The Irony of the Maternal Love - “The Rocking-Horse Winner”
D.H Lawrence states, “she had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them…when her children were present, she always felt the centre of her heart go hard.” The woman is deficient of the maternal bond that connects mothers to their children .The children’s appeal and robustness are not satisfactory to activate the core motherly love.
“She is such a good mother. She adores her children” - “The Rocking-Horse Winner”
People’s inferences regarding the woman’s affection for her kids are ironic. The interpretations are superficial; thus, they do not mirror the underlying standpoints. The woman tactically performs her adoration for the children which makes people consider that she is an idyllic mother.
The Irony of the Whispering - “The Rocking-Horse Winner”
After bidding Paul’s mother five thousand pounds, whispering in the house builds up. D.H Lawrence explicates, “Paul’s mother touched the whole five thousand. Then something curious happened. The voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring evening…there must be more money!-more than ever!” The muttering is ironic as Paul had projected that the five thousand would weaken the sounds in the home. The money would have momentarily liberated them from the murmuring. The enraging sounds hint at the insatiableness of money.
“ A Public House in always warm Enough” - “The Odour of Chrysanthemums”
Elizabeth Bates keeps her house temperate, but her spouse fancies being in a public house because he finds it tepid than his house. The husband’s preference implies that he does not devote time for his household.
“I Won’t Wash him” - “The Odour of Chrysanthemums”
“Twenty minutes to six” Elizabeth proclaims that she will not shower her drunk spouse once he is conveyed home. However, when her husband’s inert body is brought home, she cleanses it with the assistance of her mother. D.H explicates, “Then the old mother rose stiffly, and watched Elizabeth as she carefully washed his face, carefully brushing the big blond mustache from his mouth with the flannel.” She cannot entrust her mother with cleansing her husband’s body because after all it is the last opportunity that she has to clean him. Even if Elizabeth were to decline the duty, her husband would not recognize it; hence, it would not upset him.
