Analysis on "The Destructors" by Graham Greene

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"The Destructors" written by Graham Greene as a third person view. The story set in London nine years after the end of World War II. People survived from "The Blitz". The Blitz "was Nazi Germany's sustained aerial bombing campaign against Britain in World War Two."(The Blitz) Everything was in chaos, people lost their home, slept in the underground station and lost their hope for the future. The story is about a group of teenage boys who formed a gang and call themselves as the "Wormsley Common Gang". They have a meeting every morning in an impromptu car-park. "It is the site of last bomb of the first blitz"( Greene,55). Although almost everything in this area is destroyed, there is only one house remain with limited damage. It is owned by Mr. Thomas, the youth gang called him Old Misery. One day, the leader of the gang, Blackie, suggest that they should try to sneaking free bus as much as possible while T, Trevor, suggest the boys should demolish Mr. Thomas' house during his two-day visit to the bank holiday. All the members are following T's directions and T becomes the new leader of the youth gang. The Wormsley Common Gang destroyed the house and it is in shambles, at the end, the house was pulled down by the driver and there is nothing left in this area now.
Greene set the story at the aftermath of the war, this allowed him to make his character to become real life people. The youth gang destroy the only house that remain undamaged after "the blitz". This house is built by Christopher Wren, a famous architect. They leave Mr. Thomas, the occupant of the house to only live in his loo. I think this is a reaction that these youth gang have been so accustomed to seeing destruction such as bombing. They finally become the destruc...

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...o choose the evil path. To destroyed the upper class into lower class. I believe with his education and foundation, he will make his way back to upper class if he tried hard and do the right thing. Unfortunately, he choose the other path, he cannot bear the loss of his social status from being upper class to lower class.
The theme of The destructors are very meaningful, While adult are trying to rebuild the city after the war. Little kids who grownups from war and destruction, are taught by the war which is to destroy. Everything is easy to rebuild after the war, but one's mind that is set and shaped is hard to change. Human are like the youth gangs, they are not lack at intelligence or creative imaginations. But in moral and ethical aspects, people are still in the infant stage of ignorance and are very blind to distinguish between right and wrong.

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