“The Destructors” By Graham Greene

Graham Greene Born October 1904 His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world Worked in WWII intelligence Suffered from bi-polar disorder Died April 1991

Physical Setting Man-made Hostile London, 9 years after WW II Bombed-out car park

Conflict Person vs. person Person vs. self Person vs. environment

Characters Protagonists=gang members appear to have opposite values of the class society they reject: work hard at destruction reject personal gain forget personal rivalries maintain justice within gang framework Antagonists=members of the upper class Opposite of all the above from the gang’s viewpoint

Theme Loss of Innocence Trevor the main protagonist moved into the neighborhood after his family suddenly lost their social status. He already lost his innocence. This is the reason for destroying the house. Blackie is slower in losing his innocence, by the end he is in full support of destroying the house.

Destruction and Creation The story suggest the possibility of creation in the face of destruction. By destroying the house the gang creates a criminal identity that will be noticed by the other gangs. When the house is destroyed, the boys create a way for Mr. Thomas to move beyond his “Old Misery” by taking away the anchor from the past.

Class Struggle This is seen in Trevor because he and his family once had money but were forced to move to Wormsley Commons for unexplained financial reasons. The other gang members are aware of this. The name is an upper class name, and this is why “T” is used for his name. This gives him status for the gang. As a statement ? Trevor burns Mr. Thomas life savings. This is the way Trevor aligns himself with the gangs.

Absurdity of Life Shows the absurdity of life and the meaningless randomness of misfortune.  In making young boys the main impetus behind all the actions of the plot, Greene reveals that oftentimes the clearest understanding of life emerges from immature and fickle minds. This is most strongly revealed in the final scene of the story; a motorist stands next to Mr. Thomas as they both gaze over his thoroughly demolished home. As the motorist laughs, the reader is left to wonder if there is any more significance to the destruction of the two homes that once stood next to Mr. Thomas

Symbolism House Top Hat symbolically identified with the old social order and its valuing of money beauty courtesy love Top Hat Identified in two references as a symbol of high society in Blackie’s thoughts in the Lorry driver’s final reaction

“Destruction after all is a form of creation.” The gang has a flipped value system. They no longer trust members of the political structure that brought the war, including their families They value friendship, loyalty, acceptance, courage, hard work, leadership . . . but not outward vestiges of power, wealth, and rank. This relates back to the Literary Analysis discussion of Postmodernism and deconstruction—the notion of flipped values and the questioning of everything traditional. These youth have had their physical world turned upside down along with their value system.