The Death Of Violence In Graham Greene's The Destructors

To be engaged in war is to be engaged in an armed conflict. Death is an all too ordinary product of war. It is an unsolicited reward for many soldiers that are fighting for their country’s own fictitious freedom. For some of these men, the battlefield is a glimpse into hell, and for others, it is a means to heaven. Many people worry about what happens during war and what will become of their loved ones while they’re fighting, but few realize what happens to those soldiers once they come home. The short stories "Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway and "Speaking of Courage” by Tim O'Brien explore the thematic after effects of war and how it impacts a young person's life. Young people who

Where innumerous catastrophic events are simultaneously occurring and altering the mental capability of its viewers eternally, war is senseless killing. The participants of war that are ‘fortunate’ enough to survive become emotionally distraught civilians. Regardless of the age of the people entering war, unless one obtains the mental capacity to witness numerous deaths and stay unaffected, he or she is not equipped to enter war. Kurt Vonnegut portrays the horrors of war in Slaughterhouse Five, through the utilization of satire, symbolism, and imagery.

The short story,” the destructors” was written by Graham Green. The short story was about a group of kids that were in a gang, wanting to destroy an old house. When the owner of the house left on a trip to go to bank holiday they planned it all out. The former leader, blackie, wanted to just see how many free rides they could get on a bus but another kid in the gang had a different idea. Trever, known as T., wanted to destroy the neighbor’s house, Mr. Thomas. When he left for his trip they began to take his house apart piece after piece. After a day and a half of working they heard they Mr. Thomas was coming home early, so when blackie heard this he wanted to get it done as fast as he could and finish the job. To get the job done, they stuck

In Greene’s “Destructors”, Trevor, also known as T, is part of a gang known as the Wormsley Common. They all take a particular interest in Mr. Thomas. He is an old man who owns a very charming house compared to the others surrounding it and that seems to trigger the gang. His home is built by a famous British architect and it appears to be his prized possession. Thomas has everything Trevor loses because of the bombings of WWII. Thomas’s home is still standing, while Trevor lost his home and consequently began committing acts of destruction to himself and subsequently to others. Trevor, accompanied by the rest of the gang, starts with small

The topic of war is hard to imagine from the perspective of one who hasn't experienced it. Literature makes it accessible for the reader to explore the themes of war. Owen and Remarque both dipcik what war was like for one who has never gone through it. Men in both All Quiet on the Western Front and “Dulce Et Decorum” experience betrayal of youth, horrors of war and feelings of camaraderie.

In the short story "The Destructors" we are introduced to a group of young men that seem to be surrounded by destruction. The setting of this story takes place after the World War. It depicts an atmosphere of dilapidated buildings destroyed by bombs. As the story unfolds one can see that the boy’s surroundings have caused them, to have a pretty negative outlook.

Many compelling authors and writers use literary devices to draw readers into their stories. The use of literary devices is to express the meaning of a story in a deeper way than just stating the theme. Stories with descriptive writing that includes literary components keeps readers engrossed and keep them wanting to read more. A few examples of literary elements are symbolism, irony, imagery, and foreshadowing. One such story that includes many uses of elements such as these is “The Destructors”, by Graham Greene. Strong Imagery is used in many instances throughout the text of “The Destructors” to draw the readers into the story, imply deeper meanings, and provide a description of different parts of the text.

The rise of World War I caused millions of casualties and was yet another demonstration of how supposedly civilized nations could be led into a chaotic war of power over lands and people. Since the beginning of civilization, war has been the way of the world. However, with major advances in technology, this idea of war has since become mechanized and deadlier. There is no doubt that the powerful men who lead wars often don’t care to think of nitty gritty of war, to them, rather, it’s a matter of power and legacy. In Remarque’s novel, the particular story of Paul and his comrades is a perfect example of how a generation can be used and manipulated to drive the agenda of power- hungry men. Through Remarque’s own personal experience and unparalleled writing ability, this novel presents many first-hand experiences into the living conditions of soldiers and peoples.

The author writes of many different human beings, showing that each one thinks war is ultimately, the worst thing. While in the war, Billy is in the hospital during his imprisonment by the Germans. There is an old general there who was a teacher before joining in the war efforts. One day, in a conversation with Billy and another older man in the hospital, the general starts to talk about what he thinks of the war. He says, "You know-- we’ve had to imagine the war here, and we have imagined that it was being fought by aging men like ourselves. We had forgotten that wars were fought by babies. When I saw those freshly shaved faces, it was a shock. "‘My God, my God----’ I said to myself, ‘It’s the Children’s Crusade’" (p. 106). This general feels that war is nothing but babies being murdered by one another. He is disturbed by the thought of war and the fact that so many young people are dying for its cause.

not a memoir--but an angry postwar statement about the effects of the war on the young

was not the truth. This book showed the harsh reality of war that most people

World War II is an important key point in history that addresses to young adolescents. The novel, T4 is based on a true story, in which the author, Ann Clare LeZotte is portraying a novel that is based on the theme of survival. It appears to be that the author’s argument in writing this novel is to simply maintain awareness of the past. Generally speaking, a story about survival is a difficult genre for young readers, “The majority of war stories for children are about World War II and the Holocaust.” (Huck 482) The reason war stories are mainly about World War II and the Holocaust is because it was the most recent, largest, and horrifying war during the twentieth century in Europe. Our textbook also states that these historical novels help children experience the past. Meaning, that it is important for a child to learn about the past including all the wars, conflicts, sufferings, and great happiness that had occurred so they can apply that to the present and to the future.

The story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is an enormously detailed fictional account of a wartime scenario in which jimmy Cross (the story’s main character) grows as a person, and the emotional and physical baggage of wartime are brought to light. The most obvious and prominent feature of O’Brien’s writing is a repetition of detail. O’brien also passively analyzes the effects of wartime on the underdeveloped psyche by giving the reader close up insight into common tribulations of war, but not in a necessarily expositorial sense.. He takes us into the minds of mere kids as they cope with the unbelievable and under-talked-about effects or rationalizing

As long as there has been war, those involved have managed to get their story out. This can be a method of coping with choices made or a way to deal with atrocities that have been witnessed. It can also be a means of telling the story of war for those that may have a keen interest in it. Regardless of the reason, a few themes have been a reoccurrence throughout. In ‘A Long Way Gone,’ ‘Slaughterhouse-Five,’ and ‘Novel without a Name,’ three narrators take the readers through their memories of war and destruction ending in survival and revelation. The common revelation of these stories is one of regret. Each of these books begins with the main character as an innocent, patriotic soldier or civilian and ends in either the loss of innocence and regret of choices only to be compensated with as a dire warning to those that may read it. These books are in fact antiwar stories meant not to detest patriotism or pride for one’s country or way of life, but to detest the conditions that lead to one being so simpleminded to kill another for it. The firebombing of Dresden, the mass execution of innocent civilians in Sierra Leone and a generation of people lost to the gruesome and outlandish way of life of communism and Marxism should be enough to convince anyone. These stories serve as another perspective for the not-so-easily convinced.

In addition, Trevor’s actions were over the top and excessive in destroying Old Misery’s house. When the gang finds out that Old Misery is coming home in the midst of the destruction of it, Trevor insists that him and the gang stay at the house and destroy even more. He states that “this could again be a home” (Greene 57) and “we’ve got to finish” (Greene 57) when destroying Mr. Thomas’ home. These quotes show excessive behavior and a form of immaturity in T. when destroying the house of an innocent old man.