Graham Greene’s short stories span many genres, from the serious to the farcical. In this comedy, a boy rationalizes his widowed father’s long absences from home by convincing himself that he is a mysterious adventurer. In reality, his father is a restless author whose unlikely death in an Italian “street accident” becomes an embarrassment the lad must carry into adulthood. Things change when he falls in love with a woman who shares a similar concern for the fate of animals. Themes: father-son relationships, perception, the unpredictability of life/death, communicating bad news, fear of ridicule. More…
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The End of the Party
Although the 9-year-old twins in this Graham Greene story look the same, they have very different psychological dispositions. The first-born (Peter) is self-confident and has a special connection with his brother. The younger (Francis) has an anxiety disorder that results in unreasoning fear, particularly of the dark. Peter feels what Francis feels, and is fiercely protective of him. Despite their best efforts to avoid it, the two attend a birthday party that will include a game of hide-and-seek in the dark. During the game, a thoughtless act by Peter has tragic results. Themes: innocence, brotherhood, connection, fear, adult insensitivity, death. More…
The Destructors
This acclaimed but rather disturbing story from Graham Greene is set in the aftermath of World War 2. A group of boys known as the Wormsley Common Gang meet daily to plan acts of mischief around London. A new member successfully challenges the leader and, in suggesting the destruction of an old man’s stately two-hundred-year-old house, elevates their mischief from harmless fun to wanton vandalism and cruelty. The major theme of the story is class (rebellion against the pre-war materialistic social order, as symbolized by the house). Other themes: innocence, the quest for and misuse of power, cruelty. More…