The Destructors

by Graham Greene

Do your students enjoy a good laugh? Do they like to be scared? Or do they just like a book with a happy ending? No matter what their taste, our Creative Short Stories series has the answer.We've taken some of the world's best stories from dark, musty anthologies and brought them into the light, giving them the individual attention they deserve. Each book in the series has been designed with today's young reader in mind. As the words come to life, students will develop a lasting appreciation for great literature.

The humor of Mark Twain...the suspense of Edgar Allan Poe...the danger of Jack London...the sensitivity of Katherine Mansfield. Creative Short Stories has it all and will prove to be a welcome addition to any library.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, School, British Literature, Historical Fiction, 20th Century

40 pages, Library Binding

First published April 1, 1955

About the author

Henry Graham Greene was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.
Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. The Power and the Glory won the 1941 Hawthornden Prize and The Heart of the Matter won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black. Greene was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Several of his stories have been filmed, some more than once, and he collaborated with filmmaker Carol Reed on The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).
He converted to Catholicism in 1926 after meeting his future wife, Vivienne Dayrell-Browning. Later in life he took to calling himself a "Catholic agnostic". He died in 1991, aged 86, of leukemia, and was buried in Corseaux cemetery in Switzerland. William Golding called Greene "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety".

Reviews

[Leonard Gaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Destructors (1954) is a fascinating and somewhat disturbing short story about a gang of yobs who decide to break into an older man’s house and destroy everything inside, “like worms… in an apple”. A significant part of the fascination comes from the fluctuating power dynamics within the gang and the fastidiousness and toe-curling gousto with which the work of destruction is described. But overall, the story is structured like a massive, almost slapstick-style joke. On top of that, Greene’s clever use of POV adds an element of suspense to the narrative. In short, it’s masterfully told.

But for all its entertaining qualities, the story is ambiguous. The reason why these young hooligans decide to perform such a thorough act of vandalism and destruction is left to the reader’s perspicacity. Maybe it’s a senseless and malicious act of devastation? Or perhaps it can be construed as a social or political allegory, in the manner of The Man Who Was Thursday, or Animal Farm, or Lord of the Flies—Golding published his book in the same year as The Destructors, so there seems to have been something going on about boys turning feral in 1954.

Yet, this story is probably also a parable about the creative process—the wicked and subversive power of literature, exposing and eroding power mechanisms in society (“Old Misery” = a powerholding figure). As the narrator points out, while wrecking the house, the young thugs perform an inversion of the building process: “they worked with the seriousness of creators — and destruction, after all, is a form of creation.”

Ultimately, it’s possible that the story illustrates the dialectic movement between Creation and Chaos—see also the figure of the Trimurti in Hinduism. In a way, the boys are like evil leprechauns, assisting the impersonal and entropic labour of the Universe: eventually, everything will crumble and leave not a rack behind.

[Steven Godin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story by Graham Greene that carries with it a weightful message, it's critical and darkly humorous in which a group of anarchist young teenagers that are part of a gang in London decide to tear down the only symbolic house left standing after a bombing raid leveled an area, where It would be wise to look at the characters and their influence in proceedings and the results they have on various subsequent view-points that the reader will see. Trevor or T. is the rather unsettling protagonist in the story which revolves around his actions and decisions in Post-war London's changing social scene, which could also show the fact that the youth is no longer as connected to the past as previous generations, thus changing social dynamics and shifting power between generations is an integral part of the story. A lesser known work for Green, that I only came across after it featured in the film 'Donnie Darko' of all things.

[Allison Faught · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the reviews, it seems I’m not the only one to read this after it piqued my curiosity in the movie Donnie Darko. 😂

Typically stories from this time are symbolic in nature and have some hidden meaning.

I haven’t looked into what others believe the story is about or what the author has said about it but my general impression of the message is finding beauty in destruction and ripping things down can be a form of creation. That’s pretty deep…

It was a quick read and if nothing else I can understand that scene in Donnie Darko better.

4⭐️

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Destruction is a form of creation."

“The Destructors” is a 1954 story Graham Greene included in his Twenty One Stories collection. I skimmed some reviews after I was done and was surprised by some reactions, including ones that found it amusing. I think it is a horror story, a good one, but chilling.

