Full Answer
What is the theme of Greasy Lake by Bruce Springsteen?
The story "Greasy Lake", whose title and epigraph are borrowed from Bruce Springsteen, tells the story of a group of wannabe “bad” kids who come to the lake hoping to "smoke pot, howl at the stars, and savor the incongruous full-throated roar of rock and roll" but find themselves facing a vicious thug who drives...
How does the narrator describe Greasy Lake?
As the story will show, the reality of being “dangerous” turns out to be far less glamorous than the narrator could have imagined. The narrator recalls that Greasy Lake was located “through the center of town, up the strip, past the housing developments and shopping malls.”
Is Greasy Lake a good book?
“Greasy Lake” is, on the surface at least, a teenage adventure story replete with high jinks, slapstick, and a good brawl. The good times go decidedly sour before the story is over, however, and the reader realizes that something more serious has been at issue all along.
What is Greasy Lake by Brian Boyle about?
Greasy Lake is also reminiscent of Boyle’s years as a "rebellious punk". The often flamboyant outcomes of his stories are a result of his personal theory about writing—that like music, it is ultimately a form of entertainment.
What is the short story Greasy Lake about?
Coraghessan Boyle's widely anthologized coming-of-age tale, initially published in Greasy Lake and Other Stories, tells the story of three young men— Digby, Jeff, and an unnamed narrator—who are abruptly ushered into adulthood through a painful experience at the lake of the story's title on the third night of summer ...
What is the main idea of Greasy Lake?
This is the theme of coming of age through the narrator's journey to finding out what it means to be “bad,” and whether or not he wanted to make bad choices. The opening paragraph of the story showcases the focus that there is on being “bad” to the narrator and his friends.
What is the conflict in Greasy Lake?
There are many conflicts in this story, but the main one is the boys's conflict with themselves. Boyle shows that men, in need for self-exploration, have limits that must be recognized. This can be shown throughout the story through the setting, the point of view and the plot structure.
What is the climax in Greasy Lake?
Climax: After brawling with a “bad character” on a visit to Greasy Lake, the unnamed narrator, hiding at the lake's edge finds a dead body.
What is the importance of the setting in Greasy Lake?
At one time, the Greasy Lake was something of beauty and cleanliness, but then came to be the exact opposite. Through his writing, Boyle demonstrates how the setting can be a direct reflection of the characters and the experiences they encounter.
What does the narrator find in Greasy Lake?
After an encounter with a Bad Character goes awry, the narrator hides at the edge of Greasy Lake, where he finds a dead body. Between the physical fight with the Bad Character and the horror of discovering the body, the narrator is shaken and changed.
Who is the protagonist in Greasy Lake?
The main character is a nineteen year old under the influence of drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, and the freedom that comes with summer break. Accompanied by two friends of the same age (Digby and Jeff), they are all eager to find some sort of adventure to satiate their hormonal appetites.
When was Greasy Lake written?
Greasy Lake is a collection of short stories by T. Coraghessan Boyle published in 1985 by Viking Press....Greasy Lake & Other Stories.First editionAuthorT. Coraghessan BoylePublisherViking PressPublication date1985Media typePrint (hardback)7 more rows
What car did the three friends drive in the movie "The Three Friends"?
A 1957 Chevy with the inevitable teenage lovers inside is parked on the other. The three friends mistake the car for that of an acquaintance; the narrator pulls his car behind the Chevy and, for a joke, flashes his headlights and honks the horn. Unfortunately, the owner of the car (Bobby) is not their friend after all.
What is the word count for Greasy Lake?
Word Count: 389. "Greasy Lake" is a story about three college-age boys and what happens to them one night when they visit a local teen hangout, Greasy Lake. The narrator and his two friends, Jeff and Digby, have been cruising in his mother's Bel Air station wagon all night; the narrator explains that they thought they were "dangerous characters," ...
How long is the free trial for Greasy Lake?
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Greasy Lake study guide. You'll get access to all of the Greasy Lake content, as well as access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
What did the narrator do to Bobby?
The narrator, humiliated by a kick to the mouth, hits Bobby over the head with a tire iron, perhaps hurting him seriously. Bobby’s girl emerges screaming from the car, half-clothed, and the three, impassioned and heedless from the recent violence, attempt to rape her.
