The Destructors By Graham Greene

[Omnipotent]

Came across a link for the story and thought it might be good for anybody who's never read it...

oldwww.upol.cz/%7Eprager/e_texts/destructors.htm

[MoonageDaydream]

I did a huge paper on Graham Greene for my English project where I picked apart this story. I love it.

[ProvidencePortal]

Post it.

[MoonageDaydream]

I doubt I still have it on my computer, it was pretty shite. I kinda threw it together at the last second. Which is a shame, really, I would've liked to put more into it.

[lindapalomathepretender]

Under the Wikipedia explanation it says something like: Donnie Darko's subsequent actions are seemingly inspired by this...
I didn't get that at all...
These kids were little shits, parents let them off on their own most of the time for whatever reason, Donnie's actions were not as random and mean spirited.

I love the story because you feel empathy for Old Misery and you see how he was not deserving of what happened to him. I think that the message would be to feel compassion for those who end up having crap happen to them and who never did anything to deserve it.
I know of an older couple who keep up their yard so nicely even though they are on a fixed income and can hardly do the work themselves...the other day they had tons of graffiti all over their fence.
They had to pay a handyman to go out and paint it asap and were saddened, horrified and scared that it will happen again.

These 'destructors' have no message to share with society. They don't know about the Golden Rule and it's a sad thing that they might never get that message.
katie

[ProvidencePortal]

That's an interesting perspective. I happen to think the Destructors' protagonists (which I believe the kids are, in fact) have a powerful message with great portent for all of us transitioning into adulthood, and it's one Palahniuk echoes in Fight Club: "the things you own end up owning you."

I think Greene is fingering our natural tendency to fight fear of entropy and disorder by settling into rote, empty routines and illusions of structure -- like our homes. We hide out in them and risk going our entire lives and without ever really experiencing the full spectrum of life through change. (It's no coincidence the old man is trapped and rendered powerless by a simple structure for a very human practice -- the outhouse.) The trappings of our lives, with which we invest so much importance and permanence, are so flimsy even children and an afternoon can destroy them.

The truth is, massive change can happen to us at any time and from as unlikely sources as we can imagine -- like tweens with hammers. Greene seems to be asking, will we be defenseless and vulnerable when that change comes, like an old man in a rut? Or will we have prepared ourselves for it by willingly tearing down the structures around us and facing the chaos beyond?

I think it's an uplifting story about the power of perspective. On the scales of influence, a building -- along with its plumbing and wiring and soft pillows and all the rest of the things that represent our incessant need to delude ourselves into believing we've tamed the wildness of life -- pales compared to the simple human will of 80-pound kids.

I think Greene is saying, we have made our own prisons and called them home ... but breaking free is as easy as having the will.

[thepretender]

providenceportal said:

That's an interesting perspective.

Your perspective is way more interesting Provi!....It makes mine look so elementary.
I definitely see tying it together with Palahniuk. I think I am just used to Palahniuk going the distance to spell his ideas out.

I think that in a Palahniuk story, Old Misery would have seemed more deserving of what happened to him.

providenceportal said:

I think Greene is saying, we have made our own prisons and called them home ... but breaking free is as easy as having the will.

That is just plain brilliant.

It's that conflict between freedom and responsibility...I think responsibility usually wins while the freedom gets stifled and forgotten.

[ProvidencePortal]

thepretender said:

I think that in a Palahniuk story, Old Misery would have seemed more deserving of what happened to him.

I think if Chucky wrote about Old Misery, he'd be a deformed drag queen whose million-dollar-mansion was under assault by an army of Girl Scouts led by their incensed moms. You know, that or something crazy.

thepretender said:

It's that conflict between freedom and responsibility...I think responsibility usually wins while the freedom gets stifled and forgotten.

I think you're right. For me, it's that we put responsibility and freedom in conflict at all. They're not mutually exclusive. When we're accountable for ourselves and our influence over the world, I think our sense of freedom remains intact as we assume responsibility ... because we're empowering ourselves to make those decisions and giving them context.

[thepretender]

providenceportal said:

I think you're right. For me, it's that we put responsibility and freedom in conflict at all. They're not mutually exclusive. When we're accountable for ourselves and our influence over the world, I think our sense of freedom remains intact as we assume responsibility ... because we're empowering ourselves to make those decisions and giving them context.

When we are responsible for ourselves, that is one thing but when we have kids or realize that we also need to start thinking about taking care of our aging parents the freedom ends up being something selfish.



I know that for me things really changed when I became a mom.
I know I care a lot more about the future and my contribution and my example and my responsibilities as far as making sure he has healthcare and a roof and food and money to go to college etc.

As I get older I realize that I could live on less and less, (unless of course my health goes downhill or something else unforeseen...)

[ProvidencePortal]

thepretender said:

when we have kids or realize we need to start taking care of our aging parents freedom ends up being something selfish.

I understand. It's amazing how I've struggled with perspective since my daughter was born. I can see how freedom might be construed as selfish when we assume responsibility for others. But what I meant -- and what's worked for me -- is that we retain our sense of empowerment and freedom when we acknowledge that we have options, that we make decisions and choices, and that the responsibility we've assumed was one of the decisions that we made. We were powerful enough to choose, and we chose this path -- having kids, supporting others, whatever.

That's what keeps me feeling free -- the will of perspective.

[thepretender]

I like that Provi...

Even though I am responsible for others, I do still have the freedom to make choices.
It explains why I am not rich!!! I have made the choice to take a very fine job, that others might find absolutely boring, and make the absolute best of it.

Then you bring up the word perspective and that just says everything about how we can choose to be happy and content instead of sad and yearning.
The perspective of being grateful and content...it really is a choice that we make every day and sometimes....minute by minute.
I forgot to tell you how I lol'd at Chucky's 'Old Misery!!!'
What a hoot and spot on!

[thepretender]

I had to come all the way back and correct my grammar...
I shoulda said
L'd OL!!!!

[ProvidencePortal]

Thanks -- and I like this exchange. It's so nice to converse.

Last I'll say on the topic is this: for me, coming by perspective is an excercise in survival. If I didn't conciously decide to take on a perspective of willful responsibility, I'm afraid I'd feel totally trapped and resentful by my life -- relationships, parenthood, work, mortgage, car payment, yard work ... etc., etc., ad infinitum.

[thepretender]

Wow,
I wonder how to teach that 'willful responsibility'
What a good class that would be.
I think that parents can help in that aspect;
By example and by showing a child how to fix a problem rather than fixing it for them.
Even tho the 'just fixing it' might be easier.
I have seen some kids who are resentful of their lives.

I worry for them.
It has to do with believing that happiness comes from an outside source.
Heck I remember being that way once or twice and I can't even remember when I actually got that survivor skill. Without it...not sure where I would be...

I almost wonder if each of us have to hit a rock bottom before we can grow up successfully.

[ProvidencePortal]

thepretender said:

each of us have to hit a rock bottom before we can grow up successfully.

I've rarely encountered wiser words. I believe this is one of the few universal truths of life: there's a transition from feeling like others own our life to us understanding -- and acting on -- the fact that only we own it. And I think that transition happens when you feel most despair, because it drives you to strip away blame and ask, "who and what is really behind this -- and who can do something about it?" The answer, if you've made the turn, is always "only I can."