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Greasy Lake Symbolism

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Gender The demands of gender can have a significant impact on an individual's behaviors, as seen in the narrator's actions in the short story "Greasy Lake." Through gender theory it is explored how societal expectations and norms around gender impacted the narrator's behavior and choices in the story. From the story itself and other bases, the analysis of this topic will demonstrate how gender roles and stereotypes played a role in the narrator's actions. One way in which gender expectations influenced the narrator's behavior is through the performance of masculinity. The narrator and his friends engage in reckless and violent behavior in an attempt to prove their masculinity to one another. As stated in her in her book "Stiffed: The Betrayal …show more content…

The narrator and his friends look out sexual confrontations with women as a means to show their manliness. As Judith Butler writes in "Gender Trouble," gender is not just about biological sex but also includes socially created ideas about sexual desire and behavior (Butler 6). The narrator's need for sexual conquests can be seen as a try to adapt to traditional expectations around male sexuality. Moreover, the narrator's behavior is influenced by the expectations placed on women in …show more content…

The narrator and his friends see sexual conquests as a means to show their manliness. The narrator's behavior is also influenced by the beliefs placed on women in society. The narrator and his friends view women as objects to be dominated instead of people deserving of respect. This can be seen in their treatment of the young woman they run into at Greasy Lake. At first, the narrator and his friends confuse her for a prostitute and attempt to solicit her for sex. When they recognize she is not a prostitute they then attempt to rape her. Their actions towards the young woman are reflective of societal expectations around gender and sexuality, which often view women as objects to be used and discarded by men. The narrator's behavior can also be viewed through the lens of intersectionality, which recognizes that different aspects of a person's identity, such as race, class, and sexuality, intersect to shape their experiences and opportunities in society. In "Greasy Lake," the narrator and his friends are white, middle-class men, which grants them a certain level of privilege and power in society. This privilege and power is reflected in their behavior, as they feel entitled to act recklessly and violently without fear of

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