Seems like most people know this from its being mentioned in the film Donnie Darko, and I read with interest how the story seems to map onto the politics of Sri Lanka in the fifties, a kind of allegory. I think it has a sort of punk sensibility, featuring anarchist teens of the post-WWII early fifties, wandering the post-Blitz streets, a neighborhood gang.

Blackie is the leader of the gang until new guy Trevor (or T) introduces the boys to a new plan. He has visited a free standing London house owned by an older man they refer to as Old Misery. The man shows T around the house, which was designed by none other than the famous architect Christopher Wren, which is to say the house is an emblem of a certain kind of understanding of British upper class, nobility, and sophistication. T pronounces it to the gang as beautiful and then suggests they destroy every inch of it from the inside out.

This is anarchism, nihilism, and maybe a kind of commentary on the moral havoc wreaked by the war, by the Blitz, a kind of reflection of “human nature” as always possibly as destructive as creative. I think it’s a great, horrific story, and reminded me of other house destruction stories such as Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Or Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." T is a kind of cousin to Pinky from Greene’s Brighton Rock, a sociopathic punk. Any war story--and this is a kind of war story--reminds one of all war stories, I suppose, and here we are in Ukraine in March 2022, destroying great cities, great houses.

Here it is; go ahead, read it:

https://100mudcats.files.wordpress.co...

[Gregory Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually picked this up because of the allusion to it in the film "Donnie Darko". Although the film's teacher says that it is meant to be "ironic", it is meant to be a parallel to Sri Lankan politics. When I read the short story I absolutely loved it. I'm reccomending it to be added to the grade 10 curriculum. I think the historical parallel would be a great short story to prelude to Animal Farm, a book I read in grade 10.

1. Leader Blackie = UNP of Senanayakes, Jayewardene and Wickremasinghe (all belonging to the same extended family)

2. T (Trevor) = SLFP of Bandaranaikes (Father, Mother, Daughter and Son – a nuclear family)

3. Mike = military

4. Summers = greedy business moguls linked with UNP or SLFP

5. a fat boy called Joe = Buddhist priests


The gang’s victims

1. Mr.Thomas (alias, Old Misery) = Sinhalese voters

2. Old Misery’s House = Sri Lankan state

[Riri · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان تو دوره‌ای بعد از جنگ جهانی دوم رخ می‌ده و تم اصلیش پوچ‌گراییه.
لحن روایت یه ته‌مایه طنز داره که اثرات جنگ رو روی ذهن بچه‌ها نشون می‌ده.
فضای داستان سنگینه و بعضی وقت‌ها آزاردهنده.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Destructors is a story of prionic creation. Blackie and Trevor are two opposing forces of the new postwar era. Blackie is a vagabond, but Trevor is the force of postwar nihilism. Blackie wants to taunt people, steal money, and be a mischievous adolescent, while Trevor is laconic, cold, and a malicious creator.

I want to argue that Greene wanted to show the effects the war had on the general mood of society. There is a clear sense of decadence, from the beauty Christopher Wren created in St. Paul's Cathedral and Old Misery's beautiful house, to the rubble left behind by the destruction of the war. Even the nickname Old Misery of the old man Thomas represents the misery of what has passed.

The reader sees what they are doing as destruction--they methodically tear Old Misery's house to pieces and even burn his savings as a celebration of what they achieved. They aren't thieves and don't necessarily want to cause harm. In a war-torn Europe, after all the hypocrisy, atrocities and destruction people suffered and witnessed, those kids are a damaged generation. They lack guidance, moral values, and a sense of growth. The adults gave them hell, and that is reflected most in T. He sees that the house is beautiful and could be even more beautiful, as an old relic, yet still destroys it to express himself and his worldview.

The ending just emphasizes the void left after the war, when the truck driver laughs as Old Misery's house collapses before him. The kids are just a small manifestation of the total destruction of society.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some crazy shit. A group of boys, aged 9 to 15, who imagine themselves a gang but are fairly harmless. But then a newcomer has an idea, and an actual plan to carry it out, which is full on sociopathic. I've no idea what meaning Greene is conveying, if any, but this story is diabolical while being equal parts perverse, funny, and cruel. A genuine what-the-hell-did-I-just-read experience, it's some kind of impressive.

[Aamil Syed · Rating 5 out of 5]

T. was giving his orders with decision: It was as though this plan had been with him all his life, pondered through the seasons, now in his fifteenth year crystallized with the pain of puberty.

