Compare and Contrast of “The Destructors”and “The Rocking Horse Winner”
...es a hate of materialism. T. finds Old Misery’s savings in a shredded mattress. He then goes on to show the money to Blackie. “ ‘What are we going to do? Share them?’ ‘We aren’t thieves,’ T. said. ‘I kept these for you and me – a celebration” (Greene 123). Conley 2 The boys go on to burn the notes one by one. Then T. comments on his view of love and materialism. “‘Of course I don’t hate him, There’d be no fun if I hated him. All this hate and love,’ T. said, ‘it’s soft, it’s hooey. There’s only things’” (Greene 123). T.’s view on materialism and love are the same. He clearly believes love is things and wants to destroy these things that create love. Greene goes on to show that love does perceiver over adversity. When Old Misery returns early from bank holiday T. losses his wits and begins to fumble as the gang’s leader. Blackie then takes the helm and leads his gang to a somewhat happy ending. Blackies love for the gang was the turning point in the situation. T. had members of the gang that were turning against him, such as Summers. Blackie regained control and T. was able to quicken the plan he had initiated. In the end, materialism was destroyed. Greene does not say if love was gained. “There was a woman who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck. She married for love, but the love turned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them” (Lawrence 302). Lawrence introduces the mother of Paul, in “The Rocking Horse Winner”, as a cold hearted woman from the very beginning. She does not love her children or husband and believes she has no luck. Lawrence then goes on to describe the house as pleasant but the whispers were heard by all, “There must be more money” (Lawrence 303). Paul and his mother are talking about luck when he blurts out that he is, in fact, lucky. This is the point in the story were Paul begins to try to win his mothers love by winning in the horse races. He rides his rocking horse to until he is sure of which horse will win the race. “I started it for mother. She said she had no luck, because father is unlucky, so I thought if I was lucky it might stop whispering” (Lawrence 309). Paul’s uncle then sets up a fund of 5,000 pounds to be paid in 1000 pound increments over five years. This is the point were materialism comes into the story. Paul’s mother then meets with the lawyer in an attempt to acquire the entire sum. Paul then lets the mother take it all. He begins to notice Conley 3 new furnishings and that the house was now screaming about more money. The materialistic mother was stressing the boy. He began to worry about the Derby. Paul’s mother did notice his stress and wanted to send him to the seaside. He insisted on staying until the Derby was over. The author was showing that the materialism of the mother was so overwhelming, that the boy would do anything to extinguish the flame so that she could...