The Destructors

“The Destructors” is a frequently anthologized short story by Graham Greene (1904-1991) originally published in 1954. Greene is often regarded as one of the greatest British writers of the 20th century. His work was commercially and critically successful and was frequently adapted into films and television shows. An adaptation of “The Destructors” was included in the 1970s television series Shades of Greene. His work often reflects his Catholic values as well as his life-long battles with alcoholism and depression.

Other works by this author include The End of The Affair, The Quiet American, and The Heart of the Matter.

This guide refers to the anthology Graham Greene: Complete Short Stories, published by Penguin Books (2005).

In an impoverished London neighborhood shortly after World War II, a group of boys known as the Wormsley Common Gang takes on a new “recruit” named Trevor. Typically, the gang would laugh at a name like Trevor, but this dangerous, unpredictable 15-year-old with a dark gaze intimidates them and goes by the nickname T. He becomes interested in a house that survived the Blitz, a 200-year-old home that is surrounded by ruins and debris. T’s architect father told him the house was designed by Christopher Wren, the man who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral. The boys have never liked the house because it belongs to Mr. Thomas, an old decorator they call Old Misery. One day, Old Misery offers one of the boys, Mike, some chocolate, and the gang decides this generosity is a bribe to keep them from bouncing balls against his wall. In response, they bounce balls against Old Misery’s wall all morning even though most of them are too old to enjoy playing such games.

The next day, T appears after the gang has voted to sneak free rides on buses. Blackie, the gang’s leader, reprimands T for missing the vote, but T says he has a better idea. Old Misery will be away for the long Bank Holiday weekend, so the gang should use this opportunity to destroy his house. The gang votes to do it. When they ask how to begin, Blackie yields his leadership to T. Blackie considers leaving the gang, but when he realizes this prank will make the gang famous, he stays. T takes leadership and directs the boys to organize the tools they will need.

On Sunday morning, the gang systematically rips out skirting boards, heaves up parquet blocks, clips wires, removes doors, saws banisters, breaks the bathtub and basin, smashes china, glass, ornaments, and bottles, turns out drawers, and tears up papers, sheets, and pillows. T tells Blackie he found cash stuffed in Old Misery’s mattress. Instead of stealing the money, T burns it and says he wishes he could see Old Misery’s face when he returns. Blackie asks if T hates the old man, and T says emotions like hate and love aren’t real. Material things are all that exist.

The next morning, the boys remove the floorboards, saw through the joists, and flood the house. Before they can turn the structure to rubble, Mike, who’d spent the morning with his parents, runs in and says Old Misery is coming back early. The boys want to run away, but T begs them to stay. Even a façade has value and can be made into a home again. One of the boys, Summers, balks and calls T by his “fatal name,” saying, “Run along home, Trevor” (13). Blackie becomes the leader again, but instead of banishing T, he helps him concoct a plan.

When Old Misery returns, the exterior of his house appears normal. T meets him outside and tells him a boy is trapped and possibly suffocating in his outhouse, which is in the backyard. With the help of Mike, T locks Old Misery in the outhouse and tells him he will be safe if he stays quiet. The boys push a blanket and food through a star-shaped hole in the outhouse door and assure him that “there’s nothing personal […] we want you to be comfortable tonight” (17).

By the next morning, the house is supported by only a thin line of mortar. The boys attach a rope to a nearby truck and tie the other end to the house’s support struts. The truck driver starts the truck and drives away, unwittingly pulling down the home in a crash of bricks and dust. The driver hears Old Misery shouting and releases him from the outhouse. Old Misery, standing in the ruins, asks what happened to his home, and the bewildered truck driver laughs. Old Misery yells at him for laughing. The story ends with the truck driver apologizing and saying, “There’s nothing personal, but you got to admit it’s funny” (18).