighbours and friends praise her, for they think that “she is such a good mother. She adores her children,” (Lawrence, 307) but that she herself and her children knew that was far from the truth, because “they read it in each other’s eyes,” (307). Hester’s character can further be analyzed as you observe her relationship concerning her dependence on luck, for “it’s what causes you to have money,” (308). She is living in the constant dissatisfaction of having insufficient funds to continue on her frivolous lifestyle, despite her inability to maturely address their current financial situation. Instead, she quickly draws parallels between their financial crisis and her husband simply being “very unlucky,” (308) rather than continuing to work towards a more stable situation. On top of treating the family’s financial dilemma maturely, the greed in her that seems to be one of the key causes to their strife is outlined indirectly through the course of events that take place after she learns about the five-thousand pound grant that she will have trickled down to her over the next five years. After learning of this, she immediately goes into town to talk to their lawyer, “asking if the whole five thousand could be advanced at once,” (315). Despite