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The setting of greasy lake story
The setting of greasy lake story
Symbolism in greasy lake
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Naturalism is the most interesting type of literature, because it describes the actual circumstances of human life through its characters by giving the author the opportunity to make his/ her stories factual or realistic. The short story “Greasy Lake” by T C. Boyle is naturalistic because nature is literally referred to as the key to the progression of life. As for the novel “The Outsiders” by S. E. Hinton the author expresses naturalism through a 14- year old boy named Pony Boy Curtis. Pony struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes he is an outsider. The main element in “Greasy Lake” is the setting, giving us readers a clear and simple interpretation of what is being told by the author. Greasy Lake is the main location of the story. It is well described as isolated “Through the center of town, up the strip, past the housing development” a dark place “trees crowding the asphalt in black unbroken walls” (Boyle 529). The narrator describes their surroundings by using imagery, so that the reader is able to get a sense of how unpleasant the area is. The boys want to be considered as undesirable people so they hang out in an unwelcoming place where they can act out and be mischievous. This is because of the inexistence of an authority; the darkness is surrounding their shocking behavior, along with the fact that the lake was attended by genuinely bad characters such as drug dealers. It was more like a social setting. For some awkward reason this lake seemed to be so attractive to the narrator; it was “bad” in his eyes, and bad is what he wanted. Michael Walker agrees that the guys were caught up in the woes of self-image because naturally people want to be like those around to fit in (247). This is naturalism... ... middle of paper ... ...er it has put their life in. As for “The Outsiders” we have the two social groups the Socs and the Greasers who separate themselves based on wealth. The Greasers always thought the Socs had it better than them, but in the end they find out that the Socs are cool to the point where they do not hold a grudge towards them. By reading these two stories I realized we are young individuals who make mistakes. We are not perfect, sometimes we go through a path in life that may rip our life away, but yet we learn from our mistakes and turn our life around. Works Cited Gioia, Dana., Kennedy, X.J. Greasy Lake. Literature. 2013. 529-536. Print. Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. 1982.Print. Inderbitzin, Michelle. Outsiders and Justice Consciousness.2003.358-362. Print. Walker, Michael. Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” and the Moral Failure of Postmodernism. 1994. 247. Print.
In the beginning of the story the narrator and his boys considered themselves to be bad boys because of what they did, what people thought they were, and what they wore. To them, it was cool to be dangerous and bad. The people who wasn’t, were irrelevant. The narrator and his boys “wore torn-up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouths, sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine” (par.1). Also they “struck elaborate poses to show that we didn’t give a shit about anything” (par. 1). The narrator looked forward to the nightlife and the bad stereotypes along with that, including: drinking, drug use, sex, violence, etc…. even though the narrator was only 19 years of age. The three of them would go uptown to Greasy Lake regularly, to party a hang out with others. Until one night the narrator and his boys encountered a rude awakening at Greasy Lake.
The lake is the main symbol in “Greasy Lake” that symbolizes youth corruption. When the narrator enters the lake, he describes it as already being “ankle-deep in muck and tepid water and still going strong” (Boyle 5). The filthy description of the water is used to show the gloomy and corrupt waters in this lake. The lake also was “fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires” (1). These descriptions revolving around the lake show that this lake was where people went to be “bad” people. Primitive acts were done here,
The narrator and his friends in “Greasy Lake” tries to make themselves look like rebels. They wanted to appear to be bad to everyone around them. Boyle writes “We were all dangerous characters then. We wore torn up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouths, sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine” (529). The narrator and his friends also did many other things to produce the effect of being cool and intimidating. In the end of the story the narrator and his friends have the chance to keep up their false bad guy image; however they decides to choose a higher road.
In 'Greasy Lake,' the dualism of the characters' nature is ever-present. They are self-proclaimed bad guys who 'cultivated decadence like a taste' (79). As the story progresses, however, it is revealed that just the opposite is true. While they are essentially caricatures of themselves, it is this dynamic that drives the story. Their tough exterior is just that, an exterior veneer that permeates their actions as 'dangerous characters.' The narrator is somewhat detached from the younger self of his story. It is an ironic detachment'a parody of his moral ignorance. He recalls the 'bad? antics of his youth: driving their 'parents' whining station wagons,' but doing so as bad as humanly possible, of course. He mocks both himself and his friends in his retrospection of their experience in Greasy Lake, the consummate locale of 'bad.' To the boys, the lake serves as a kind of haven for bad characters such as themselves. Truly, however, the lake is an extension of the dynamic between who the boys are and who they parade around as. It is here where the previous and false understanding about their world is shattered, and they are thrust into a moralistic reformation. Ultimately, the dichotomous nature of the protagonist is resolved by his visit to the lake, and perhaps, the lake itself.
