The gang in The Destructors has different motivations.
They were in the destruction for the adventure
. War had become a part of their lives and destruction was the result of it. The gang were in a low class situation, but still had morals and kindness with in themselves.
What does the gang symbolize in The Destructors?
“The Destructors” is a story of the Wormsley Common
gang’s destruction of an old house shortly after World War II
. The gang consists of teenage boys who meet every day in the parking place next to an old house. … In Graham Greene’s “The Destructors,” Mr. Thomas’s house symbolizes England after World War II.
What is Blackie’s motivation for staying with the gang and destroying the house?
Blackie therefore chooses to return to the gang and be part of T.’s scheme because he thinks how
much fame the gang will earn
for itself if it is successful in destroying Old Misery’s house. Bringing respect and fame to the gang is more important than his loss of leadership.
What is the gang’s motivation for tearing down the house?
His motive was
to make everything else around the house look like it was bombed
. Trevor thought the house wasn’t any better than any other house just because it was beautiful.
What are T’s actual motives in The Destructors?
T recognizes that Old Misery’s house was designed by noted architect Sir Christopher Wren, and it is a way for him to symbolically strike back at a world that has rejected his father. T’s motivation is also
his desire for acceptance into the gang
, and wresting leadership away from Blackie is an additional benefit.
How is the destructors ironic?
The most obvious irony in “The Destructors” by Graham Greene concerns
the leader of the Wormsley Common gang
. … When T suggests that they destroy the place instead, the boys have to be convinced; but eventually they are captivated by the idea, and that is when T takes over the gang.
What does Old Misery’s house represent?
Old Misery’s stately home stands as a symbol of a bygone age, an age of elegance and nobility. The home is a representation of
a vanishing heritage
, one unceremoniously swept away by the Second World War.
How is Blackie’s leadership style different from Trevor’s?
Trevor’s plan to destroy the house seems
more individualistic
. His leadership model is driven to satisfy his own agenda. … To put it in another way, Blackie demonstrates a leadership model that is intended to serve the needs of the group, as a whole, while Trevor’s is more individualistic.
What did Blackie want?
Blackie is a fifteen-year-old boy who leads the Wormsley Common Gang up to and after T.’s brief time as leader. Blackie takes his leadership responsibilities seriously and wants
the best for the gang
.
How and why does the leadership of the gang shift back to Blackie?
The gang starts
saying rude things to Trevor so Blackie protects him by taking charge
. The author directly states, “He was the leader again,” referencing that Blackie took back the power of the gang. This is when the power in the gang shifts back.
Why did the driver laugh in the destructors?
A driver who keeps his lorry in the lot near Mr. Thomas’s house. … The lorry driver’s laughter suggests
that the boy’s hostility to the old pre-war world of strict social class, and their affinity for destruction
, is shared more broadly by the community of people around them as well.
What are the three types of irony?
- Dramatic irony: Also known as tragic irony, this type of irony occurs when the audience knows something that the main characters do not. …
- Situational irony: Situational irony occurs when an expected outcome is subverted.
Why did Trevor burn the money?
The boys burn the money because
they claim they aren’t thieves
. Trevor didn’t want to steal from Mr. Thomas. He just wanted to destroy the house so that it was like everyone else’s.
What is the theme of the destructors?
“The Destructors” focuses particularly
on the clash between the pre-war and post-war generations in their relationships to money and material possessions
. Perhaps in part because the boys of the gang have grown up during a time of shortage, they have little respect for money or things.
Is the destructors an allegory?
Allegory. Beneath the surface of “The Destructors” are
allegorical elements that enable Greene to comment about postwar England
. The various characters in the story represent the older generation and the traditions of the past and the younger generation and its rejection of the empty promises and values of the past.
What are symbols in the destructors?
- Top Hat. Top hats in the story symbolize the obsolete values of the upper class in post-WW2-England, and the mocking attitude of the formerly lower class towards those upper class values. …
- Mr. Thomas’s Lavatory. …
- Sounds of Destruction.
Who is Mr Thomas the destructors?
Mr. Thomas is
an old man who worked as a decorator and builder when he was younger, before World War 2
. He lives in a beautiful old house that survived the bombing of the war, and is deeply proud of it.
How is Trevor the protagonist in The Destructors?
Who is the protagonist in the story (Trevor, Blackie or the gang?) … Identify the conflicts of the story. Trevor is the protagonist. Old Misery was the antagonist because it antagonized the gang of boys to destroy the beautiful house so that it would be no better, or worse than the rest of the town.
