Frank Cottrell Boyce wrote the book Millions where two boys, Anthony and Damien, find a lot of money and have so long until the country converts pounds sterling to euros and have to get rid of it some how. I have to do an analytical report on the theme that has developed during the story.

When Anthony and Damien find the money they don’t know how to spend it in a good means before the conversion. So they take wads of a thousand to school every day. As soon as word had spread around school, of Anthony and Damien having some cash and spending it like mad, so School children automatically all flock to get a bit of pay. As shown in Chapter 7 Pg 43, ‘As soon as Anthony looked out, they all started shouting, “Want a bike? Anthony, want a bike? Anthony, have a bike!”’ This shows exactly that Anthony and Damien are buying their friends and how desperate for money they are.

After spending their money with out mercy, Anthony and Damien now have to think on what they want to spend it on. But, Anthony and Damien have different opinions on how to spend it. Anthony wants to buy a property some were or in vest in some business but he is not old enough to do so, but on the other hand Damien wants to donate to charity, such as to build wells in Nigeria. In Chapter 12 Pg 87 shows what good donations can be, ‘…if you can get a lot of water onto that farm, you can grow peas, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, sweet potatoes, eucalyptus trees… make money and send your children to school and never be poor again.’ This a clear example of what a charity donation can do to a village or a farm.     

Damien, who is obsessed with latter-day saints, finds a group of Mormons that live next to him his idols and donates a massive amount of cash to them down their chimney. After a large donation made to a charity worker Damien admitted that they Stoll the money from the Mormons. But in Chapter 12 Pg 104 when the police ask how did the Mormons poses so much money trouble occurs, ‘”It was a donation. An anonymous donation.”

“Interesting. Its just been mentioned that you spent 7,000 pounds in comet a few days back…Plasma screen home cinema, dishwasher, microwave, footspa…”’ this goes to show that not even the most religious, self disciplined man, such as a Mormon can resist the greed for the satisfying wonders of modern day technology.

Towards the end of book, Anthony’s attitude to money changes. When he can only by toys and not properties or shares in businesses with out an adult. As shown in Chapter 20 pg 193, ‘“The world is crap, said Anthony. “We could have every thing in it, but the world is crap.”’ This an good example of an expression that money can’t buy happiness.

Through out the time that Damien and Anthony had the money encountered unexpected problems with the train thieves finding the location of the money.

A clear example on Chapter 16 Pg 152. ‘”You’ve not been burgled. You’ve been ransacked.”’ This shows how desperate the thieves are for the money because their boss might need it or maybe to settle a loan.

 After the wear and tear of desperate vandals greedy school children Damien can’t take the stress any longer, so chooses what he thinks the best way of getting rid of the money. On Chapter 19 Pg 186 shows what Damien did. ‘I thought that it was going to blow out right away, but another note caught fire first and then another, and soon dozens of them were blazing.’ A good way to get rid of the money so that everybody gets nothing and all is fair. Besides it was to be destroyed any way.

 When Damien burns the money on the track his mother’s ghost appears and talks to him about the money and the problems it’s causing for the three of them and how Damien can fix it on Chapter 19 Pg 188. ‘”And you… you’ve got enough faith to sort all tree of you. That why I am counting on you.’”  Damien’s mother is proud of him because he’s burning the money to make it referring to the 6th paragrathconvinces him the money has no meaning in life.