The Destructors

GRAHAM GREENE

Set in the 1950s, against the backdrop of the Blitz.

 The Question of Morality: Good or Evil

First, there is the main character Except for Blackie, the other members of
Trevor, or T., as he is called. He is the gang are followers. They are either
described as never having really been incapable of making their own moral
a child, which suggests that his decisions or they are unwilling to do so.
innocence was sacrificed long ago. He Blackie, then, is the most promising
devises a plan that will result in the
character in terms of redemption. He is
complete destruction of an innocent
basically a good person who rules the
man’s house.
gang with fairness and dedication to
keeping the group intact
 An Allegory for Post-War England and its
uncertain future

These are powerful factors that have the ability to destroy the country from
the inside out, just as the boys destroy Mr. Thomas’s house. There is a
fundamental clash between the old generation and the new generation. The
old generation is portrayed, in the character of Mr. Thomas, as weak, naive,
and powerless; the new generation is portrayed as selfish, cruel, violent,
destructive, disrespectful, and unconcerned with the future. Who, then, will
lead the way as England recovers from the war and looks to enter the future
with strength, certainty, and promise?
IRONY
Verbal Irony:
The phrase, "should have been an object of mockery,"
juxtaposes T.’s vulnerability (his name, family’s decline) with
his unexpected dominance.

Situational Irony:
Blackie’s claim to have heard the bomb fall is ironic because
his age makes this impossible. This subtly foreshadows his
loss of leadership to T.

The Gang’s Expectations vs. T.’s Plan: The gang expects T. to

conform to their notions of rebellion through theft or minor
vandalism. Instead, his plan to destroy the house entirely subverts
their expectations.

T.’s Reverence for the House: T.’s fascination with the house’s
design and history contrasts sharply with his desire to destroy it.
 IRONY
Ambition for Fame:
Blackie’s internal justification for supporting T.—the
potential fame of the gang—is ironic, as their act of
destruction is driven not by personal gain but recognition

Destruction as Organization:
The gang’s commitment to “organizing” destruction is deeply
ironic. Their efforts mirror those of builders and planners, but
their goal is the antithesis of creation.

The irony in T.’s philosophy is striking. He rejects

emotional attachments but creates a bond through shared
destruction.

There is situational irony in Mr. Thomas’s assumption that

burglars are engaging in “a stealthy form of carpentry.” He
can’t comprehend how cold the boys are.
 IMAGERY

Vivid descriptions such as “the flame burnt slowly toward their fingers”
immerse readers in the tactile, visceral reality of the scene. The ash
“fell on their heads like age” suggests a symbolic loss of innocence or the
weight of time and consequence.
Rain and Thunder:
The rain and thunder at the beginning of the passage, likened to the
“first guns of the old blitz,” creates gloomy atmosphere.
Gray Wet Common:
The description of the common as “gray” and “wet” mirrors the
bleakness of the boys’ situation and the questionable nature of their
actions.

Greene uses vivid sensory imagery to describe Mr. Thomas’s

observations. For example, “the wavering light that a candle might
give” evokes a ghostly, unsettling atmosphere. Similarly, “hammering
and scraping and chipping” paints a detailed auditory picture of the
boys’ systematic destruction.
IMAGERY AND SYMBOLISM

Complete Destruction An Atmosphere Old Misery

Fragile and Vulnerable and nothingness of Barrenness and his Helplessness
Greene’s detailed description
The final collapse is vividly Greene evokes the starkness of the Mr. Thomas’s appearance, “wearing
of the “gutted house…
described with phrases like “bricks scene with descriptions like a gray blanket to which flakes of
balanced on a few inches of bouncing ahead of him” and “a hill “desolation of broken brick” and the
mortar” evokes a fragile,
pastry adhered,” highlights his
of rubble,” illustrating the physical remnants of the house (“remains of
precarious structure. This humiliation and the absurdity of his
and symbolic obliteration of Mr. a bath”). These fragmented images
image mirrors Mr. Thomas’s predicament, further diminishing
Thomas’s world. emphasize the completeness of the
own precarious state, trapped destruction. his dignity.
and helpless.
IMAGES OF DECAY AND
RUIN

Worms are often associated with decay and slow

destruction. By comparing the gang to worms,
Greene emphasizes their insidious and relentless
dismantling of Mr. Thomas’s house.

