The Destructors

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate January 2002

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The Destructors While reading Graham Greene's short story The Destructors I was intrigued by the character "T."�.

At first he struck me as an innocent character that really had no interest in the gang or the ways of the gang, but was in it simply for something to do. He then describes the house as "beautiful"�, claiming as if in admiration that it was built by "Wren"�. He describes the unsupported stairway and the paneling, both of which are "two hundred years old."� I then was convinced that he did not belong in the gang because of what I assumed to be an admiration for architecture, while the rest of the vandals of gang could not possibly have such taste. Immediately following my assumption, or misassumption rather, I was shocked when T. says, "we'll destroy it"�. The plan made by T. to destroy the house then leads me to believe that his description of the house was one of resentment.

Then I was further intrigued and even puzzled as to why he would resent the house which is practically a work of art. The question that arose to me, "Why would he want to destroy the house?"�, is one that cannot be answered by myself. One thought that occurred to me is that it has something to do with his father. It says that his father was "a former architect and present clerk"�, and that he had "come down in the world"�. From this knowledge it seems that his change in occupation was involuntary and perhaps T. was embarrassed and bitter about his dads less impressive job. Another theory is that the seemingly shy, innocent boy, is inexplicably destructive mean and heartless in nature. The text states that "[Old Misery] had once been a builder and decorator."� From this...