Comparison and Contrast of The Destructors and The Rocking Horse Winner

The author uses tone and images throughout to compare and contrast the concepts of “black wealth” and a “hard life”. The author combines the use of images with blunt word combinations to make her point; for example, “you always remember things like living in Woodlawn with no inside toilet”. This image evokes the warmth of remembering a special community with the negative, have to use outdoor facilities. Another example of this combination of tone and imagery is “how good the water felt when you got your bath from one of those big tubs that folk in Chicago barbecue in”. Again the author’s positive memory is of feeling fresh after her bath combined with a negative, the fact that it was a barbecue drum.

D.H. Lawrence’s writings often mirror elements of his own life, though they contain decidedly fictitious components. The characters in Lawrence’s The Rocking- Horse Winner closely resemble his own family. Like Paul, Lawrence was seeking a way out of the misfortune of pre-war London living. Unlike Lawrence, Paul is already well-to-do. Paul’s search consists of a yearning for affection and acceptance. In The Rocking-Horse Winner a young boy finds a certain calling within himself that serves to vastly improve the standing of his entire family. However, Paul’s supernatural ability to choose the winners of horse races is but a cursory assessment of the story’s secrets. Digging deeper, the reader becomes aware of a darker meaning to Paul’s

Graham Greene’s “The Destructor’s”, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Rocking Horse Winner” (Both stories reprinted in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 9th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth] 111-124, 285-298) are two short stories set in post-war England. Despite the similarities of both stories set in post-war eras of Great Britain, the mood and physical settings are vastly different. In fact, the stories each give differing amounts of details and clues about the setting. For instance, “The Destructors” setting is easily discernable, but in contrast, “The Rocking Horse Winner” gives only vague clues regarding the time and setting. Regardless of the differences in the amount of details given, the

Tom Walker sat at his bedside feeling rather melancholy for he had not much to do but be chided at by his notorious witch of a wife. They both lived in their humble abode of an apartment in the middle of a city but they had a sublime view that overlooked the scenery of the domicile's dumpsters. They lived poorly, just barely getting by to afford a couple gallons of gas. Tom grew a hatred for almost everyone around and had only a handful of “friends”, he believed that money was the most valuable and important thing in his life.

The author depicts a common demon the human race faces that is greed and society's need for more possessions and money. This is projected throughout the story showing that Paul's family enjoyed living in style yet always lived beyond their means. There is never enough money, causing a great deal of anxiety in the house (Lawrence 221). The family believes that they are

The short stories “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson are both very alike yet very different. Throughout the short stories “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Lottery”, Connell and Jackson use a tone of casualness to develop the theme of senseless killings in an established society.

Life in the Iron Mills is a tragic yet poignant story of the effects of a man’s socioeconomic status. Although set in the nineteenth century, the story is all too familiar. The short story begins with a reflective narrator begging the audience to read the story with an open mind not tainted by the ideals of high society (Davis). The narrator suggests the story be read from the perspective of the protagonist, Hugh Wolfe, a lowly puddler at the iron mill (Davis). Hugh works long, hard hours at the mill for little to no pay in attempts to provide not only for himself but also for his cousin, Deborah, and a young girl, Janey (Davis). In Hugh’s spare time at the mill, he carves sculptures out of korl (Davis). Hugh leads a typical life of a working class citizen.

This displays the dismissal of overwhelming issues that are masked by wealth. Furthermore, the livelihood of the rich is displayed through their belongings identifying their wealth, but captures the misfortune that comes with it: “Throwing open the french windows of the drawing-room, we sat smoking out into the darkness” (Fitzgerald 165). Assets such as “french windows” (Fitzgerald 165) originating in 16th to 17th century France represents the wealth of the rich, but the “throwing open” (Fitzgerald 165) of them displays the impulsive need to escape the falsehood and burden money plays in their daily lives affecting the emotions and actions of the characters. Ergo, the only way of addressing the issue is through “smoking” in the “darkness” to portray the pain felt through color and action as a way of using it to distract from the agony instigated by money. Therefore, the encumbrance of wealth on the filthy rich mind results in the misguided view of their lives, ultimately being captured through the incorporation of windows.

