Graham Greene’s, “The Destructors”, is a story about the Wormsley Common Gang. The newest recruit, Trevor, suggests the destruction of Mr. Thomas’ home and historical landmark that they socialize around daily. The gang changes from stealing bus rides to thoughtfully organizing an act that does not only cause their juvenile gang’s loss of innocence, but will also take from Mr. Thomas, his true love for his home.
This passage really covers how seriously they take this plan to ruin Mr. Thomas’ home. Under T’s leadership the gang is, organized, using many methodical steps, showing maturity, and finally the ability to work in unison. In the rest of the story there is no organization; under Blackie’s leadership, the boys act like children. The leadership …show more content…
Thomas is introduced, Greene writes, “ He lived alone in the crippled house, doing for himself; once a week you could see him coming back across the common with bread and vegetables”(130). The audience can see that Mr. Thomas must cherish his home, he could have moved once it was damaged by the blitz, but he decides to stay. Greene writes, the boys “heav[e] up the parquet blocks, exposing soft wood floorboards” (133) and “clipping the wire”(133). The boys are slowly ruining everything that Mr. Thomas has, dissecting everything he lived for one blow and cut at a time. Without this home he had nothing left, except for the “tomb” (133) he was already in. To add to misery of the whole situation, Greene writes, “there’s nothing personal, but you have to admit it’s kind of funny.”(139). As if is not bad enough that Mr. Thomas has just lost everything, Greene choses to end the story saying that it is funny that his life has just been destroyed. The gang does not only wreck the house, they destroy everything in the house, all of Mr. Thomas’ possession. Being locked in the loo watching everything he loves be pulled to the ground is equivalent to the death of Mr. Thomas. As Greene writes in the denouement of the story “One moment the house had stood there with such dignity…like a man in a top hat, and then bang, crash, there wasn’t anything left”(139) Greene personifies the house by using “ stood there with such dignity”(139) and in the passage using “The house slept.”(133). Greene uses the house as a metaphor for Mr. Thomas, demonstrating that once the house losses its dignity so does Mr. Thomas, ultimately leaving him with
This passage really covers how seriously they take this plan to ruin Mr. Thomas’ home. Under T’s leadership the gang is, organized, using many methodical steps, showing maturity, and finally the ability to work in unison. In the rest of the story there is no organization; under Blackie’s leadership, the boys act like children. The leadership …show more content…
Thomas is introduced, Greene writes, “ He lived alone in the crippled house, doing for himself; once a week you could see him coming back across the common with bread and vegetables”(130). The audience can see that Mr. Thomas must cherish his home, he could have moved once it was damaged by the blitz, but he decides to stay. Greene writes, the boys “heav[e] up the parquet blocks, exposing soft wood floorboards” (133) and “clipping the wire”(133). The boys are slowly ruining everything that Mr. Thomas has, dissecting everything he lived for one blow and cut at a time. Without this home he had nothing left, except for the “tomb” (133) he was already in. To add to misery of the whole situation, Greene writes, “there’s nothing personal, but you have to admit it’s kind of funny.”(139). As if is not bad enough that Mr. Thomas has just lost everything, Greene choses to end the story saying that it is funny that his life has just been destroyed. The gang does not only wreck the house, they destroy everything in the house, all of Mr. Thomas’ possession. Being locked in the loo watching everything he loves be pulled to the ground is equivalent to the death of Mr. Thomas. As Greene writes in the denouement of the story “One moment the house had stood there with such dignity…like a man in a top hat, and then bang, crash, there wasn’t anything left”(139) Greene personifies the house by using “ stood there with such dignity”(139) and in the passage using “The house slept.”(133). Greene uses the house as a metaphor for Mr. Thomas, demonstrating that once the house losses its dignity so does Mr. Thomas, ultimately leaving him with