Elements of Fiction in the Destructors.
"The Destructors", written by Graham Greene, consists of many different elements of fiction. In this particular short story, Graham Greene uses key elements to mold the story into a masterpiece. Greene uses the aftermath of World War II on which to base his intriguing plot and allows his characters to become like real life people, while at the same time including the theme with its overwhelming thoughts of the effects of war.
First, Greene chooses the aftermath of World War II to center around his plot. The story opens at the beginning of Bank Holiday, the day that the "last recruitment", Trevor, also called "T" arrived and joined the Wormsley Common Gang. The gang met in a car park every morning and voted on the events of the day that would certainly include, in one way or another, some sort of destruction or "pinching", more commonly known as stealing. On one particular morning, the group decided, with the clever thinking of "T", to tear down the last unharmed home left standing by the war. With the owner of the home leaving for bank holiday, the group voted to try to pull off the destruction. Certain people of the gang were given strict directions on what type of tools to bring. The next day, when "Old Misery" had left for the Bank Holiday weekend the gang got started. Tearing the house apart from the inside, thus the name "Worm"sley Common Gang, the group had almost succeeded in the destruction when a message came that Old Misery was on his way home. With quick thinking from Blackie Old Misery is locked in his loo, and the destruction continued. In the morning of the next day, a man came to get his car from the lot next door and preceded to drive off when all of a sudden the whole house came crashing down. The boys had succeeded after all by tying a rope to the back of the man's car, knowing that the pull would be enough to tear the house to the ground.
