In the short story “The destructors”, Graham Greene writes about a gang of young people in London around an era of war. Throughout the story Greene uses all types of rhetorical devices to give the story emptiness feel. The use of imagery and symbolism were great factors in order to accomplish in the short story is to help convey the sense of hollowness that accompanies London in the wake of the bombing in World War II. We can see this because the imagery used throughout the short story is imitated in the employment of destruction. The bombed out parking lot, where the gang uses for meeting is an example of imagery. There is nothing that serves as a useful purpose in the setting. Although the parking lot has been destroyed this picture brings to our minds how the gang can be characterized as broken youth. In saying that they have little concept of that which is constructive living in a world of destruction, or hollowness. …show more content…
Thomas money and chooses to burn it rather than take it. “There’d be no fun if I hated him.” The last burning note illuminated his brooding face. “All his hate and love”, he said, “it’s soft, and it’s hooey. There’s only things, Blackie,” and he looked round the room crowded with the unfamiliar shadows of half things, broken things, former things.” This act if T burning money has an impactful symbol that reveals T’s detachment from society and his withdrawal from the values of his day. Greene uses the burning of money as a symbol in order for us to see the psychological impact of growing up during a war in a young people and the odd results it can