A household involves the responsibility of maintaining a happy and stable family. The duty to have a secure family involves financial security, which ensures that a household has enough to eat and remains adequately fed and clothed. The level of happiness depends on the dynamics of the family itself, such as how supportive and caring a family is for each other, but often happiness is blinded by money. Financial security and happiness can be confused and overshadowed by the desire for money and consumerism. Families provide for the financial needs of their household, but neglect the emotional aspects. The dire need for money weighs heavily on families. DH Lawrence's short story explores the dynamics of money and its psychological consequences. The story of the unhappy family in DH Lawrence's short story, "The Rocking-Horse Winner," demonstrates the negative psychological effects that arise from the insatiable desire for money and mindless consumerism. for money. The family's desire for more money causes a mad obsession among them. Obsession is described as the domination of a person's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, or desire (Dictonary.com). The obsession first appears in the family when the narrator describes it: “there was never enough [money]…there was always the gnawing feeling of lack of money…” (Lawrence 36). Even though the family's basic financial needs are met, they remain unmet and continue to want more. The young main character, Paul, is consumed by an obsession with money. Paul's maddening obsession comes to a head as he swings wildly on his rocking horse in hopes of choosing... middle of paper... desire for money and mindless consumerism. As Ben Franklin once said: "Money has never made man happy, nor will it; there is nothing in its nature that can produce happiness." The more we have, the more we want. (brainyquote.com). Works Cited Barrett, Gerald R., Thomas L. Erskine, and DH Lawrence. From fiction to cinema: “The Rocking Horse Winner” by DH Lawrence. Encino, CA: Dickenson Pub., 1974. Print.Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, and Web. April 9, 2014. Kearney, Martin F. DH Lawrence's Major Short Stories: A Handbook. New York: Garland Pub., 1998. Print. Lewis, Leon. “The winner of the rocking horse.” Masterplots, fourth edition (2010): 1-3. Literary reference center. Internet. April 11, 2014. Miller, Geoffrey. Spent: gender, evolution and consumer behavior. New York: Viking, 2009. “Money Quotes” print. BrainyQuote. Xplore and Web. April 9. 2014.