ipl-logo

Greasy Lake Symbolism

789 Words4 Pages

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

Show More
Related

Greasy Lake Summary

1478 Words | 6 Pages

T. Coraghessan Boyle is a 66 year old American author who describes himself as a “pampered punk” (Boyle). Mr. Boyle used his short story, Greasy Lake to demonstrate not only the shift in the social standard of the era but also the struggles and consequences faced by so many as a result of poor decision making. He described it as an era where “courtesy and winning went out of style” and “where it was good to be bad” (Boyle). The three main characters of this saga, who can only be adequately described as suburban pretenders “who didn’t give a shit about anything”, and want nothing more than to be considered “dangerous” (Boyle).

Read More

Essay On Stereotypes In Janie's Hair

1011 Words | 5 Pages

Even by you” (89). Although McDowell claims that women writers lash out against the stereotype of the hypersexualized female by deliberately desexualizing their characters, this is not exactly the case. Like Helga says, women’s sexuality cannot be bought or sold, only manipulated by those in power. The intersection of these three portrayals speaks to the volume of types of sexuality women possess. Rather than lash out against this stereotype, as McDowell claims, by deliberately desexualizing woman characters, these novels prove that by eliminating the dichotomy of innocence and sensuality through varied portrayals of women, you strike the stereotype at the root, blocking the male influence from contaminating the sexuality any

Read More

Racism In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

1514 Words | 7 Pages

Hurting females just because they are females happened too often in this novel, and in this world

Read More

Nurse Ratched Quotes

766 Words | 4 Pages

1. In the novel, women are portrayed as mean and feared beings. They are somewhat compared to as evil monsters. An example of this in the passage is on pages 4 and 5. It says, “They sense she’s glaring down at them now, but its too late.

Read More

Michael Kimmel's Guylands

1130 Words | 5 Pages

She describes learned masculinity and the roles that boys must follow in order to become men, likewise when it comes to females and their roles (Chodorow, p.

Read More

Analysis Of Drown By Junot Diaz

498 Words | 2 Pages

The male characters in the stories are often struggling with their sense of self-worth and their role in society. They are pressured to conform to traditional gender roles and expectations, while also navigating the complexities of their relationships with women. For example, in "Drown," the protagonist is trying to come to terms with his homosexuality in a culture that stigmatizes it. He is torn between his desire to express his true self and the fear of rejection and violence. In "How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie," the protagonist is trying to impress a girl, but he is also grappling with the expectations placed on him as a young Dominican

Read More

The Literary Analysis Of 'Good Country People, By Flannery O' Connor

1815 Words | 8 Pages

If reading from a feminist lens, the male is seen as a power controlling evil individual, and all of the females are powerless, as well as naïve and dependent on the males. If reading from a biographical lens, the various parallels between Hulga and O’Connor surface, implying that the story is a fictional retelling of the author’s life. If reading with a reader response lens, the reader controls the meaning of the story, but this can be done in two ways. If looking for general information, the reader controls the intermediate knowledge, and supplements another theory. If looking for general interpretations, the reader analyzes a controversial comment, and based on their background and history, interprets the comment in a certain way.

Read More

Gender Roles In The Great Gatsby And Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

1447 Words | 6 Pages

Gender roles are a socially constructed concept created by men that have punished women for centuries. However, as society progresses further along people have begun to break free from confining gender roles. Most protests are apparent in literary works that demonstrate gender inequality. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the readers follow Nick Carraway as he shares the story of Jay Gatsby, and his pursuit for wealth and Daisy Buchanan. In comparison, Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome focuses on Ethan Frome, a poor farmer, and his life in Starkfield, MA.

Read More

What Is The Setting Of Greasy Lake

646 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Masculinity In Romeo And Juliet

1244 Words | 5 Pages

“On the one hand, the man wants to take up the position that is already waiting for him, the position of his own lack: he wants to stir and occupy it, displacing his rivals, abusing their women on the other hand, the man wants to wear the mask of having the position occupied; he wants to show himself not stirring toward it but already standing there in the possession of his masculinity,” (Applebaum 69). The position of preeminence is more difficult to achieve between other men, but when the men find it easier to subdue the opposite sex in turn finding a kind of satisfaction. This isn’t an ideal situation though because without the female influence, tragedy struck. “The main belief is that male domination itself and the suppression of the feminine influences are the root cause of tragedy both in theatre and in real life,” (Bernstein

Read More

Examples Of Gender Stereotypes In Sphinx

1026 Words | 5 Pages

Now, it is important to note that so far, I can only “assume” because all of these are just assumptions made about the narrator from how I have viewed gender. When in reality, all these traits that I have highlighted about jealousy, the gaze on A***’s buttock, and wanting to be alone with the person who you love are all traits that anyone of any gender to make. Furthermore, it goes back to the stereotypes that make us assume someone’s gender when really, we have no real evidence to back up our claim that

Read More

Sexuality In The Storm And How I Met My Husband

1415 Words | 6 Pages

“The Storm” and “How I Met my Husband”: The other face of women sexuality. Over centuries, women had been a necessary character in most of the literary works. Although they are mostly portrayed as a part essential of a family, a filling character, a hero, or a villain; in very rare times they are addressed as independent sexual characters. Fortunately, this bold topic is an interesting meal for audacious short story writers.

Read More

Stereotypes In Trifles

409 Words | 2 Pages

Gender stereotypes are portrayed throughout the play. The male roles are the county attorney, sheriff, and the neighbor who is a farmer. The men have careers outside the home. They are in positions of power and authority. Glaspell portrays these men as taking charge of the crime scene.

Read More

The Chrysanthemums Literary Criticism

735 Words | 3 Pages

The story demonstrates patriarchal ideology through the male characters and their interactions with Elisa, which leads to her frustration and confinement within her life

Read More

What I Ve Learned From Men By Barbara Ehrenreich

897 Words | 4 Pages

The essay, “What I’ve Learned from Men”, by Barbara Ehrenreich is an impressive piece of writing focusing on a significant theme which is still present and is witnessed to this day. The theme that the author discusses is the on-going gender issues shedding light on the differences between men and women. Throughout the essay, Ehrenreich argues about the one thing women need to learn from men: how to be tough. She support this argument by providing a personal experience, taking her back to the time when she didn’t acknowledge the quality of being tough and falling victim to sexual harassment. She then explains this act as “behaving like a lady” and continues to support her claim by stating facts describing how women tend to act nice or “as a lady” by being the ones responsible to keep the conversation with a man going and constantly smiling even when unneeded and even when expressing anger and displeasure.

Read More

More about Greasy Lake Symbolism

Open Document