The house, representing traditional order and

stability, is metaphorically “rotting” from within.

A jagged tooth conveys imagery of pain,

incompleteness, and disrepair. The house,
standing amidst bombed ruin cannot be repaired.

This metaphor situates the house as a remnant of

something once whole but now vulnerable.
 SYMBOLS OF WEALTH
AND UPPER CLASS
VALUES
The house symbolizes tradition, stability, and
the remnants of a pre-war world. For T.,
destroying it represents a rebellion against
these values and a rejection of sentimentality
.
The staircase described as “like a corkscrew”
and “nothing holds it up” evokes a vivid and
almost fantastical image of fragile yet
enduring beauty.

The man wearing a hat and a monocle in The

Destructors represents a parody of the upper-
class world, and its irrelevance in the post
war world.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE GANG

T’s indifference Onomatoepia Silence and Old Misery

Sounds like “clickety-clack, bang Owls and his Helplessness
His observation of “half bang bang, scraping, creaking, The tone is ominous and absurd, Greene uses vivid sensory imagery
painful crack” highlight the invasive
things, broken things, and disruptive nature of their
The “silence of night” and distant to describe Mr. Thomas’s
“owl hooting” create a foreboding observations. For example, “the
former things” evokes actions. Destruction is happening in atmosphere, emphasizing the
a very methodical way. wavering light that a candle might
a world fragmented by isolation of Mr. Thomas and the
give” evokes a ghostly, unsettling
evilness of the boys’ actions.
human action. The atmosphere. Similarly, “hammering
and scraping and chipping” paints a
house and its contents,
detailed picture of the boys’
reduced to remnants. systematic destruction.
 FORESHADOWING
Mr. Thomas mentions his horoscope, which warned him to
"abstain from any dealings in the first half of the week. Danger of
serious crash."

This directly anticipates the literal "crash" of his house being

reduced to rubble

The house is described as standing "with such dignity between the

bomb sites," which suggests the house is out of place and
precarious, hinting at its eventual destruction.

T’s “brooding silence” and the gang’s methodical behavior signals

that the destruction will be thorough and calculated, not impulsive.

The “sounds in the silence” and the “light” he observes foreshadow

the destruction happening within his house. These subtle cues
build suspense as Mr. Thomas misinterprets their significance.
TONE

Lorry Driver’s Laugh Mr T’s Isolation Gang Dynamics

The tone oscillates between tragic and The tone alternates between light-hearted Blackie’s contemplative state as he considers
comedic. Mr. Thomas’s “sobbing cry” mischief (e.g., the boys feigning urgency) leaving the gang but ultimately decides to stay
conveys genuine despair, while the driver’s and ominous foreboding (e.g., Mr. introduces a tone of melancholy and
“heroic efforts” to suppress laughter imbue Thomas’s mutterings about his horoscope resignation.
the scene with dark humor. and rheumatics). Blackie’s initial laughter and flippant remarks
The tone alternates between childlike (“Does it float?”) contrast with the eventual
playfulness and a grim, almost ritualistic gravity of the group as they align with T.’s plan.
tone. The line, “we’ll burn them, one by one,” This shift in tone underscores the growing
transforms their act into a solemn influence of T.’s radical ideas.
ceremony. The dialogue captures the gang’s juvenile logic
T.’s response to Blackie’s question, “Of and humor (“Is Old Misery two hundred years
course I don’t hate him,” complicates the old?”) while also revealing their deeper
reader’s understanding of his motives. By anxieties about conformity and loyalty. It’s
removing personal emotion from his through their words that T.’s influence is both
actions, T. frames destruction as a questioned and ultimately accepted.
detached act.
Post War World and Cynicism

The lorry driver laughs uncontrollably at the

destruction of Mr. Thomas’s house, even when
confronted with the old man’s despair. He views the
incident as comical, reducing the collapse of
Grief something once dignified to an impersonal and
humorous event. His reaction reflects a post-war
attitude where destruction has become normalized,
and human suffering is insignifcant.
Lack of Remorse
Together, these attitudes tell us about the
psychological scars of World War II. The
normalization of ruin and chaos in a bomb-scarred
London has left people desensitized to suffering and
detached from the meaning of loss. The boys’
destruction of the house mirrors the systematic
annihilation seen during the w
Indifference