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I am writing a psychoanalytic essay on the character Trevor in "The Destructors" by Graham Greene. How can I write an argumentative thesis...

One way to create an argumentative thesis might be to take the quote "with all the fury of the child he had never been" and put it under the microscope to test the popular take on this novel that suggests the story is about the lawlessness and wanton vandalism of the young people of the time. A student could challenge that interpretation to spotlight the profound mental damage and mental health issues that can result from mistreatment in childhood. The thesis could make an argument about why outcomes are usually grim for these young people unless they meet affection and positive influence from others such as care professionals, foster parents, or nurturing children's home staff.


Even then, their dark fears and anxieties are still way down deep below the surface waiting to sabotage their efforts to redeem themselves and make good. Some young people are so badly damaged that they feel they have reached the point of no return and they know there is nothing left for them in the way of satisfaction except to drag others down there with them; the perverse satisfaction is all the better when those are innocents and the corruption is absolute. They endlessly play out their trauma with everyone they ever meet. When things go well they then begin to have a fear of success because they have always been told they are failures and success is an unfamiliar land and very scary.


Students could look to see if they sense any of these issues around Trevor. Grahame Greene was also writing in a different time when he wrote The Destructors. The Post-War era was tough for kids as parents and society couldn't give them much attention as they fought to regain calm and order. Also the chaos and fear of war is a deadly mix of hazards for a child to grow up in. Trevor has possibly had a double dose of toxic circumstances to deal with. Students could pick through and analyze why Trevor never had a childhood and select quotes and events from the piece to perhaps support an argument in his defense. That would be very argumentative indeed, to the point where some may vehemently disagree and say that society shouldn't make excuses for these kids. But Greene's overall metaphor for a society going downhill and a class system in chaos still stands as society is affected by the manner in which the next generation develops. If society does not give troubled teens enough affection and support, it cannot be surprised if they all turn into haters and the fabric of our social order is destroyed and begins to deteriorate. Early help has now been recognized as absolutely crucial in lifting these young people and nurturing them to the greatness each human is capable of.

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