...In the poem “Greasy Lake” written by T. Coraghessan Boyle the writer believes he is “bad”, bad in the sense of rebelling, smoking pot and doing things their parents wouldn’t exactly agree with. For example, the author says “courtesy and winning ways went out of style.” (425) which I take to mean, that being rude was consider cool. Along with that he also states “We wore torn up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouths, sniffed glue...” (425) Meaning that the author thought being bad meant putting on a demeanor that showed he was tuff and didn’t care. Throughout the story he faces quite a few events the beginning with the narrator being out on a summer night with his two best friends Digby and Jeff, they are bored and...
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...trouble and down the wrong path in life by using drugs and alcohol. Learn to make the right choices and choose your friends carefully. Boyle, T.C. (1985). Greasy Lake, Greasy Lake begins by describing the route through town to Greasy Lake. The story describes three young men who fantasize about being “bad boys”. Things start to unravel and go terribly wrong. They all want to go to Greasy Lake to unwind before going home. Things seem to start to go wrong when they can’t find their keys. They meet a shady character that they get in a fight with. At the end of the fight, they almost kill the guy and almost rape his girlfriend. During all of this happening another car comes to the lake and all three of the boys run in different directions. Two of them run into the woods while the third one jumps into the lake. While the third boy, who is also the narrator, comes across a dead body in the lake. After a little while, all three of the boys make it back to the shore of the lake and observe the damage to the car that was damaged. They have trouble finding their keys but do find them. They then head to home and examine their lives. Walker, M. (March 1994) Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” and the Moral Failure of Postmodernism Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” and the Moral Failure of Postmodernism is contemporary fiction. Greasy...
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...When I began reading “Greasy Lake” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, I thought these boys were exhibiting typical behavior of young-adult men and their behavior led them to trouble. Boyle kept my interest by anticipation and disgust at the boys of the boy’s behavior in this story. The narrator, who is the main character of the story, often describes himself and his friends as “bad characters” and this becomes more convincing in the story. Boyle also used Greasy Lake at not only the setting for this story but also as a character. He described the lake as “fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires.” Greasy Lake is used as a symbol for the youth culture itself in the story and is littered by alcohol, sex and violence. When the boys first came across the greasy man at the lake, their attitudes change for a moment, all three of them are scared. When they began to fight with the man, the narrator grabbed the tire iron out of fear. Once the three of them beat him up and knock him unconscious, I think this only increased their already arrogant attitudes. When they attempt to rape the greasy man’s lady companion, I think that shows how truly pathetic each of them are, acting like “deranged brothers”. In a very disturbing way, the boys were asserting a primal physical dominance over the woman. I think Boyle’s was sending a message that there are consequences for our actions. Even though kids tend to think...
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