In the following essay, Davies presents information about some of the possible real-life subjects for Lawrence's story "The Rocking-Horse Winner, " particularly Paul and his mother, who were patterned after friends of Lawrence's.

D. H. Lawrence's habit of making identifiable use of his friends and acquaintances in his novels and short stories has been well documented, as has his lack of concern for the possible distress such portraits might cause. Lady Ottoline Morrell and Philip Heseltine were outraged by their appearance in Women in Love as Hermione and Halliday, and although Lawrence tried to assure his friend Mark Gertler that he was not the model for the rat-like Loerke in the same novel, it is generally agreed that he was. John Middleton Murry, despite his admiration for Lawrence, was never able to forgive him for the group of short stones in which Murry is made to look ridiculous...