Full Answer
Does Blackie support T in the destructors?
But before the gang has time to laugh, Blackie throws his support behind T. by shoving Summers and volunteering to watch the front of... (full context) Levine, Yael. "The Destructors Characters: Blackie."
What kind of character is Mr Blackie in Mr Thomas?
Mr. Thomas, or “Old Misery” 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. Blackie’s character evolves as his relationship with T. does.
What is the significance of Blackie's realization about T?
This realization inspires his respect for T., and ensures his loyalty at the moment when the rest of the gang turns on T. The The Destructors quotes below are all either spoken by Blackie or refer to Blackie.
How old is Blackie from Wormsley Common?
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. Blackie’s character evolves as his relationship with T. does.
Who is Blackie in The Destructors?
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. Blackie's character evolves as his relationship with T. does.
What are the symbols in The Destructors?
The Destructors SymbolsTop 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.
What do Trevor and Blackie do with Old Misery's money?
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. Trevor burns Old Misery's money instead of keeping it because he doesn't want to be a thief.
What does the loo symbolize in The Destructors?
Thomas's lavatory is another symbol of the impracticality of the upper classes and their tendency to cling to obsolete things and values. Mr. Thomas's training as a decorator means he can take care of his house, but he lacks the skills of a plumber because that was a profession for a man of a lower class.
Why did Trevor destroy the house in the destructors?
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 does Mr Thomas represent in the destructors?
Old Misery looks at the boys over his garden wall and reminisces on his long-gone boyhood, never realizing that the boys he fondly patronizes look upon him with derision. He is a pathetic figure, symbolizing a world that is too old and stuck in its ways to reinvent itself in the wake of destruction.
What does Old Misery's house symbolize?
In Graham Greene's “The Destructors,” Mr. Thomas's house symbolizes England after World War II. First of all, the structure of the house, known as the “Old Misery's,” represents the past glory of England. The elaborateness of the house is symbolic of the old class structure.
Why is Trevor called T in The Destructors?
There was every reason why T., as he was afterwards referred to, should have been an object of mockery - there was his name (and they substituted the initial because otherwise they had no excuse not to laugh at it), the fact that his father, a former architect and present clerk, had 'come down in the world' and that ...
Who is the antagonist in The Destructors?
The story the Destructors is sad and cruel, but the reader learns that the protagonist is Blackie while the antagonist is Trevor, or T. Blackie is the protagonist because throughout the story he tries to halt the destruction of the house.
How is The Destructors ironic?
The narrative tells us that "they worked with the seriousness of creators" which is ironic because the boys are doing the very opposite of creating; they are destroying, being destructive of anything beautiful that they don't have themselves. They are destroying someone's home, someone's life.
What is the theme of The Destructors by Graham Greene?
“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.
What is the major conflict in The Destructors?
Major Conflict There is conflict between Trevor and Blackie at the start of the story because Blackie wants to over-rule Trevor about destroying the house and is angry that there is a vote and that all the boys side with Trevor.
What does Blackie say about T.?
Blackie interrogates T. about where he has been and it slowly comes out that T. has... (full context) ...Old Misery’s house while the old man is out of town for the three-day weekend. Blackie raises objections to this plan, saying that they could be sent to prison, but T.... (full context)
What does Blackie promise to borrow?
Blackie promises to borrow a sledgehammer from the storage space of some construction workers, while Mike... (full context) The next day, Blackie has difficulty locating the tools he has promised to bring, and arrives late. The weather... (full context) ...in the house.
How old is Blackie in Wormsley?
Blackie. 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. Blackie’s character evolves as his relationship with T. does.
Why is Blackie jealous of T?
takes over leadership of the gang, but quickly comes to see that T.’s vision for destroying the house promises to bring the gang more prestige than any of his schemes would have because it reflects an even more profound rebellion against ideas of class.
What did T. stand with his back to the rubble like?
T. stood with his back to the rubble like a boxer knocked groggy against the ropes. He had no words as his dreams shook and slid. Then Blackie acted before the gang had time to laugh, pushing Summers backward. 'I'll watch the front, T.,' he said, and cautiously he opened the shutters of the hall.
Was T. jealous of T. in the gang?
He was just, he had no jealousy, he was anxious to retain T. in the gang if he could. It was the word 'beautiful' that worried him - that belonged to a class world that you could still see parodied at the Wormsley Common Empire by a man wearing a top hat and a monocle, with a haw-haw accent.
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. The top hat is an outdated…
Sounds of Destruction
Sounds of destruction in the story symbolize awareness and ability to adapt. Throughout the text, hearing and understanding the meaning of the sounds of destruction signifies a character’s ability to move forward from that destruction…
What does the destruction of Mr Thomas symbolize?
This destruction symbolizes to him the destruction of social tradition and class. The fact that the truck driver at the site of an apoplectic Mr Thomas whose entire life has just been destroys hints that adults also feel the same rebellion towards the class system that the teens do.
What class is Trevor in The Destructors?
For example, in "The Destructors", Trevor is upper middle class, and grew up with affluent parents. His name is also one that would be given to "posh" kids. He hates everything about the class system and this is why he destroys the house, which has stood for two hundred years.
What is the Blitz motif?
The Blitz Motift. The Blitz is a motif that is present in many of the stories in this collection. The Blitz was a harrowing time for Londoners during World War II; German bomber planes carried out night-time air raids in an attempt to wipe out the industrial parts of London.
Why does Trevor have a name?
The boys in the gang sometimes tease Trevor about his name when he first joins the gang, and when they want to rebel against his leadership they begin to do this again. The name Trevor to the poorer boys represents everything "posh". It is a name that symbolizes growing up in affluence, and it is a symbol of Trevor's family's upper middle class roots. This is also a symbol to Trevor of everything he hates about where he comes from and this is why he abbreviates his full name to "T".
What does Blackie symbolize in the Destructors?
Also, what does Blackie symbolize in the destructors? Blackie symbolizesthe more typical boys' gang leader of the early part of the twentieth century. Like the other boys who join together in mischievous conduct for thrills and a sense of camaraderie and belonging, Blackieis one of the group, and is a friend of the other boys.
What is the theme of the Destructors?
One of the main themes of the story 'The Destructors' is loyalty . Before Trevor becomes a member of the Wormsley Common Gang, their undisputed leader is a boy named Blackie, who is very much a 'gang' boy.
Why is the short story The Destructors called The Destructors?
Graham Greenechose the name "The Destructors" instead of the "The Destroyers" for the title of his short story because the Wormsley Common gang works at destroying as if it were an act of Discuss the tone and irony in "The Destructors" by Graham Greene.
How old is Trevor from The Destructors?
The Destructors Characters Trevor, or “T.” T. 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. A driver who keeps his lorry in the lot near Mr. Mike. Mike is one of the youngest members of the group. Summers. A thin, sallow boy who goes by his last name.
Where is the plot of The Destructors set?
The Graham Greene story "The Destructors " is set in London after World War II. The Wormsley Common Gang meets in a parking lot that was the location of the last bombing during the Blitz, which was the rain of German bombs on London's industrial, military, and civilian targets during World War II.
What does the lorry driver's laughter suggest?
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 is the climax of the plot in 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. In "The Destructors," the climax of the plot occurs when Mike arrives to tell the boys that Old Misery is approaching the home.