Greasy Lake
“Greasy Lake” by T. Coraghessan Boyle is a story about a 19 year old young boy, the narrator, who learns that his bad boy image is just an image. Describing himself and his friends, Digby and Jeff, as “dangerous characters” (Boyle 77), he soon realizes that he may not be ready for such a title. Out with his friends one summer night, the narrator, Digby and Jeff head to Greasy Lake in hopes of getting into some type of “adventure” (Boyle 78). Thinking that they have spotted their friends car on Greasy Lake they attempt to play a joke on him and his girl. Once the young boys approach the car they soon realize that the car belongs to some other “bad greasy character” (Boyle 78). The narrator finds himself in trouble, picking up a tire iron and hitting the “bad greasy character” (Boyle 78) in the head, knocking him out. In the heat of the moment, the boys all attempt to rape the girl that jumps out of the greasy character’s car. Just as they are about to commit the act, headlights shine on the boys scaring them off. The narrator jumps into the Greasy Lake in an effort to hide. After realizing what the boys have done, the greasy character, who wakes, and the new arrivals completely wreck the narrator’s car and leave Greasy Lake. The narrator contemplates his
…show more content…
Although the narrator considers himself a “bad character” (Boyle 79) he quickly realizes that he is “in a lot of trouble” (Boyle 78). After the narrator hits the “bad character” (Boyle 79) with a tire iron, more angry characters arrive at Greasy Lake, causing the narrator and his friends to separate and hide. The young boys did not feel safe to come out of hiding in the presence of the angry characters. That is, until the morning after the greasy character and the others have completely destroyed his mother’s
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreThe narrator in The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County does very little storytelling. He introduces us to Simon Wheeler by a barroom stove in an old tavern; then we spend the next three full pages listening to him (Twain 662-665). The narrator interrupts Wheeler and he ends our story (Twain 666). In The Outcasts of Poker Flat the narrator is outside the story and we do not know who it is. The narrator follows John Oakhurst from the beginning when he becomes an outcast (Harte 674) to the end when he dies (Harte 684).
The fire was fierce and were guided by the little kids screaming and coughing for help. When Ponyboy and Johnny found the kids they immediatley, one by one picked up the kids and threw them out of a opening in a window. A few minutes later Dally had joined them throwing Ponyboy first, then Johnny and just in time before the entire church had collapsed on them. Shortly after the ambulances came and took the three greasers quickly to the hospital. Ponyboy was the first to wake up, Dally had clubbed him very hard because his whole back was on
Through experiences and relationships creates who a person is. Positive and negative experiences intertwine to mold out a person’s character. In the novel In The Lake Of The Woods by Tim O’Brien, the protagonist John Wade’s character is developed through his past experiences. From his neglected childhood and committing horridus acts in Vietnam, invented the John Wade who is insecure and deranged. Childhood is a crucial development period for one’s sense of character.
The setting of the story reveals a lot about the characters. The narrator uses the setting of the story to mirror the state of morality and corruption of the youth. The narrator also uses the setting to create an atmosphere that is appropriate for developing the character of the individuals within the story. In essence the narrator uses Greasy Lake as both a setting and character. The description that is given of Greasy Lake is very disturbing to most who read it.
In T.C. Boyle’s “Greasy Lake,” three boys who are looking for their identities put themselves in a vindictive situation that uncovers the truth about who they really are. The narrator starts by introducing the boys as “bad characters,” (insert quote citation) but it is all a facade. The denial of character is noticeable with the early symbols of the story. The boys are blinded by their need to fit in, and when the veil of true “badness” is uncovered they are terrified. By the end of the story the boys come to realization of their true identities.
T.-Coraghessan Boyle’s "Greasy Lake" has a setting that dates back to the 1960s. The 1960s were a time of disruptiveness in virtually every part of American culture. Analyzing the setting of this story gives us a better understanding of the characters and problems that occur. This story is about three teenage boys who just started summer vacation. These teenagers saw summer as a time to get away from their problems.
