“The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence and “Teddy” by J.D. Salinger are short stories focusing on people who want to have a materialistic lifestyle. By using setting, symbols, and characterization, the authors reveal how destructive materialism can be towards people. The first characteristic of these two stories is setting. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, the story takes place in a family home. Rather than being a living space where the family can hide from the world, the house is full of material values of society. This is seen when the walls would occasionally whisper, “There must be more money, there must be more money” (Lawrence 1). Even the kids hear the walls whispering this, illustrating how the kids are forced to live a materialistic
