to the outdoor loo is also absurdist, as he is just too cheap to rebuild the bombed-out bathroom in his house.

The theme of the story is similarly absurdist. The theme is expressed in the line "destruction after all is a form of creation." The members of the Wormsley Common gang claim that they are building something by destroying Mr. Thomas's house, and this is absurdist in message because it negates the idea that human life really has meaning. 

You might find it useful to specify what you mean by "commercial fiction" and "literary fiction". I note that in the tags you placed the word themes, perhaps indicating that you want to know if the themes of the story are worthy enough to warrant it a work of literature. Certainly all of Graham Greene's work is literary rather than commercial in that they are off great calibre and literary quality, if that is how you are choosing to define the words.

There are a number of literary qualities that could be cited to support my claim, but I will content myself with merely focussing on one of the themes in the story which focuses on the hollowness and rottenness in both the setting, the lives of the characters and in the society at large. Consider how the setting adds to this bleak atmosphere - the story occurs in an "impromptu car park" where the first blitz occurred where the boys meet. Their lives and their play is dominated by images of destruction and waste. The name of "Wormsley Common" itself gives rise to images of rottenness and emptiness, and this gives rise to the main protagonist of the story, T., who shows himself to be empty at heart - he is so dangerously detached from any form of emotion that he is a complete nihilist due to the hollowness of his life and his world. Consider his words:

"All this hate and love," he said, "it's soft, it's hooey. There's only things, Blackie..."

In the characterisation of T., Greene achieves a truly incredible feat by accurately depicting a child who is hollow at the core and heartless. All of these qualities serve to demonstrate that this is a masterful work of fiction which cannot be defined as "commercial".

I tend to view Greene's work as an example of literary fiction.  The thematic implications of the short story move it past the parameters of commercial fiction.  There are significant and profound themes which emerge from the work and speak to the larger condition of what it means to be human.  In this idea that it asserts themes and ideas of "literary merit," Greene's short story can be seen as literary fiction.

"The Destructors" speaks to the creative and destructive dynamic that exists within human beings.  The need for the boys to find some creative outlet which is itself an act of destruction is a significant part of the work. What the boys do has no directly transcendent purpose.  Instead, it is one in which their own flaws become revealed. The excitement with which the gang follows T. and then the malaise that sets in as a result of it helps to illuminate a fragmented human condition.  Such an idea is not meant for a commercial output, or intended to generate wealth through writing. Rather, the story's predicament has a statement to make on what it means to be human.  It is here in which critical appreciation of the work moves it into the realm of literary fiction:

‘The Destructors’ may be Greene’s best story and perhaps one of the finest in the language. It has all the qualities that have come to be expected in the short story: focus, compression, pace, and that element of surprise, that epiphany that brings one to recognizing a powerful truth. It works as both parable and allegory, parable in the sense that it is a narrative in a relatively contemporaneous setting that makes a clear moral point, allegorical in the sense that it ‘signifies’ on several levels.

The allegorical notion of the story as well as its moral point that helps to enhance its meaning are ways in which it fulfills the understanding of literary fiction.  It is not really a commercial piece because of Greene's direction intention within it:  "‘The Destructors’ flips innocence [represented by the boys] into an unaccustomed controlling position over corruption [represented by society]."  Greene intends to make a statement about innocence and what it means to be young.  He wishes to make distinct statements about the corruption within society and within human beings. The ending is not one where there is an affirmation of commercial and consumerist notions of the good.  The ending of "it's nothing personal" as the lorry driver uncontrollably laughs is more literary in scope.  Greene's short story is more intended to be a work appreciated for its literary merit.

The intention of "The Destructors" aims to make a statement about what it means to be human.  The themes revealed and the manner of illuminating these ideas helps to enhance such a statement.  As critics believe the work to be one that "will remain a disturbingly powerful story and take on even more significance as time passes," it becomes clear that "The Destructors" is more a work of literary fiction than one of commercial purposes.

[Although it is not the policy of Enotes to provide students with essays, educators are glad to offer advice and instruction on the writing process.]

• Introduction

An introduction contains a "motivator" that invites the interest of the reader, and the thesis statement. Often an observation or a quotation intrigues a reader and motivates him/her to read the essay; also, this observation or quote should reflect the thematic pulse of the essay. For instance, since you mention the symbolic and philosophical implications in your thesis, you may wish to suggest these ideas in the motivator.

e.g. There is an innate violence in human nature that, once released, is not easily harnessed by beauty or culture.

• Thesis Statement

Then, you write the thesis statement. This thesis statement is a "blueprint" of the essay; it should contain one main idea with three opinions. This "blueprint" will answer one of the questions "Why?" "How?" and "When?" Yours answers the question "Why?":

[Example of Thesis Statement] Since Graham Greene's "The Destructors" is a story that employs elements found in both commercial and literary fiction, there are popular elements for a compelling tale, and there are elements of allegory or parable as well as an exploration of psychological and sociological realities in Greene's narrative.

[3 opinions of thesis] 1. commercial fiction (elements listed in Feb.23 response) 2. literary fiction: allegory/parable  3. literary fiction: psychological and sociological ("social and cultural realities" as mentioned by the educator of February 23. In your essay, you will then explain why the story is allegorical, psychological/phiolosphical and sociological]

• Body of the essay

Let the ideas of each of the 3 opinions construct the topic sentence of each of the body paragraphs. If you are writing more than a 5-paragraph essay, two paragraphs are often used to explain just one of the 3 opinions of the thesis. Use lines and passages from "The Destructors" to support the topic sentences. Assuming that you are going to make use of the two responses on "The Destructors" of February 22 and February 23, you can construct your paragraphs around ideas given to you, but be careful not to plagiarize!) 

Here is an example of a topic sentence for 1. allegory/parable (you may need 2 paragraphs to thoroughly explain this):

[Topic sentence] Removed from the cultural elements of beauty and refinement of manner in society by the horrific bombings of London, the boys of World War II revert to the primal level of man and follow their innate urges to ravage what lies around them.

[Supporting sentence] When the gang meets to think of how to spend their time, a new nihilistic member emerges as leader; even his name is reduced to a mere letter: T. After he tells the others about Old Misery's (allegorical name--give its significance here or somewhere in your essay) and describes the beautiful staircase, "T. a product of the rubble of London,

raised his eyes, as grey and disturbed as the drab August day. "We'll pull it down," he said. "We'll destroy it."

Further, the boys......(continue with supporting details and quotes from the story)

• Conclusion

After developing the blueprint in the body of the essay, reword the thesis statement and add a "clincher," which is an idea that extends from those you have discussed. Here is an example of a clincher:

An intense, dramatic narrative, "The Destructors" reminds readers of the innate forces which propel humans to create acts of inhumanity.