ipl-logo

Greasy Lake Summary

544 Words3 Pages

“Greasy Lake” by T.C. Boyle follows a group of well read college students desperate to portray themselves as hardened badasses by drinking cheap alcohol and cruising around town till the break of dawn. On the third night of summer vacation, the boys fid themselves at Greasy Lake going toe to toe with a shady character they mistakenly identified as a friend. The ever-worsening situation results in the shady individual collapsing from a tire iron to the head, sending the group of boys into a destructive fervor. The boys narrowly escape persecution from a group of true greasers by plunging into the woods and waters of Greasy Lake where the narrator brushes shoulders with a water logged carcass and emerges changed by his experience. “Greasy Lake’s” …show more content…

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. The narrator’s constant allusions to things only well educated people would recognize such as “Virgin Spring” (4) shows that despite portraying himself to others as a hardened rebel, he is an intellectual with a strong educational background.
Had “Greasy Lake” been written in 3rd person it would not possess the same level of intimacy. In 1st person the narrators unreliability is highlighted in a way that 3rd person cannot. The reader would lose the ability to distinguish between the narrators outward persona and his inner self. An example of this is when the narrator expresses that he keeps a tire iron under his seat because thats what “bad characters” (6) did. Without this insight the narrator would be painted as a true badass, instead of the poser that he truly

Show More
Related
1388 Words | 6 Pages

The hierarchy of human nature, starts from infancy, to adolescence and finally ends in the adult stage. However as easy as it may seem, transitioning to adulthood is not an easy ride because at the adolescence stage, humans seems to be more sensitive and influenced. At this point in time, they are trying to create an image, personality or character for themselves, and sometimes this might lead them to make a wrong decision. “Greasy Lake,” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, an American novelist and short story writer, portrays the life of three teenagers passing through this phase. In this story, the narrator and his two friends, Jeff and Digby, are being seen shifting from being boys to men in one night.

Read More
511 Words | 3 Pages

Summary of Rough Waters Rough waters is a book written by S.L. Rottman. Rough Waters is a “Heart-Wrenching (from back cover and my opinion)” adventure story. Rough Waters was published in 1997 and takes place in Buena Vista, CO (AP). Rough waters is a book for adolescents ( from back cover). Rough Waters is not a bestseller and S.L. Rottman is the author of Hero.

Read More
291 Words | 2 Pages

Everyone goes through the transition from childhood to adulthood. Boys become young men, and girls become young women; this is a significant stepping stone in the “journey to maturity.” Of course, becoming mature does not happen over night. Instead, it is a long process of learning from experience, which gives the young adult a new outlook on life and a new set of skills. The initiation theme is discussed in the article “Greasy Lake,” by critic Dennis Vanatta who argues that the author T.C. Boyle has created a narrator who is reflecting on his youth and an evening that would prove to be his stepping stone in the journey to maturity.

Read More
1140 Words | 5 Pages

Character Analysis in As I Lay Dying As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner has remained a fairly controversial and intriguing novel when it comes to analysis. It’s “stream of consciousness” style, extensive amount of narrators, and fragmented format leave much available for differing analysis. With the overwhelming amount of narrators comes several pivotal characters. In turn, investigating characterization becomes a popular form of analysis for this work.

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

In the short story “Greasy Lake” the narrator’s Thoughts,

Read More
847 Words | 4 Pages

Tom Boyle did a great job in the writing and describing the setting in the story “Greasy Lake”. The words he uses and the way he puts together his sentences makes it easy for the reader to visualize the setting. The setting in Greasy Lake makes you feel as if you were there and the description makes it seem as if it were not long ago. Boyle described everything from what they wore to the feeling of touching a floating dead body. The setting of this story is very important because the time period sets the tone of the story.

Read More
504 Words | 3 Pages

This novel is written in first person perspective (Lake’s voice) and this style is going to live as a character in the novel. The writer doesn’t use a lot of opposites word because from first page to last page chapman uses an easy word and clear writing style ; because of that, this novel is chosen for students who are learning english.

Read More
508 Words | 3 Pages

In Tim Winton's novel Breath, the narrator's complex response to the incident at the riverbank is represented through the use of literary elements and techniques. Through the use of vivid imagery, the juxtaposition of different emotions, and the careful building of tension, Winton shows how the narrator's initial sense of duty and responsibility towards saving a drowning boy quickly turns into a mixture of guilt and glee, as he realizes that he and his friend Ivan Loonie have been playing a cruel prank on the panicked onlookers. Winton uses vivid imagery to create a clear picture of the riverbank scene, allowing the reader to feel as if they are right there alongside the narrator. The description of the "brown" and "cold as hell" river, the "big old gums" and the "dragonflies in the air above us" help to create a sense of place and atmosphere, while the image of the panicked women "slithering up and down the bank" and "yanking at their own ears" adds to the tension and urgency of the situation.

Read More
816 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the whole excerpt, the traditional Festival of Summer is occurring, permitting the author to give the readers an overview of all that is occurring in the ideal town, even in the not so perfect parts. “They all know that it has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children…depend wholly on this child's abominable misery,” (pg. 3). Reciting the story in third person enabled the readers to become aware of the acknowledged, yet ignored problem living in the utopian city: the unfairly imprisoned child. The point of view allowed readers to be aware of everything happening in the town, not just focusing on the non-imprisoned residents.

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
933 Words | 4 Pages

In “Nightwatch”, a chapter of the novel Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard guides the reader through an experience with migrating eels, creates vibrant mental images, and involves the readers with her own thoughts. This is all accomplished through the use of rhetorical strategies, namely diction, figurative language, syntax, and imagery; these elements culminate in Dillard’s intense, guiding tone that involves the readers with the eel experience. Diction is vital to creating Dillard’s fervent and guiding tone throughout “Nightwatch.” The use of gruesome and detailed words like “milling… mingling” and “seething… squirming, jostling,” causes the reader to erupt in silent shivers.

Read More
1187 Words | 5 Pages

However, only seeing through the protagonist’s eyes, would cause the reader to be unable to see the big picture. Third person single vision is the only point of view that would work for Liam O’Flaherty’s short story, “The Sniper,” because the protagonist needs to be tough as he is fighting at war. Employing an outside narrator, or “a voice created by the author to tell the story,” to provide extremely descriptive details about the sniper’s appearance and subtle details about his surroundings is how

Read More
1646 Words | 7 Pages

It doesn’t allow the reader to sit back and told what to think and feel. The reader must piece things together for himself, which can make for an interesting reading experience.” 83 “You’re also limited by the intelligence and vocabulary of the first-person narrator.” 81 “Employing an “outside” narrator allows the write to craft the language in ways that may be implausible coming from the mouth of a first-person narrator.” 86 “Indeed, writers often arrange the perspectives of the point-of-view characters to emphasize their differences.”

Read More
1122 Words | 5 Pages

Lastly the setting of the pond where Mabel tries to kill herself is described as foul, earthy, and suffocating (Lawrence 460) . This is

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

Through the eyes of an author, there could be many ways to write a story, but their goal is to pick the best way the story would be told. Many times authors who write in the third person perspective, lack major details about how the main character feels; but when written in the first person point of view, it allows the reader to interpret the tone through the character's feelings because the character expresses their thoughts and actions in deeper detail. The book Grendel by John Gardner, engages the reader in a first person point of view, allowing the reader to further analyze the main characters views on society, thoughts on the attack on the mead hall, and the final battle: on the contrary, the epic poem, Beowulf, tells the same story in

Read More

More about Greasy Lake Summary

Related Topics

Open Document