Only when the narrator finds himself bumping shoulders with a floating body in Greasy Lake does he feel “the tug of fear” (5) and the darker side of the persona he attempted to take on. “Greasy Lake” is written in 1st person point of view. The narrator is a college age boy whose use of “I” such as “I blundered into something” (4) and “I don’t know how long I lay there” (5) shows that the story is seen through his perspective. The use of 1st person in “Greasy Lake” better allows the reader to understand the complex emotions and viewpoints of the narrator.
As they enter a wild, unprotected, and unsupervised environment, the young survivors fall victim to their own emotions. They show their insecurities through the idea of a “beast” which “a shrimp of a boy, about six years old,” brought to light in a meeting (47). Throughout the text the topic of the beast continues to hunt them causing the reader to decipher it represents more than a physical matter. William Golding uses the “beast” to demonstrate the fear that creeps in the mind of the boys affecting them differently as they journey through this adventure.
People are often scared of monsters when they are young, but once they grow older and mature, they begin to realize that the idea was made up in their heads. However, some people are so set on the theory of there being mythological creatures that they do not think of the possibility of actual people being monsters instead. We like to believe that we live in a world where none of us are sane and our behavior is superb. When in reality, it is the opposite. We do not realize how much hatred, rape, and violence there is in the world.
The duo’s entire journey is, in fact, a seemingly endless series of obstacles which the Man and Boy must face. These obstacles range from cannibals slowly trekking down the road to Mother Nature itself. For example, the Man and Boy barely escape cannibalistic gangs both when a gang unexpectedly appears on the road and when the Man discovers the basement of one such gang packed with naked men and women. In addition, even after securing a source of food, such as when they find the bunker, the Man and Boy always face the potential of starvation and the freezing cold weather because the Man knows they cannot carry all the food they find and that they cannot stay in one location for an extended period of time. Moreover, on two occasions, once when the cannibalistic gang find their cart and once when the thief on the beach steals the cart, do the Man and Boy lose nearly everything they have (though, they eventually catch the beach thief and, to the Boy’s disappointment and sadness, the Man forces him to give them everything he has).
It characterizes the narrator's energetic and lively self as she remembers the details that stuck out the most. The narrator illustrates the environment around her in the first paragraph, the locust, the heat, and the greenery and represents her summers with the statement, “Life was measured in summers,”. The second paragraph quickly introduces the cherry bomb, which is also the title of the story, but swiftly changes the subject to the Hairy Man. The third paragraph discusses her hiding spot for her box and the fourth illustrates Eddy’s injury with the cherry bomb. The last paragraph pulls the story together and explains the significance of the cherry bomb.
The author discussed how the boys were not guided at all throughout the time of the story. They lacked an adult figure, without one, they believed there were no rules around. No way to get caught or be in trouble. He also claimed that everyone has their own inner aggressions, the cause for the boys’ case was the impact of what the whole island had in store for them. Another thing Golding discussed was the way the act of killing changes you.
Deep River is a book written by Shusaku Endo. In the book with you can read 4 main stories about seeking to find oh rather said looking to be more spiritual by following the ritual and myths in a way to be in a better spiritual connection. Each character has a very important role because one of them is in search of something that helps them to understand and manage their spirituality and emotions in a way that is comfortable. Something very curious about the book is that each chapter is mentioned with the name case. For each story gave me an idea of how I would develop the story.
The scene then changes to the narrator’s childhood, a lonely one at it. “I lay on the bed and lost myself in stories,” he says, “I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway.” The main narrative starts as he recalls a
Smooth, oval rocks lined the bank of the secretive lake. Discarded and neglected; overlaid with spongy moss and choked by fallen, decaying leaves from the unclothed and withering trees above. As the lake swelled around the ashen boulders, icy, black water lifelessly lapped against the long, thin beams of wood holding up a rickety pier. The structure was covered in splinters and ragged, iron nails, and as it reached out into the centre of the sombre lake, it became more and more distant. Half-cut beams lined the sides of the pier, as nettle patches hissed from the shore when the water drew too near.