Destruction In Richard Greene's 'The Destructors'

Both Graham Greene and D. H. Lawrence set their stories in London, England, after major world wars, “The Destructors” taking place after World War II and “The Rocking Horse Winner” after World War I. Greene’s story “The Destructors” occurs in London nine years after World War II where the Wormley Common Gang meet up in a car lot next to where the last bomb of the first blitz landed. Graham Greene writes that, “[o]n one side of the car-park leant the first occupied house, No. 3, of the shattered Northwood Terrace – literally leant, for it had suffered from the blast of the bomb and the side walls were supported on wooden struts” (105-6). Even nine years after the war there is still physical damage found in London; the blemish left on the earth’s surface caused by the bomb’s blast could be fixed but what occupied that space before will never be.

Is cheating in sports unethical? Well, according to the Greek God Zeus, it certainly is. In Peter F. Martin’s essay Destroyed, he asserts that cheating is immoral and calls for a shift in focus to the grave danger steroids pose to athletes as opposed to their corruption of sports. Martin is able to coherently convey his purpose through adept uses of logos, ethos, and pathos that work seamlessly to promote acceptance of his argument.

“The Destructors” is a short fiction story by Graham Greene. The setting of the story is in London 9 years after the conclusion of World War II. The short story has to do with a group of teenage boys who call themselves the Wormsley Common gang, named after the area they live in. As a result of World War II, the area that the teenagers live in has been destroyed and many properties lay in ruins with the exception of one house. This is the house of Mr. Thomas who is known as “Old Misery”. The Wormsley Common gang has planned to destroy the house of Old Misery because they wanted to gain fame and reputation in the area for being a tough gang. Another reason why they destroyed the house is because it reminded them of higher society, something that was out of reach for the teenagers. Throughout the short story, the theme that is being conveyed by Greene is the loss of innocence.

This article “The Loss of Creation” main idea is that we are not able to see things as they are. The article explains that we are not able to see things as it is because before we see that thing or place we already have an expectation for it. We hear it or see it on social media or through our friends. Percy uses an example that help us understand that idea. He uses an example to help us see how we lose that ability to see things the way we are supposed to be, unexpected. In the reading he encourages the readers to experience the real experience. The real experience would be when people don't look at the brochures and ignore everything they have ever heard about that place before you begin the journey. The Grand Canyon was his example. He suggested

Henry Graham Greene wrote many stories that express epiphany that brings one to realize a powerful truth. Greene continues this theme into his short story "The Destructors" as he expresses his view of the instability of post-World War II in England. The boys in the story have lost their innocence having forced to give up their childhood to the bombings and destruction of war. The boys reflect the trauma England experienced in the war and the drastic changes made after the war. Forced to give up their childhood and innocence, the boys turn to causing mischief in town, along with destroying a specific house. This house in "The Destructors," symbolizes England after World War II.

The theme of “The Destructors” is the difference between classes in post-World War II London. The characters in “The Destructors” are twelve gang members who destroy a beautiful old house. The house represents the upper class society that was still present in this setting. One

I brought in a hammer because it is used to destroy and create. It relates to this short story because in “The Destructors”, by Graham Greene, the characters have grown up in the streets of the inner city, in London, after the World War Two. The gang members grew up during the changing of the social order. This is also the time period where social, economics and class systems all depend on your ranks of others. If you didn't have very much you were seen as destructive and lesser. The gang members saw themselves as creative; in their destruction they were creating something new and different, something that nobody else would appreciate except themselves.

Thomas, as his home is one of the only houses in the neighborhood that survived the late WWII bombings. It is almost as if the young boys are acting out of jealousy more than simply showing Mr. Thomas that they do not take bribes. T knows that Mr. Thomas’s house is sentimental to him but his young mind does not understand the value of the two hundred year old construction of the home. ‘”It’s got a staircase two hundred years old like a corkscrew. Nothing holds it up.”’ (107). Piece by piece, the twelve gang members completely stripped the inside of Mr. Thomas’s historical home. Then news comes of Mr. Thomas’s unexpected early arrival. “Old Misery came limping off the common. He had mud on his shoes and he stopped to scrape them on the pavement’s edge. He didn’t want to soil his house, which stood jagged and dark between the bombsites, saved so narrowly, as he believed, from destruction.” (114). The gang was not finished with their task at hand, so they trapped Mr. Thomas in his own outhouse for the

The period between the fifteenth and sixteenth century was an era of European expansion on the Western World. Europeans have made many discoveries during their travels and also influenced every civilizations they had come across. This period of expansion, however, can be seen more as an age of destruction rather than an age of discovery. The Europeans have left a trail of negative effects on every route they took – the Americas, Africa, and including their own continent, Europe.

