Tracy S. answered • 05/28/21
English/ESL Teacher with 21 Years of Experience
Paul's eyes are referred to in several different places as "blue fire." They can be symbolic of his burning desire for his mother's love.
The most obvious symbol in the story is the rocking horse itself. Paul says that he rides it to, "Get there." When he is asked to explain where "there" is, he either avoids the question or says that it takes him where luck is. It is the vehicle that leads him to what he believes to be luck, as he begins to win money from the races to buy his mother's affections. However, he is never able to. His efforts only make his mother spend even more money in the worst ways, causing her to be unhappier than before and to send Paul off to boarding school so that she can "keep up with the Joneses."
Additionally, not only does Paul never "get there," the rocking horse causes his ultimate demise, as he rides it with such ferocity that he eventually dies from his efforts because his little body just cannot keep up.
Summing up the ideas of symbolism regarding the rocking horse, it can be multi-faceted. For example, it can symbolize Paul's ideal of luck and need for his mother's love, and it can also symbolize his death and undoing because he puts the need to "get there" on the horse above his own well-being.
Also symbolic in the story is the whispering house. It is symbolic of the family's lifestyle that is full of excess and discord. The more money Paul gives his greedy mother, the louder the whispers become, eventually turning into a scream whose fury basically Harolds in Paul's death.
I hope that you found this both informative and helpful. Please reach out if you need further assistance.