"Crystallized with the pain of puberty"

That has got to be the best coming-of-age phrase I've ever seen!

[فؤاد · Rating 3 out of 5]

مضمون خيلى عاليه: گروهى نوجوان به سركردگى پسرى كه قبل از جنگ ثروتمند بوده و جنگ خانواده اش را ورشكسته كرده، خونه ى بسيار زيبا و بسيار قديمى يه پيرمرد رو نابود مى كنن. شورش نسل نابود شده توسط جنگ، عليه هر چيز زيبا كه از نسل هاى قديمى باقى مونده.
و شيوه ى نابود كردن هم جالبه: از درون همه چيز رو خراب مى كنن، بدون اينكه در بيرون چيزى معلوم باشه. بعد كه خونه از درون متزلزل شد، راحت با يه طناب همه ش رو فرو مى ريزن: فساد و پوچى اين بناى سنت از درون، در حالى كه در ظاهر با ابهت و اقتدار ايستاده.

نمونه ى خوبى از اينكه ميشه يه پيام رو در قالبى سرگرم كننده انتقال داد.

[Zoeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isn't it a fitting end to the year? That I should end 2019, albeit with a bit crafty sleight of hand, with one of the most influential short stories by Graham Greene? This year, like 2018, was marked by many a great work by the master, and it is then only appropriate that I should wrap up 2019 with this short story that I had read originally some months ago and could not help reviewing it today, on a cold, unexpectedly wintry night in Bombay, mere hours before the new year begins.

"Destruction is a form of creation"

How true there, Mr. Greene. Put simply, this briskly, tersely written short story is about the Wormsley Common Gang, a motley gang of ne'er do well boys who are suddenly coaxed by the new member T., in one of their meetings, to take apart the house of a mild-mannered neighbour whom they all take turns to calling 'Old Misery'. That is it, that is their new mission, plain and simple: the slow, elaborate and almost perversely immaculate destruction of a house from the inside, the gradual and eventual erasure of every trace of identity that it once possessed.

Why do they do it? Why does the Wormsley Common Gang destroy, or rather, destruct the house of Old Misery, even, as they claim so, they have no grudge or hatred towards this strange, inconspicuous man? Why does someone, for that matter, cause this destruction, utterly senseless and without any discernible motive? That is not what Greene wants to answer in this story, which is why 'The Destructors' might perplex some readers looking for some clear denouement, which is to be found in almost all of his works. Rather, and in a more subversive touch, he shows just how perversely enjoyable, even thrilling and exciting destruction can be, for those, who have no other motive than to see the whole world burn. Apologies for that predictable and much-quoted turn of phrase there.

The story, in itself, as an evidence of Greene's peerless storytelling abilities, is flawless. It is a brittle little existential thriller, a searing study of an adolescent tendency for violence and nihilism and it is also a pitch-black comedy that is unexpectedly hilarious especially in its darkest narrative moments. It is a story to be discovered on one's own, decorated with little poetic touches that come so beautifully, organically from the master's fountain pen and yet as lean, polished and impeccably crafted as a brand new pistol.

[Nada Elfeituri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like much of the readership, I heard this referenced in Donnie Darko. That movie was open to myriad interpretations and meanings. This story, however, does not afford the same opportunity.

I'm the kind of person who gives allowances to books and the symbolism they hold. After all, half the beauty of literature is the layers of meaning one can extract. With that said, this story was bullshit. The only time destruction can be mistaken as a form of creation is if you don't know the actual definition of either word.

A psychotic boy convinces his friends to completely dismantle a house so that it becomes a heap of ruin. In a way, it's almost like the author is symbolizing their own story. I actually prefer this interpretation better.

[Daniel Villines · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have very little, if any, control over the fates that we must suffer at the hands of society. It's all part of the 'deal'. We gain communal security, but we give up our ability to sustain our lives in a manner that's in complete agreement with our human spirit. What recourse do we have for the angst that this 'deal' requires us to suffer? "The Destructors" provides a quick look at one boy's act of revenge against society. And as usual, society is not the one that suffers the consequences.

Or alternatively...

Idle hands are the devil's tools (but, this is Graham Greene).

[Sean Astle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is why we keep teens busy.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for class.

