Comparison and Contrast of “The Destruction”, and “the Garden Party”

This paper is focuses on the contrast and comparison of the two novel stories which re named as; “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party” written by Graham Greene and Katherine Mansfield respectively. This contrast paper is center on the various select parts of the both stories to identifying its similarities and differences. It will seeks to contrast and compares the techniques of suspense, choices of characters, moral statements and themes of the both authors. This paper explores the ideas of thinking of the both authors that arte similar to other and variances of the ideas are also discussed in this paper in extensive manners.

Overview of Both stories of “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party”

Both of these stories as; “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party” were written in third per5son and these are the fictional stories that are written to describing the various issues related to the societies. The major theme of the “The Destructors” is related to the World War II that is discussed bout the situation of the people and their common rights in the society. There are two major themes of “The Destructors” which are taken from this story. These are the destruction senseless and Loss of innocence. The theme of the Loss of innocence is developed by the common gang in which the boys of the Wormsley includes (Greene, 1992).

“The Destructors” becomes one of the most important stories from the short stories of the Greene’s. For the reflection of the human nature this short story is considered as the universal despites its setting in the human World War II. There are the several hall marks of the Greene’s which are includes in this story particular the placement of the people who are capable for committing good and bad in various situation at where they can make choice according to their own perceptions. In “The Destructors” The boys who are young they must be innocent but they always make cruel and selfish choices. This story is most similar to his previous fiction in which he has depicted that the young people must be bold and they should be initiated in the adult world. By writing this story it is declared by the Greene that he was completely satisfied by writing this story and had never written better anything.

The main theme of the Garden party is related to the class structures and it focusses on the contrast among the neighboring families which has huge differences in their c class status.  This story discuses about the working classes and wealthy upper class along with their life styles. It is refederd as the best context of the Katherine Mansfield. By taking cue from the Anton Chekhov who was innovator she wrote story by using her writing skills. The themes of this story is enough to explain that why this story has becomes the classic example of modernist literature (Katherine Mansfield, 2007).

As depicting from its tittle “The Garden party “which was centers on the annual Garden party that was held by the family of the Sheridan in their homes. The Sheridan sit h character of the story who belongs to the upper class ion this story meanwhile the character of the Laura is belongs to the lower class family who is keening to be involved in the preparations of the party. She calls by Sheridan to looking forward to the party (Katherine Mansfield Society Org, 2019).

Comparison and Contrast of “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party

Similarities

In both of the stories “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party”, discussion about the viewpoint of the people from two different class. In case of the story “The Destructors, it can be seen that how brutal are the boy how don’t care about anyone, who just think about their own selves and benefits. 

This notion in the “The Destructors” is very similar to the “the Garden Party” where the rich people mentality is very different and they very much into themselves that sometimes it is become very hard for them to see the people suffering in the poverty. Both of the stories “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party” have a sense of selfishness, where the group of one people going what they want without caring for other people in the society.  In both stories, there is a huge different between the ideologies and mindsets if two groups, in “The Destructors”, there are brutal boys vs old man and in the “the Garden Party” there is a rich class vs poor class. from both stories it can be analyzed no matter how good or bad someone become it  is always very hard for the people to escape their mind conditioning, that is the root of their being brutal and selfish.

In “The Destructors” the characters are not fully developed as compare to the “Garden Party” because all of the characters are bound together as gang in the “The Destructors” meanwhile the characters of “the Garden party” are always thoughts about their class differences. The interaction of the overall characters is primarily based upon the Misery’s house destruction.

For the great extent on the destruction of the house the dialogues among the gang members are limited. In contrast, the characters of the Garden party as Sheridan her brother, sister and mother always discussed about the conflicts over the good luck and wealth as opposed to poverty and bad luck. “The Destructors is the story related to the activities of young boys and their gang styles who are living in the inner –city. Their steps of planning for destroying the house of the old man. Although the story of the Garden party discusses about the high class family and their living styles. The family of the lower class are also discussed in this story who are keening to avail the source for their necessities (Douglas R. Barnes, 1959).

The theme from The Destructors which written by Graham Greene is quite expressive, where the story presents how the grown-up people in the story are doing the efforts to reconstruct the town afterward the war, and in the other hand, the children who have been grownups after the war and destruction, are trained through the war with one skill which is to destroy. They grow up with the mindset that everything could easily rebuild and reconstruct after the war, such a mindset which is actually already shaped and would be quite difficult to change. The young generation in this story seemed to be enough intellect along with their imaginative thoughts. The Destructor story gives us perceptions in ethical as well as moral sides, which explained that the people are always being in the newborn stage of unawareness and are really unable to see or tell the difference between what is right and wrong. 

In the other hand, The Garden Party which written by Katherine Mansfield taught the readers a positive message, that is to give more respect for life and death. The story also taught us the fact that there is no environment which able to hide us from the effect caused by death.  This message could be viewed from Laura, the main character from this story, when she is collide with the environment in which she has appeared and the presence of the people. The understanding of Laura about life which is merely amazing presents the death of human beings in a constructive graceful.

The Garden Party story taught us to give more respect to the life and death, which is totally different with what The Destructors has presented. The character in The Garden Party taught about the positive meaning of life and death, while the characters in The Destructors have been taught to slightly underestimate the meaning of life and death with being destructor. The young generation in The Destructor cannot pursuit the meaning of life and death as they simply destroy everything since they think that everything is easy to be rebuilt. Meanwhile, the character in The Garden Party more pursuit life as she has viewed how life has become a precious thing for everyone to respect and not fill it with destruction as the characters in The Destructor has always been taught with.

It has been observed that the misery is caused by the poverty that is underlying theme of the each stories. The period of the each story and its significance can be panned by understanding and considering the miserable living conditions of the people of post war Great Britain. These both two stories as contrasted and compared in the above given essay. It represents the degradation of the social norms which are caused by the poverty. The two sets of the reactions of the charters for this humiliation as well as both approve ineffective attempts to overwhelm and coping the situation.

Linking with Class “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party”

These both stories are related class of the peoples according to their income levels. Two classes re discussed in both of these stories directly and indirectly. As; in “the Garden Party” the all story revolves around the two characters as Sheridan who belongs to upper class and Laure who belongs to the lower class. This is also discusses about the life styles of the both these family one is spending lot of money on their luxuries and parties. But the other one is keening to fulfill their needs. In the “Destructors” the story is revolve around the gang of the young boys who are involved in committing the crime for getting money.  Even they dint care about the house of the old Misery house.  In other words it can be said that the poverty is the main cause of the Destructions in the writing of the Greene. The lower middle class has been focused in this story which appeared after the World War II.  

Conclusion on “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party”

It is concluded that the both stories are sad as in the Destructors the old Misery house has been destroyed but in the last part of the destruction he had kept by the gang in the out of the house. The concluding humiliation has been appears at that time when the driver of the lorry had been compliance inattentively and still he was keening to find some type of the humors from the house of the old Misery which had been razed by the gang of the boys. In the Garden party, Luare selects to working to arrange the events and brings wealth for her family because his husbands had been died.

References of “The Destructors”, and “the Garden Party”