The Worms in The Apple

In “The Destructors” which is written by Graham Green, the author tells a story that is based on the blitz in London during WWII. The story is about a gang destroy a house. In the story, the worms in the apple are metaphors of Trevor in his life, because the emotionally disturbed mind in Trevor had eaten him up, and the fallen family of Trevor decayed him inside. The worms in the apple is a metaphor of Trevor’s disordered motion. In the story, Trevor is a kid from upper class family in London, and he joined the gang after blitz. As the author described, “Of course I don’t hate him…There’d be no fun if I hated him,”(118) the intension of Trevor destroyed the Old Misery’s house is just for fun. From which, it is obvious that the mind of Trevor was extremely ill. Although Trevor looks normally outside, the inner part of him is already corrupted. The same idea is discussed by Burgess, “Like the house before it is brought tumbling down, T. is an empty shell with nothing but the rubble of destroyed fine feelings left within him.”(121) Therefore, it is undisputed that the worms in the apple is the metaphor for the disturbed spirit in Trevor. The worms in the apple is also a metaphor of the family that Trevor lived with. Unquestionably, there must be some causes that made Trevor’s mind disturbed. The most probable reason is that Trevor’s family drives him crazy. From the fact: “his father, former architect and present clerk, had ‘come down in the world’ and that his mother considered herself better than the neighbors,”(Greene,112) Trevor’s family has fallen down due to the blitz. His parents give him a hard time because of worries and sadness, as which is discussed in the analysis, “T.’s family, particularly his mother, are trying to keep up appearances, presenting a proud, untroubled face to the world, while tensions and anxieties caused by unaccustomed hardships and a loss of social status are placing a strain on the husband/wife,