Exposition: As the story opens, it reveals several things about the setting and the characters within the story. This short story begins in the late 1960’s, during an early summer night. The central topic of the story is Greasy Lake. Greasy Lake is described as a hang out and party area for the local youth. The name of the lake adds to the setting of the story, because the water is slimy to say the least, hence the name Greasy Lake. The lake has been left unattended for years, so the area is littered with the rubbish from previous events. Greasy Lake has the privilege of being the home to animals and a dead body. The dead body added to the unknown. It makes you ask questions. Who is the guy in the lake? How did he get into the lake? …show more content…
His conflict are both internally and externally. The narrator’s internal conflicts were brought to light with his desire to prove that he’s a bad character within the community. He dresses in clothing that known bad characters wore, and acts like a he’s a big bad guy around the area. On the other hand, he is actually a smart college student from a financially stable home. He’s out seeking adventure, while driving his mother’s vehicle. He doesn’t realize that he’s just an innocent teenager, until he actually meets a real bad greasy character. Once this happens, he quickly realizes that he’s not bad, especially after he’s kicked in the face by the bad greasy character. The struggle for him to either be a savage or good person was presented as he helped pin the bad greasy character’s girlfriend to the hood of the car. The narrator made this obvious by stating “We were bad characters, and we were scared and hot and three steps over the line.” (Delbanco and Cheuse 79) The narrator knew his actions were wrong, and that things had gone too far. The narrator’s also had to contend with Greasy Lake and its occupants. The narrator describes it as being filled with “frogs and snakes and red-eyed turtles splashing off into the night.” (Delbanco and Cheuse