The Destructors Graham Greene

Henry Graham Greene, (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world.

Graham Greene (1904-1991) was one of the 20th century’s most versatile story tellers in English literature. This year marks the centenary of his birth, as well as the 50th anniversary of his short story ‘The Destructors.’ When I read this short story for the first time, I was rather surprised and tickled by its haunting, allegorical sweep with the decline of the post-independent Sri Lankan state in a miniaturized version.

Greene suffered from bipolar disorder, which had a profound effect on his writing and personal life. In a letter to his wife Vivien, he told her that he had "a character profoundly antagonistic to ordinary domestic life", and that "unfortunately, the disease is also one's material". William Golding described Greene as "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety."

The Destructors "The Destructors" is a 1954 short story about teenagers who destroy a house. The story is ironic—showing how destruction is allegedly a form of creation. The story is set in the mid-1950s, and is about a boys' gang named the "Wormsley Common Gang", after the place where they live. Trevor, or "T.", the protagonist, devises a plan to destroy a beautiful two hundred-year-old house that survived The Blitz.

Under T., their new leader, the gang accepts the plan and executes it when the owner of the house, Mr. Thomas (whom the gang call "Old Misery"), is away during a bank holiday weekend. Their plan is to destroy the house from inside, then tear down the remaining outer structure. Mr. Thomas returns home early, however, and the gang locks him in the outhouse and leader, T., refuses to stop until the destruction job is complete, because even the facade is valuable and could be reused. Inside, they find a mattress filled with money—but they burn it nonetheless. The final damage to the house is done when a parked lorry pulls away a support pole from the side of the house. Mr. Thomas is released from the outhouse by the aforementioned lorry's driver and after being laughed at is left with the dusty rubble of what once was his home.

In this short story, Greene profiles the activity of a street gang named the ‘Wormsley Common Gang.’ It has a leader called Blackie. Then, Greene presents another member of the gang, Trevor (abbreviated as T in the story), who presents a fresh approach to criminal looting. The target of T’s vandalism is Mr.Thomas’s dilapidated house. ‘Old Misery’ is the nickname given by the gang to Mr.Thomas.

Television adaptation "The Destructors" was adapted for television as part of the 1970s British drama series Shades of Greene. It starred Michael Byrne, Phil Daniels and Nicholas Drake.

Questions for discussion and writing (1) How does Trevor’s plan help focus the plot of the story? In what manner does Trevor resolve the complication caused by Mr. Thomas’s early return?

Questions for discussion and writing (2) How is Trevor characterized in the second paragraph of the story? How does his description of his tour of Mr. Thomas’s house add to that characterization? What qualities does he possess that inspire the gang to accept his leadership?

Questions for discussion and writing (3) The setting for this story is London, nine years after the city survived a series of bombing attacks during WWⅡ. How does this setting contribute to the development of the story? For example, what do the gang’s other activities suggest about life in postwar England?

Questions for discussion and writing (4) Because the point of view in this story is objective, we see the events from different perspectives. How do Trevor, Blackie, Mr. Thomas, and the driver see the destruction of the house?

Questions for discussion and writing (5) How does the phrase “nothing personal” contribute to an understanding of the events in the story? If it is not personal, what is the point of the destruction? How does the success of the gang’s mission comment on the success (and destruction) caused by war?