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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Metaphors
Explanation and Analysis:
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" contains an interesting extended metaphor comparing materialism to religion and money itself to a kind of deity. This extended metaphor is foundational to the characters' anxieties surrounding money and material possessions. The house's whispers, analogous both to social pressure and greedy human instinct, are akin to the voice of God: Paul, in particular, does the house's bidding without question, as an acolyte might follow the word of his or her god.
When asked by Paul why some people are lucky and others unlucky, Hester replies:
"I don't know. Nobody ever knows why one person is lucky and another unlucky . . . Perhaps God! But he never tells."
Hester clearly regards the mysterious force of luck as some kind of supernatural extension of God, influencing the fate of all human beings in a way that can be neither explained nor understood. This same kind of blind, unquestioning faith eventually leads Paul to ruin, as he takes his (supposedly) God-given gift of luckiness to an extreme. He devotes himself to feverishly riding the rocking-horse so that he can continue to correctly foresee the outcome of the horse races, and everyone who knows about his skill looks upon him with a kind of frightened reverence, much like one might view a powerful messiah. For instance, Basset—the family's gardener—specifically compares Paul's gift to a form of divine knowledge, saying:
"It's Master Paul, Sir!" said Basset in a secret, religious voice. "It's as if he had it from heaven. [...]"
In this comparison, Paul is akin to a prophet or seer with profound religious insight. The only difference, of course, is that Paul's only insight has to do with gambling and making money. In this way, the story implicitly compares society's cultish obsession with wealth to the sort of devotion normally associated with religion.
Related Themes:
