"The Destructors" is a short story written by Graham Greene and published in 1954. The story is set in the aftermath of World War II in a working-class neighborhood in London, and it follows a group of young boys who are part of a gang called the Wormsley Common Gang. The protagonist of the story is a boy named T.
T is the leader of the Wormsley Common Gang and is described as a quiet, intelligent, and ambitious boy. He is the one who comes up with the idea to destroy an old man's house, which is the central event of the story. T's desire to destroy the house is motivated by a combination of boredom, frustration, and a desire for power and control. He sees the house as a symbol of the old, pre-war world and wants to destroy it as a way of asserting his own power and agency in a world that seems to have left him and his peers behind.
Throughout the story, T is portrayed as a complex and multifaceted character. On the one hand, he is a ruthless and calculating leader who is willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goals. On the other hand, he is also sensitive and introspective, and he grapples with the moral implications of his actions. Despite the destructive nature of his plan, T ultimately comes to understand the value of the old man's house as a symbol of tradition and stability in a rapidly changing world.
In conclusion, T is the protagonist of "The Destructors," and he is a complex and multifaceted character whose actions and motivations are shaped by the social and historical context of post-war London. Through his journey, T learns the value of tradition and the consequences of his actions, and he ultimately comes to understand the importance of preserving the past in order to move forward into the future.