[Mikey · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Destruction is a form of creation"..Picked this one up because it was talked about in Donnie Darko and I had no idea it is really a parallel to Sri Lankan politics. Power struggles, destruction from the inside out, and a sense of black comedy make this one a good, quick read.

[Motahareh · Rating 3 out of 5]

تخریب ، نوعی خلاقیت است...

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much copied story (Porky's, Donny Darko, etc.) Dark stuff, but you gotta admit, it is pretty funny! Appeals to the dark side of most of us.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donnie Darko made me do it... or should I say Richard Kelly?

[سیــــــاوش · Rating 3 out of 5]

تعدادی بچه ی شرور لندنی تصمیم میگیرند خانه ای کوچک که از بمباران آلمانی ها سالم مانده ویران کنند. در غیاب پیرمرد با تیشه و اره به جان خانه می افتند و طنابی را به کامیونی که راننده اش شبها آن را در مجاورت خانه ی مرد پارک کرده میبندند. صبح کامیون حرکت کرده خانه فرو می ریزد و جز توالت خانه چیزی برای پیرمرد نمی ماند. بچه ها وظیفه ی ناتمام بمبها را به انجام رساندند... مفهوم کمال در چشم بچه ها به معنای صاف شدن محله است نه کمک به زنده ماندن مردی مفلوک که حالا جز توالت جایی برای ماندن ندارد. فطرت بچه ها نشئت گرفته از خشونت کورِ طبیعت است. ترحم لازم نیست... هر چه را میشود باید ویران کرد.

[Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free house demolition tutorial with some subtle post-war themes (ignore them).

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

6.3/10 [3.5/5 stars]

I read this for literature class and this was probably the 2nd best book I've read for school (just under Of Mice and Men because that one probably has the most intricate writing which I appreciate (I'll get more into this in a review to come)). Usually I'm annoyed at a book when the narrative is just incoherent (again I'll touch more on this in my next review), and this one was probably the closest to "incoherent," though I kind of really liked it? The establishment of this club after the blitz bombings on the U.K. is nice so that we have a predictable ground to work on, and then the book kind of just blows my mind? It's not even like a revolutionary or specific thing that I can pinpoint, but yeah this modus operandi is definitely something. The plot is so confident, and I tend to like a poorly executed yet confident story rather than the opposite; that's not to say that this had poor execution, but it's pretentious at such an understandable level that you just like it without knowing what's going on; perhaps rather, *why* this is going on.

This only gets better the more I think about it, and that's only natural for something so calmly pretentious like I mentioned (pretentious isn't the right word but I kind of soften it with a likeable adjective to make it more understandable). Naturally, as we spend an entire week on every book we read, I grow more and more attached to it the more we attach this to literary theories (the idea of a literary theorist basing things on a singular literary theory is just so [insert word that means "bad" but more of an extremely annoying to me indirectly, but I don't wanna use the word "wrong" because that brings objectivity into it]. As a professional Serializd and Letterboxd and slowly becoming a Goodreads reviewer, it's nearly offensive to see someone so myopic in saying that all fiction is created for the mimic theory (which is basically saying: I have a strong aversion to when people think that fiction's sole purpose is to reflect society)).

Alright time to actually talk about the book:
I thought it was just pretty average, up until the moment when they actually step inside the house. Idk why, but years ago, I feel like I'd have such an atrocious complaint like "it doesn't make sense how can you expect me to like this when it's so childish." It's true that this is childish, but it's meant to create a personalized mirror for you to make your own reasoning, and I bet that this is something where the author had his own reflection to look at (this mirror is reflecting society and the basic idea of why people do things), and I hate to sound bold, but the author's idea of the reasoning of what this means probably isn't the *right* one, because like I said, it's open-ended and you make your own lesson of this; otherwise, why make it so hard to see if there is an answer to be found behind the psyche of T.. I mean yeah the broad message is the impact of war, but there are still questions that can't even really be deeply theorized (or I'm just very stupid, which I personally doubt because I was following the narrative of End of Evangelion the entire time 😁). Why do people do what they do? That's the posed question that isn't meant to be objectively answered. As objectively as I can speak, the nature of T. getting asked why he's doing this really just serves as a contrast for later, which I'll get into now.

