Theme of Creativity in The Destructors

Conditions within various regions often restrict freedoms and creativity of the individual, as a result of human experiences, an individual may commit an act of violence, intended with a different goal, not just that of destruction. In "The Destructors," the author uses diction, setting, and syntax to unveil a general truth of an aspect of human nature: creativity.

The poignant use of diction throughout the short story, mostly in the action segment, subliminally demonstrated the positive aspects of destruction. The author goes into Mr. Thomas' mind and illustrates the opinion that, "…but why should burglars engage in what sounded more and more like a stealthy form of carpentry?" By comparing the destruction of Old Misery to a respectable occupation, the author shows a manner of destruction interpreted positively. In the midst of the action, the author mentions "…they worked with the seriousness of creators." Such a statement indicates the complexity of the work occurring at the house: there was more afoot than mere destruction. Through explicit depictions of thoughts and actions within the story, the author reveals a hidden message of human nature, in that not all destruction is evil.

The author utilizes setting to construct a firm foundation in this story by referencing the repercussion of bomb sites repeatedly. First mentioned as the location of their meetings, "an impromptu car-park, the site of the last bomb of the first blitz," the setting played an important role in the story. Whilst the rubble of a bombsite seems heartrending, the boys in the gang show no emotion to such scenery, this detached interest signifies an irregularity-destruction taking place of other inane characteristics. Old Misery completely contradicted this belief that the boys held, frequently described with “it’s a beautiful house” and “it had escaped the blast which had smashed the house next door.” Such descriptions lead to the perception of Old Misery as the light in the dark, where the boys were doomed to dwell. The author used this unique setting wherein the boys lived to reflect how human experiences can vary due to living situations.

The author gave significance to the action within the story through forms of syntax. In Trevor’s speech to Summers, he uses short lines including “we are going to destroy this house” and there won’t be anything left when we’ve finished” to cause Trevor’s personality to become more realistic in tone.