Summers Character Analysis in The Destructors

A thin, sallow boy who goes by his last name. Summers is practical and sees playing pranks as a way to have fun, so long as they can get away with it and not end up caught by the police. He is outspoken, and the other boys whose names we never learn seem to follow his example. He pragmatically withdraws his support for T.’s plan when Old Misery is on his way back, but Blackie pushes Summers and loyally stands up for T. before the other boys have time to follow Summers’s lead.

Summers Quotes in The Destructors

The The Destructors quotes below are all either spoken by Summers or refer to Summers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Penguin Classics edition of The Destructors published in 1993.

T. stood with his back to the rubble like a boxer knocked groggy against the ropes. He had no words as his dreams shook and slid. Then Blackie acted before the gang had time to laugh, pushing Summers backward. 'I'll watch the front, T.,' he said, and cautiously he opened the shutters of the hall.

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 18

Explanation and Analysis:

Summers Character Timeline in The Destructors

The timeline below shows where the character Summers appears in The Destructors. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...for all of them. The boys are puzzled by this gesture and a boy named Summers suggests that Old Misery is trying to bribe them, so the boys decide to bounce... (full context)

Money and the Value of Things Theme Icon

Adolescence, Age, and Rebellion Theme Icon

...could be sent to prison, but T. assures him they would not steal anything, and Summers interjects that he’s never heard of anyone going to jail for breaking things. T. also... (full context)

...and another boy are not able to come. Rain begins to fall and thunder sounds. Summers has become bored and wants to go play on the slot machines, but T. tells... (full context)

...that he has seen Old Misery returning early from his holiday due to the rain. Summers says they ought to run away before they get caught, and the rest of the... (full context)