Throughout the reading of Rocking Horse Winner a boy named Paul endures many hardships. He is told from his mother that they are unlucky and he begins to think that he needs to do something to help out his mother. “...belongs to the group of stories D. H. Lawrence wrote in the last years of his life.” (Piedmont-Marton) Lawrence was one of the few writers that wrote stories about his life. We are told many messages from this reading, we are told of detachment, unprovoked attacks, and the folklore of the story.

All pieces of literature contain tenants which are supported throughout the stories. These tenants, or themes, can be supported any many different ways depending on the literary techniques used by the author. The literary techniques used by many authors in twentieth century British literature were used to develop the commonly used theme of inherent selfishness. Inherent selfishness simply means that there is a deep-rooted greed and is common in the twentieth century British writing due to the high rates of colonization that was taking place throughout the world during this time period. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, “Shooting an Elephant”, by George Orwell, and “The Destructors”, by Graham Greene, all contain the tenant of inherent

In “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H Lawrence, the reader discovers a dark tone in the opening by describing the mothers’ loveless relationship with her children and her obsession with money. Yet the ultimate moment of darkness comes from her son Paul, in his final moments of life. The reader sees the image presented by the author by his use of imagery and powerful language. In the selected passage from Lawrence’s story, a dark image is formed by his use of language, dialogue as well as word choice, which add to the overall tone of the story as well as the negative effects of obsession. The passage shows Paul’s mental state in is final moments before his obsession for a better life ends his own.

Stories have attained people’s attention by being classified as a comedy, romance, suspense, etc., but what hustles readers to the end is the reason why they picked a story that is more commercial fiction or literary fiction. Commercial fiction drives readers away from the real world, while literary fiction deepens the reader’s awareness of life. “The Destructors” by Graham Greene is a short story that stresses the tension between social classes following the aftermath of World War II. This realistic fiction grasps historical context to reveal the purpose of the destruction of a house. The Wormsley Common Gang’s new recruit, Trevor “T.” proposes to destroy Old Misery’s house during the time Old Misery is out for Bank Holiday. As soon as the gang agrees with T.’s proposal, the action takes place, but before it is completely destroyed Old Misery comes back. Old Misery’s unexpected arrival leads to some slight changes. At the end a truck driver destroys the house by driving his truck from the car lot. “The Destructors” is a piece of literary fiction because it utilizes a complex character, develops suspense with the character’s actions, and conveys a serious theme through the use of symbolism.

The author used this description as a picture of different stages of greediness seen in gamblers and results of many wins and loses. This was depressing to Faulkner as his need for excitement and the power to win out weighed the feeling of remorse for the losers. He set on a path of greed the more he won he could not stop playing, despite warnings from onlookers. “But one man present preserved his self-possession, and that man was my friend. He Came to my side, and whispering in English, begged me to leave the place, satisfied with what I had already gained”(Collins).

In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the missionaries show a lack of concern towards native religion and culture, whereas the colonizers in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Orwell’s “Shooting An Elephant” are lethargic towards the locals’ prosperity. In addition to portraying colonizer apathy, these works also display the adverse effects of such, whether it be the belittlement of foreign religion, the segregation of the useless, or the ignorance towards locals’ wishes. While growing an empire may seem like an interesting prospect, the untoward consequences of doing so suggest otherwise and result in nothing more but a suffering

What this article aims at discussing is consequence that the theft of the colonizers had physically and spiritually on post-colonial authors and literature. The most obvious effect is exile and loss of land, although other end results such as the destruction of cultural psyche, loss of language, the issue of nationalism, hybridism and suppression to name a few. I will, however, touch upon exile and loss of land, according to several poets from different areas of the world, as these are the most lingering issues that we see in the political status quo. How were exile and the loss of land projected into the consciousness of post-colonial authors and poets, some of who experienced one or both of these disparities?