When T. shows Blackie the hidden money that Mike did not see, the two boys decide to burn it (Greene 9). As the banknotes burn around them, the gray ash falls onto their heads, making them appear older than they actually are (9). This scene is one example that contributes to the theme of the story. For example, fire is a method of destruction. The ash after a fire burns is the aftermath of that destruction. The ash shows how everything around the boys will be affected in one way or another by what they have done, and because they were showered in ash as well, they will be affected somehow. As the story progresses, the theme begins to shine even brighter through the words. In the story, it is mentioned multiple times that the sounds of destruction that are made by the boys as the tear down Mr. Thomas’ home resemble the sound of something being created. For example, while Mr. Thomas’ is in the lavatory, he thinks to himself, “[...] why should burglars engage in what sounded more and more like a stealthy form of carpentry?” and it is said as the boys begin to tear the house down that “destruction after all is a form of creation” (14; 8). However, the end of the story provides no closure for what happens to the boys following the destruction of Mr. Thomas’ house. The reader’s imagination is left on its own as the story ends with the driver laughing at the sight of the demolished house. The act of the destruction itself clears a path for new beginnings to walk

In “The Destructors,” Trevor, known as T. to his gang mates, destroys his sense of empathy upon discovering a bitter class divide between the haves and the have-nots due to poverty caused by the war namely, a bombing in London. Trevor, now a part of the have-nots, plans to destroy the last house standing in their neighborhood which happened to belong to an old man whom the gang referred to as Old Misery. T. sees no value in anything as he was once part of the upper class but his family was struck with poverty as a result of the war and they lost their high social status. A glimpse of Trevor’s morale is shown when he says “'All this hate and love,' he said, 'its' soft, it's hooey. There's only things, Blackie,' and he looked round the room crowded

“The Destructors,” is a story about a group of guys that call their group the “Wormsley Common Gang.” Their gang is made up of T(Trevor), he was involved with the gang all summer, then decided to own up on his leadership skills and became the leader. Blackie was the leader of the gang before Trevor. Mike, is sort of the “surprised one,” he was stunned when Trevor joined their gang. Joe is the next on the list, he always agrees first when it comes to a destructive plan. Next, is Summer, he is called by his last name. He is known to be a “follower.” He makes a fuss saying that the destruction of stuff feels like a job, but the gang always persuades him to stay and finish the job. Their gang usually meets on a day-to-day basis at a parking lot

Destructive cycles are often hard to deal with and difficult for all involved in the conflict. The book states that “it is often difficult to determine when conflict interaction has turned in a destructive direction (Folger et al. 2013, p. 21).”I completely agree with what the authors are stating here. In addition to that statement, one on down the page caught my attention immediately in relation to the specific conflict I am going to discuss and the organization that it involves. “Conflicts can also be difficult to understand due to conscious efforts by some parties to keep the conflict “hidden” – out of the more public forums in a group or organization (Folger et al. 2013, p. 21).” Conflicts and destructive cycles can be embarrassing to

In a world of good and evil, a hero arises named The Shadow. After an experimental mishap, Dr.Matel released some dangerous chemicals into a neighbor's water pipes. Resulting in the creation of The Shadow. With extreme speed and ultimate fighting skills, The Shadow is just what the city needs to escape the monster named Destructor.

independence from others. With this independence they are able to discover not only their identity, but also their role in society. The works Heptameron, Measure for Measure, and, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies not only highlight this notion, but also demonstrate the advancements in which one achieves when one goes against the grain. In which involves one finding their sense of identity. In the work Heptameron, a group of characters tell short narratives depicting social and moral values and practices of men and women in the sixteenth century. In one