Revisit the short story "The Destructors" by Graham Greene on page 172 of Reading the World (linked at the beginning of this test).

Question

Revisit the short story "The Destructors" by Graham Greene on page 172 of Reading the World (linked at the beginning of this test).

Why do you think the young men behave as they do by destroying this old man’s house?
What can you infer about their motivation when Trevor says “there’d be no fun” in the destruction if he hated Old Misery?
You may want to explore connections with the setting of the story and Greene's message about human nature.
Make sure your inferences are justified using the text.

Answer 1

The young men in "The Destructors" behave as they do by destroying Old Misery's house because they are bored and looking for something to do. They are also motivated by a desire to prove their superiority over Old Misery, who is seen as a symbol of the old, decaying order of post-war England. Trevor's comment that there would be no fun in the destruction if he hated Old Misery suggests that the boys are motivated by a perverse pleasure in the destruction of something that is seen as valuable. This reflects Greene's message about human nature, which is that people are capable of both good and evil, and that the destructive impulses of human nature can be unleashed in the right circumstances.