D. H. Lawrence takes on a satirical tone in "The Rocking-Horse Winner," addressing the evils of greed, pretension, and materialism during the post-WWI era. In particular, the characters' attitudes towards material wealth and gambling mirror—and accentuate—the attitudes surrounding consumerism in the 1920s.
Exiting a dark period of death, destruction, war, and disease, people were eager to celebrate by acquiring and spending money. In "The Rocking-Horse Winner," both Hester and Paul are enamored with wealth so much that it becomes something of a religious fixation. Material objects (the house and the toys) and other privileges (Paul's tutor and fancy education at a prestigious boarding school) take precedence over familial intimacy or meaningful conversation. Ultimately, Paul sacrifices himself needlessly for this complete devotion to earning money. And this, in turn, invites readers to ask themselves if money is truly worth the value society has given it. Is it worth it to sacrifice one's well-being for wealth?
In many ways, the trajectory of "The Rocking-Horse Winner" mirrors the trajectory of the Roaring Twenties into the Great Depression. Though Lawrence wrote "The Rocking-Horse Winner" before the Great Depression began in 1929, his satirical tone in this story makes clear to the reader that this cultural obsession with money ultimately comes to no good.