The moment I got really enticed was when the narrative completely changed; the narrative as in the narration. The entire world for us was living with the children and pondering why they do what they do. Are they smart enough to have a coherent reason for this, or are they doing this because they're just children? The narrative changes from being completely involved in the childish world of destruction, to the mature elderly world of preservation. Yeah this is the contrast I guess. I liked how we got a spectator's perspective where he has no idea what's going on, but we're kind of posed as imposters, because we're living in the old man's world, and he doesn't know that we just came from the childish world. Okay maybe that's a little bit of overanalyzation but you get it, right?

The ending was actually my favourite part and kind of left me in awe because of the audacity to end it like *that* lmao. I said earlier that I admire confidence in writing, and this is kind of the epitome of that right now. I don't wanna get into spoilers, and the ending is kind of the most hit-or-miss thing ever made, but I adored it ngl. It's like it acknowledges that it skipped steps 1-99, but it still just says, "oh yeah here's step 100 hope you like it!" It was so funny to me ironically and I hardly even know what to think of it, but this story is short and definitely a must read for the ending alone imo.

All that being said (it's all praise), it just feels like such a big deal only to pose a hypothetical that isn't even that conceptually amazing, hence my lowish yet positive rating.

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story. Trust me on this: Just read it.

[bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like counting short stories I read in ap lit for goodreads is cheating but I gotta reach that yearly goal somehow!!

[Nick Tankard · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

[Emrecan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story written by Graham Green shows us the effects of the post war years on our protagonists and shows us their cruelty . The story begins with a group of young children coming up with pranks .One day when they were playing around a house . The owner of the house which they referred to as "old misery" was trying to be nice and gave them snacks . But the the gang hate the act . this could be perceived as intergenerational conflict here . They thought the old man was duping them . After that their new member Trevor brought a plan to destroy the old man's house . Trevor called the house as beatiful which is ironic because the house was on a bombing site and was crumbling . Maybe he called it beatiful because of Its ugliness . Graham Green effectively uses a lot of similes and hyberboles one such example is "like a worm in a apple" which is referring to Trevor's plan to destroy the houses insides, making the house very easy to crumble . I found the ending of this story very ironic,you will understand . After reading this story for the first time ı was very angry at the children . I am not gonna spoil it but when the old man unexpectedly returned they did something horrible to him . But ı understood something after reading the story more than once and thinking a lot about it . I found out the problem wasn't with the children , ı leave it to your imagination and ı would definily recommend you to read this wonderful depiction of intergenerational conflict and how peoples mindsets are changed after world war II in England .

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but I can't really say that I liked it.
I was talking to a friend about vandalism so, I brought up the question, "Why do people do that?" Her answer was this short story which I was not familiar with. I looked it up. It was easily available on-line, so I downloaded it and read it (partially enticed by the author's name).
And I was horrified at the destruction that the destructors caused. My friend says the story explains why people destroy. Because they can.
I don't think I understand any better than before I read it.

[Yiğit Erkek · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Destructors” (1954) by Graham Greene’ is one of the finest stories of his and it’s perfectly illustrates the childhoodness, rebelliousness and juvenile delinquency. The story, is set in post World War 2 London, near the August Bank Holiday. “The Destructors” is mostly about a bunch of teenage boys who are calling themselves the Wormsley Common Gang. They meet in a parking lot near a bombed area, and they are trying to destroy the only remaining house on the site. It’s also similar to The Rocking Horse winner because both stories main characters are teens and they doing things that beyond their peers. The ending is controversial, which l won’t give spoilers, because demolishing a house of a lonely old man and also play dangerous games, it can be seen as a fun story, but some can think it’s wrong for childrens to do this kind of things. l, personally loved this story and it’s dark humour. A clever selection for title (because they are a teen gang who likes to break things), the right way to show that the characters thinks and acts like real teenagers ( for example Mike 9 year old kid surprises from everything), it shows a great teamwork and friendship, and this short story is crafted carefully and detailed. The story leaves some questions like; is it okay for teens to behave like that?Is it the effects of war? Or is it okay to being free willed like Blackie and Trevor(main characters)? l highly recommend this story to the readers who likes realistic and detailed works. It is easy to read and can be finished in 20-25 minutes. Have good reads.

[Susa Schwalbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird, sad and tense, felt like I need someone to explain it to me. Good read.

[Kyra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get it. I understand the weight of the message. And yet, it was miserable to read, just a feeling of dread the whole time. Not Greene's fault.