What is the setting of the destructors?
The setting is
in England after the end of World War II when everything is still bombed out and demolished
. A parking lot in a town surrounded by bomb-destroyed neighborhood is where the boys meet. The one house left standing is where the action takes places.
Why did Trevor’s family move in The Destructors?
Trevor’s name acts as a constant reminder of his family’s previous status in society. They’ve come down in the world, forced to move to Wormsley
Common for unexplained financial reasons
.
Why does t’burn the money?
First, coins now contain very little precious metals. Second, defacing printed currency in an act of protest is often compared to burning the American flag. That is to say, burning money may be
considered protected speech under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment
.
Why did Blackie want to go to the forest with granny?
Blackie wanted to go to the forest with granny because,
he thought the woods might be dark and deep and she would help him find his way
.
What is a character trait of Blackie stated in the story?
He is friendly and curious and loves getting attention from humans. What is a character trait of Blackie? No.
He is a thief and does not want to be recognized.
Why does Blackie lose leadership of the gang?
Blackie loses his leadership position
when the gang was talking about what to do to Old Misery’s house because it is T who suggests destroying the house instead of simply breaking in
. In taking the initiative like this, T is effectively taking over the leadership of the gang.
What good qualities does the gang in the destructors have?
The fact that these boys are
able to unite themselves in such a way
can be viewed as a “good” quality, even if it is for the purpose of achieving such a “bad” outcome. The boys, then can be considered to have good qualities in the way they care for Mr. Thomas and in their extremely effective teamwork.
Why was there a leadership change in the destructors?
Trevor, or “T” as the gang calls him, is the newest recruit, yet he becomes their leader likely
because he possesses “an odd quality of danger, of the unpredictable
.” He was from a social class above the others, but due to his father’s career-related reverses, he had come to reside in their neighborhood.
Does the destructor have a happy ending?
Expert Answers
No,
this story doesn’t have a happy ending
. It is a sad story of teenage boys whose mission is to destroy an innocent man’s home for no reason other than it is still standing in the town that has been destroyed by World War II bombing.
Why did the lorry driver find the destruction of the house humorous?
The driver laughs
because he recreates the entire situation
. Starting with “the sudden check of his lorry” and “the crash of bricks falling.” There was “dignity” at one point, and then nothing. The driver does not mean to insult Mr. Thomas, as he does indicate his apologetic stance towards everything.
What is the irony in the sniper?
In the story The Sniper, a man has a moment of truth when he finds out the enemy he had killed was his own brother. Liam uses situational irony in his story
to show that war makes human beings seem like mere objects
. Sitting on a rooftop was a sniper who was calmly excited, waiting for his enemy to make a move.
Who are the three main destructors?
- Trevor, or “T.” T. is a brooding, unhappy, rebellious adolescent and the newest member of the Wormsley Common Gang. …
- Blackie. Blackie is a fifteen-year-old boy who leads the Wormsley Common Gang up to and after T.’ …
- Mr. Thomas, or “Old Misery” …
- The lorry driver. …
- Mike. …
- Summers.
The boys’ carefully planned vandalism of the old building becomes an
extended metaphor for a much deeper resentment of the old ways and traditional class structure
.
What is irony and hyperbole?
is that hyperbole is (uncountable) extreme exaggeration or overstatement; especially as a literary or rhetorical device while
irony is a statement
that, when taken in context, may actually mean something different from, or the opposite of, what is written literally; the use of words expressing something other than …
What is linguistic irony?
irony, linguistic and literary device, in spoken or written form,
in which real meaning is concealed or contradicted
. … It is a form of indirection that avoids overt praise or censure, as in the casual irony of the statement “That was a smart thing to do!” (meaning “very foolish”).
What is the major conflict in The Destructors?
The conflict of “The Destructors” is primarily
man vs. society
. The boys have had their innocence stripped by the events of World War II. They use their imagination to reconstruct scenes of violence, demonstrating the influence of their environment on them.
Who is the protagonist in the story The Destructors?
The protagonist
Trevor, or “T.”
, devises a plan to destroy a beautiful two-hundred-year-old house that survived The Blitz. The gang accepts the plan by T., their new leader, and executes it when the owner of the house, Mr. Thomas (whom the gang call “Old Misery”), is away during a bank holiday weekend.
What is the climax of The Destructors?
In “The Destructors,” the climax of the plot occurs
when Mike arrives to tell the boys that Old Misery is approaching the home.
