English 28 - Commercial Vs. Literary Fiction

Mr. Gray JD

Class English 28

09/12/2015

Commercial vs. Literary Fiction

         Commercial fiction attracted readers with its entertaining plots while literary fictions enlighten people about human nature and society. There are plenty of profound works springing up contemporarily like “The Destructor”. Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” is a short story that shows the darkness of humanity through a gang of teenagers’ destructions to a crippled house. Not like the title, the story does not have too much violence. This story is a type of fable story, the teenagers worked hard to make destruction to the villa. Greene tried to warn human’s destruction for chasing the power. The story centered on ^[a]a teenage gang decided to destroy the house of Old Misery. Trevor who plans this destruction wanted^[b] to become the leader of the gang and succeeded beyond the old leader, Blackie. They also locked the owner of the house in the loo. They finally ruined the house by other’s lorry. This story seeks reader^[c] by its complex characters^[d] and aesthetic taste. It also has an excellent combination of character-driven suspense and challenge social view theme.

        “The Destructors” is a work of literary because it uses mostly complex characters^[e]. Main character-Trevor’s family had “come down in the world” As a youth who experienced a huge mishap of family. He wanted urgently than ^[f]anyone in the gang to break the segregation between rich and the poor class. So he aimed at the “crippled house”, the symbol of wealth. Trevor did not hate Old Thomas, so it is hard to figure out his motivation. When he last burning note illuminated his brooding face. He finally said his emotion to Old misery:” ‘All this hate and love,’ he said, ‘it’s soft, it’s hooey. ‘“Trevor’s destruction did not aim at specific objective. He left from wealthy class resolutely, he burnt the money which was Old Misery’s saving. This behavior shows that Trevor did not want to return the rich class again. All he expectations are to destroy the fortune and break the limitation between the classes. At first, Trevor raised the idea of destroying the house of the “Old Misery”. It’s hard to understand his motivation and during the destruction we found that the reason he destroying is to break the limitation between rich and poor classes. The view to him has changed, he much more like a hero pushing a revolution.^[g]

“The Destructors” is more a character-driven work than an action-oriented work^[h]. The whole story sketched from the Trevor’s destruction toward an old house. It’s hard for readers to understand Trevor’s motivation from the beginning of the story. Trevor burnt the money because he doesn’t^[i] want to become a member of the rich class again. His anger and hate towards the rich class shows from his destruction to the fortune. The willing to pull the rich class down became more and more fierce.

        Unsettling ending is also a feature of this story. At the ending “the house had stood there with such dignity” finally collapse, nothing left. The driver who saw the destruction couldn’t help to laugh, for the reason he said “there’s nothing personal” but really funny. The house once had survived from the bomb strike in World WarⅡ but still couldn’t destiny of being destroyed. It is being described as a fancy man in the article hint the up class. But at the end they finally failed through the destruction. Seeing rich class impaired made the poor class feel funny. On the other hand, Old Thomas was mean to everyone and also too mean to spend money on the property he deserved the destruction of the house.