Money and Happiness

 Tariq 1

Talha Bin Tariq

October 5th, 2015

Mr. Fagan

ENG4U

Money and Happiness

It seems as if the biggest motivation for adults in our society to advance is not self betterment but it is

infact to move up in the social hierarchy. To a great extent, society is shaped by class therefore it is no

surprise that selfishness and arrogance are growing concerns. Greed, the desire for more is the root of a

lot of problems. It is never ending, self-serving and causes deterioration of personal relationships. It is an

unappeasable desire for more, where more is never enough. It causes human character to decline and

makes one selfish and dishonest. This desire that one may feel is simply caused by underlying feelings of

distress, self consciousness or the constant feeling of not being good enough and accumulating more materialistic possessions helps temporarily sustain the illusion that money is what defines a person. Money is never able to fill the void that personal insecurities cause and often the only thing that can is love, affection or simply, a purpose in life. The short story "rocking horse winner" by D.H Lawrence reflects upon the cynical attitude of adults in our society. Despite being set in post World War 1 England, through Hester,the story very accurately portrays why stable and loving personal relationships are important in order to lead a fulfilling life.

The biggest cause of Hester's greed is her unstable marriage. She constantly feels as if something is missing in her life and alludes herself to believe that it is money and that accumulating more wealth will ultimately bring her happiness. She never settles down and constantly feels entitled to luxuries and riches so she can break out of her traditional role as a housewife. The family lives in an adequate house but Hester does not appreciate their domestic space because she fails to look past shallow societal

Tariq 2

values. "There was a woman who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck. She married for love, and the love turned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them. they looked at her coldly, as if they were finding fault with her. Yet what it was that she must cover up she never knew" (lawrence 1). No one is born with a passion for money and neither was Hester. Once she lost the love she felt for her husband and drifted away from him,she lost purpose and direction. Overtime her character changed drastically in terms of values and it is obvious that she was desperately trying to feel satisfied and content but was using the wrong means to do so. “The mother had a small income, and the father had a small income, but not nearly enough for the social position which they had to keep up.” (lawrence 1) The single biggest concern for Hester was keeping up appearances and being superior to her acquaintances in terms of wealth.         She lost sight of everything else life had to offer and failed to develop a healthy mother-son relationship with Paul. There was no end, there was no final “social position” they would settle for, which goes to show that money only inspires the desire for more money.