How old was the narrator when he went to Greasy Lake?
An unnamed narrator, looking back on his past, recalls “a time when it was good to be bad,” when he and his friends, at nineteen years old, were desperate to be seen as “dangerous characters.” In order to do so they “wore torn-up leather jackets, sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine, [and] went up to Greasy Lake .” Once a clear, glistening lake, it has now become a murky and “festering” place, but it is still all the boys know of nature.
What does the narrator hear the fox tell the two blond drivers of the car?
The narrator hears The Fox tell the two blond drivers of the car that the boys “tried to rape [her]” and then two voices (one of which the narrator recognizes, with relief, to be the Bad Character’s) call threats against the boys into the night.
What does the Fox call the bad character?
The Fox, calling the Bad Character “Bobbie,” implores him to stop so that they can leave. They do, and are soon followed by the two blond men. The narrator lies in “the primordial ooze” at the lake’s edge for a long time, bemoaning his bad fortune.
Who are the narrator's friends in the movie Bel Air?
The narrator and his friends Digby and Jeff (who, like the narrator, are teenagers benefiting from a comfortable, middle-class adolescence) take the narrator’s mother’s Bel Air out “past the housing developments and shopping malls” to the lake.
What car does the narrator drive in Greasy Lake?
The narrator drives his mother's car, a Chevy Bel Air. Digby pounds the dashboard along with the music blaring out of the car radio. Jeff vomits out of the window. They arrive at Greasy Lake sometime after 2:00 a.m., having headed there after the bars closed.
What iron does the narrator use to hit Bobbie?
The narrator goes for the tire iron he keeps under the driver's seat, in case he's in a fight, even though he's never been in a fight. He hits Bobbie in the ear with the tire iron. Bobbie collapses, wetting his pants. The narrator's friends look at Bobbie and then at the narrator holding the tire iron, which has a tuft of Bobbie's hair stuck in the crook. The narrator drops it. He imagines himself being tried and jailed for murder.
Why did the narrator go to Greasy Lake?
The narrator and his friends go to Greasy Lake for fun, adventure, and to see girls skinny-dipping. However, to the reader, Greasy Lake seems immediately unappealing. The narrator describes the lake as "fetid and murky," with banks strewn with glass. The narrator is attracted not to the lake itself, but rather to the sense of danger that surrounds it. Like the narrator himself, Greasy Lake is bad. He says, "We went ... to the lake ... to snuff the rich scent of possibility." The author contrasts the narrator's desire to see a naked girl against the "festering murk" of the lake.
What does the narrator hear in the lake?
He hears the girl screaming like the "Sabine women, the Christian martyrs, [and] Anne Frank dragged from the garret." He decides to swim the lake and hide in the woods on the other side. He plunges into the lake and wades up to his knees when he brushes against something. At first, he can't tell what it is. Then he realizes it is something "unspeakable, obscene," a waterlogged dead body. In a parenthetical aside, the narrator—in the present time—observes, "I was nineteen, a mere child, an infant ... and in the space of five minutes [had] struck down one greasy character and blundered into the waterlogged carcass of a second." The 19-year-old narrator wonders, "the keys, the keys, why did I have to go and lose the keys?" The narrator pitches backward in the muck and then shoots from the lake "like a torpedo." He sees the dead man's eyes in the process.
What does Greasy Lake symbolize?
As such, Greasy Lake symbolizes the lure of being bad. The narrator's escape from it symbolizes his salvation, for a time.
What does Digby say to the girls?
15 Digby says no to the girls, and the boys leave.
What were the two mistakes the narrator made?
The narrator says he made two mistakes. The first was losing his car keys in the grass when he leaped out of the car carrying "gin in one hand and a roach clip in the other ." He says, "this was a tactical error ... [as bad as] Westmoreland's decision to dig in at Khe Sanh," referencing a general's decision to defend an area of little military significance in the Vietnam War. His other mistake was thinking it was Tony Lovett's car. It was, in fact, a much lighter blue and didn't have rear-mounted speakers.
What is the hysteria of "On for the Long Haul"?
