When we think about characters, we often use E. M.
Forster's distinction between "round" and "flat" characters. Flat characters are
characters that have one or two characteristics alone and are never fully developed or
shown to be more than two dimensional paper dolls. They do not grow, mature or develop
during the story. Round characters, on the other hand, are characters that are fully
painted - we know their motives, what they think, and in addition, they are normally
characters that learn and develop throughout the course of the
tale.
In "The Rocking-Horse Winner", then, it is clear that
out of the three main characters, Paul, the mother and Uncle Oscar, Paul is clearly a
round character. We are given some indication of his psychological complexity in his
dealings with his mother. It is clear that he is aware of the subtext of what is
happening in his house and embarks on a quest for "luck" to gain his mother's
affections:
Absorbed, taking no heed of other people, he
went about with a sort of stealth, seeking inwardly for luck. He wanted luck, he wanted
it, he wanted it.
The lengths
to which he is prepared to go shows that he is a round
character.
On the other hand, it appears that both the
mother and Uncle Oscar are flat characters, in that they do not change and they have but
one or two defining characteristics. The mother seems to be defined by her greed and
also her inability to love her children:
She had bonny children, yet she felt they had
been thrust upon her, and she could not love
them.
This is something that
continues throughout the story and could be said to lead to Paul's death as he is driven
to ever greater lengths to win her affection. Uncle Oscar likewise appears as an
avuncular figure, acting as the go between for Paul and supporting
him.
Therefore, Paul is the round character in this story,
and the others are flat characters because they do not show any form of development and
are not necessarily made into three-dimensional characters.
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