Greasy Lake was once beautiful and clear until the actions of humanity changed it to something that was filled with chaos and destruction. The Native Americans used to call Greasy lake Wakan, which was a reference to its clear waters (Boyle 570). The narrator says that, “Now it was fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of the bonfires” (Boyle 570). The lake acts a symbol because this was where the youth went to party and have the times of their lives. These characters went to Greasy Lake because to them, this was “nature” (Boyle 570). Moreover, the desolate lake could have been a representation of the people who went there in search of fun. The “bad” characters who visited Greasy Lake were associated with the transfiguration of the lake. This once beautiful lake was now a party site which, “…is associated with decay and destruction…”
The narrator in Greasy Lake considers himself and his friends to be “bad” boys. He says that they wear leather jackets with ripped jeans and walk around with a toothpick in their mouths. He talks about how his friends were all dangerous characters. “Digby wore a gold star in his right ear and allowed his father to pay his college intuition; Jeff was thinking of quitting school to become a painter or musician” (Boyle pg. 294) The narrator has an immature personality, he wants to be known as being a bad boy, a tough guy but deep down he knows he’s not that at all.
“Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold”. There is a great deal of meaning that goes with that quote. It means to stay innocent and youthful. This story takes place in a small town in Oklahoma called Windrixville. There are two gangs that are constantly fighting. A 14 year old boy named Ponyboy is caught within between a gang rivalry(greasers vs. socs). Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers named Sodapop and Darry, since their parents passed away. Ponyboys best friend is a boy named Johnny, who feels like he is not cared about or loved. The family friends of ponyboys family are two people who are in the gang, their names are two-bit and dally. These two gangs may have their differences, nevertheless ponyboys story helps us realize that in the end they are still people.
T. Coraghessan Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” is set in the 1960s, a time, as the narrator sees it, “when it was good to be bad” (125). As a result, he believes he is a “dangerous character” and strengthens his image by doing rebellious things in his town. However during his journey to and back from Greasy Lake, he is thrown into a different setting, where his experiences tint his understanding of humanity. The narrator transforms from someone who thinks he knows who he is, to losing his sense of self, then being shocked back into reality, and finally becoming aware. The narrator’s perception of nature and his surroundings parallel the regression and evolution of his understanding of self-awareness.
In 1967, S.E. Hinton wrote the classic novel, the Outsiders. In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola turned this classic novel into a movie. Featuring Tom Cruise and many other young stars, the movie soon became a classic too. Both the movie and the novel are based on Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser from Tulsa, Oklahoma, but there are some major differences between the book and the movie. Even the main characters are very different from the original book. So, how are the novel and movie similar and different and how does that affect the audience's experience?
To begin, Greasy lake is a place for teens to act or flirt with the idea of “bad”.The narrator writes: “It was 2:00 A.M; the bars were closing. There was nothing to do but take a bottle of lemon-flavored gin up to Greasy Lake”. Usually teens that are “bad” are up in the wee hours of morning, drinking and messing around. As the story progresses, the narrator
The narrator in “Greasy Lake” is a very interesting character and really changes throughout the story. The narrator thought that he was “bad” until an interesting night that had which changed all that. “We were dangerous characters then. We wore torn-up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouths, sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine.” The narrator did things that were wrong and he didn’t care what his parents thought. He even took his “parents’ whining station wagons out onto the street and left a patch of rubber half a block long.”
Naturalism is about bringing humans into the “natural world”. We, as humans, are seen as aspects of nature collectively not separate like they once were. “Naturalism holds that everything we are and do is connected to the rest of the world and derived from conditions that precede us and surround us. Each of us is an unfolding natural process, and every aspect of that process is caused, and is a cause itself ” (“A Guide for Naturalism”). Humans are like “animals” they contain the same drives that animals have. They are just plain “natural”. Many authors express naturalism in their writings such as Kate Chopin. She expresses a naturalistic view on sexual drives which classify her as a naturalistic writer.
First, White uses imagery throughout his essay to create an effective visual of his experiences at the lake. To start his essay, White reflects on his childhood memories of the lake when he and his family visited every summer: “I remembered clearest of all the early morning, when the lake was cool and motionless, remembered how the bedroom smelled of the lumber it was made of and the wet woods whose scent entered the screen.” This passage enhances
“The two different world we lived in weren’t so different”(41). There were unresponsible parents, dead friends, and unfaithful love. These are the kinds of problems that are faced in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. These problems are not just faced by one group. These problems are faced by both greasers and socs. In this book, Hinton uses Johnny’s and Bob’s parents issues, Randy’s and Dally’s loss and Bob’s and Sodapop’s sad-love stories to tell the reader that life is tough no matter what kind of social class someone has.
Naturalism developed from literary Realism in the late nineteen century and was heavily influenced by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The movement sought to explain the underlying causes for a person’s actions and beliefs. The notion of free will was cast aside for the belief that individuals are conditioned and controlled by their heredity and environment. This was a considerable shift from writing about people in a realistic manner. Naturalists tended to concern themselves with the harsh and often low aspects of life. Many times characters are portrayed as uneducated and of a low class. Naturalistic stories revolved around real people verse traditional literature that wrote of kings and princes with magical powers. An analysis of the short stories “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane and “To Build a Fire” by Jack London will show how these stories fit into the American Naturalistic genre.