"On for the Long Haul" substantiates the hysteria of the ' duck and cover ' generation. The characters are put into a bizarre situation that borders on historical realism. The characters, Bayard Wemp, a successful business man who was used to luxury living, his highstrung neurotic wife, Fran, and their two adolescent children Melissa and Marcia, together are determined to survive an overpowering feeling of apocalyptic fever. Mr. Wemp enters into a nefarious real estate deal to purchase thirty-five acres of land in the secluded area of Bounceback, Montana. T.C. Boyle's references to "bomb shelters under patios," "world wide economic callapse," Kaddafi with "The Bomb" and the "temporarily out of food" signs suggesting possible rationing further imitate Bayards imaginary need to be prepared. T. C. Boyle writes, "Civilization itself--was on the brink of a catastrophe that would make the Dark Ages look like a Sunday-afternoon softball game." The situation the main character hopes will eventually work itself out ironically ends with his demise.
What is Greasy Lake about?
The often flamboyant outcomes of his stories are a result of his personal theory about writing—that like music, it is ultimately a form of entertainment.
When was Greasy Lake published?
Greasy Lake is a collection of short stories by T. Coraghessan Boyle published in 1985 by Viking Press .
When was Greasy Lake and Other Stories first published?
Critical reception. Greasy Lake and Other Stories was first published in 1985. The main characters in the stories are, according to Larry McCaffery, "typically lusty, exuberant dreamers whose wildly inflated ambitions lead them into a series of hilarious, often disastrous adventures.".
Where is the story "Beggar of Sivani-Hoota" set?
Though most stories are set in twentieth century America, some are set in other parts of the world. "Beggar of Sivani-Hoota" is set in India in "the remote Decan state of Sivani-Hoota," and "The Overcoat II", a reworking of Gogol ’s classic short story, is set in the Soviet Union before the fall of communism.
Who are the characters in Greasy Lake?
The "Greasy Lake" characters, Digby, whose parents paid his tuition to Cornell; Jeff, who had a dangerous personality; and the "wanna-be bad" narrator relish their "Bad Boy" image. T.
Who is the main character in the Hector Quesadilla story?
In "The Hector Quesadilla Story" the main character was "no Joltin' Joe, no Sultan of Swat, no Iron Man." Hector Hernan Jesus y Maria Quesadilla, a.k.a. "Little Cheese" is an aging baseball player stuck in a time warp. While confident about his participation in the dream of the "Big Game," Hector refuses to acknowledge his age. In this short story, Hector's family suggests that it is time to "Hang up his Spikes," after all his "son will be twenty-nine next month and his daughter has four children of her own with one on the way," but for Hector, a missed moment is continuously replayed as " the stick flashes in your hands like an Archangel's sword, and the game goes on forever. "
What did the narrator and the boys learn from the book?
The narrator and the boys went through a series of scary events that night and learned many hard lessons. They learn that there is a fine line between fun and destruction and that striving to be bad in order to be viewed as cool can result in terrifying and deadly events. These events can have serious consequences. The boys had to learn the hard way and experience these events in order to fully understand how dangerous it is to live that lifestyle.
What happens at the end of the fight?
At the end of the fight the narrator has a broken tooth as a result from a kick in the face. The boys then think they possibly murdered the bad character and immediately panic and worry about the consequences to follow. This situation reminded me about something I read in Julie Beck’s article “When Are You Really an Adult”. Julie Beck wrote “Adulthood is a social contract. For that matter, so is childhood. But like all social constructs, they have real consequences. They determine who is legally responsible for their actions and who is not, what roles people can assume in society, how people view each other, and how they view themselves. But even in the realms where it should be easiest to define the difference-law, physical development-adulthood defies simplicity.” (Beck page 2). The boys have no regard for the law and do not think about the consequences for their actions until it is too late.
How long does it take to get a plagiarism free paper?
You can receive your plagiarism free paper paper on any topic in 3 hours!
Who wrote the Greasy Lake?
The narrator, in the short story “Greasy Lake” written by TC Boyle, learned a few hard lessons throughout the story. In the beginning of the story they believed they were dangerous characters and that it was “Good to be bad”. The narrator describes a world in which “courtesy and winning ways are out of style” (Boyle page 168).
