From Fox to Female An Analysis of Male Behavior Towards the Women of T. Coraghessan Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” Written as part of a short story collection, author T. Coraghessan Boyle’s “Greasy Lake” presents itself as a climactic account of one night in a less than savory young man’s life. Upon closer inspection “Greasy Lake” reveals a complex series of foreboding events that incorporate the innocence and ignorance males have when presented with different social scenarios and the female gender. Through
by Thomas Coraghessan Boyle exposes this rational alteration in three young but “undeveloped” men as they face a chain of faults, penalties, and reiteration. “Greasy Lake" is an extremely polished short story that hints the proceedings
Being the first time in reading a short story from T. Coraghessan Boyle, I have to say that his way of writing is bold. In “The Lie”, Boyle chose the perfect point view and perfect use of characters but what he also did well was the use of imagery. Boyle’s use of character was astonishing because he tended to give each character their own personality as well as their own problems. The point of view Boyle chose was perfect because throughout the whole story I felt connected to the protagonist along
Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle Nature has a powerful way of portraying good vs. bad, which parallels to the same concept intertwined with human nature. In the story “Greasy Lake” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, the author portrays this through the use of a lake by demonstrating its significance and relationship to the characters. 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
Making Decisions is a Big Part of Life In life we are challenged daily in making the right or wrong decision. In order to do what is right it takes a strong will person who is a leader and not a follower of the masses. The authors T. Coraghessan Boyle and William Faulkner in the short stories “Greasy Lake” and “Barn Burning”, portrayed how individuals can be leaders and ultimate make good decisions against all odds. So what character traits help these young men to eventually become good decisions
connection, allowing individuals to explore diverse perspectives, articulate their thoughts, and shape the world around them. Drawing inspiration from my experience of reading in this module, particularly the prescribed text "Chicxulub" by T. Coraghessan Boyle, I've been motivated to explore innovative language and structure features in crafting my narrative titled The Hidden Journey. This informative statement explores the intentions and decisions that underlie a story that is motivated by the pursuit
or perhaps a stuffed animal. For others it could be cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol. The choices that we make not only affect ourselves, but also affect the people we care about. In the short stories “The Farm” by Joy Williams and “Balto” by Coraghessan Boyle, we see the effects that alcohol can have on a person. We can also deduce from these short stories the effects that alcohol can have on a family as well. There are many problems that arise from alcohol abuse. The three main focal points in these
The act of maturing is a struggle every individual must endure and for some it is a rather awkward stage of life. In his writing of “Greasy Lake”, author Tom Coraghessan Boyle chose a first person perspective to intricately entwine the reader and the narrator’s minds. Three young men all of different characteristics implore on a journey they may soon be in hopes of forgetting. The lush and detailed setting of “greasy lake” soon provides for the good times the boys sought after. Though by the closing
Bruce Springsteen once wrote in his song “Spirit In The Night” does “anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake?” T. Coraghessan Boyle referenced this Springsteen song in his short story “Greasy Lake.” Unlike the song which is supposed to be about people having a fun and rebellious night, Boyle turns Springsteen’s lyrics into dark and painful memories. The story was about the narrator, who remained unnamed throughout the entirety of it, and his friends Digby and Jeff who went to hang out at Greasy Lake
The opening paragraph of “Greasy Lake” written by T. Coraghessan Boyle, displays the fact that the following passage is nothing but a mere recollection for the narrator. In this recollection, the unnamed narrator speaks about how life was like during the days of his youth. The narrator describes his youth in a very descriptive way displaying what actions surrounded his life and what he acted like. For example, in the opening sentence he said, “There was a time when courtesy and winning ways went
A common trait to young adults is ignorance. They all think that they have complete control of the world and have a full understanding of what is going on. The literary works “Greasy Lake” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, “To the Virgins, to Make Much Time” by Robert Herrick, and Antigone by Sophocles all share the same theme of the dangers of ignorance. Each story can be broken into different parts of this theme, whether it be uninformed about the dangers of life, how the world works, or the bliss of being
T. Coraghessan Boyle published “Greasy Lake.” in 1985 along with several other short stories. T.C. Boyle writes about a group of young teenage boys who are trying to see what kind of trouble they can find on a cool summer night. Little did these young rapscallions know trouble would find them sooner than expected. By analyzing the language and tone of “Greasy Lake” we not only create an image of this eerie lake, but a better understanding of the authors’ attitude towards the story. The narrator
Carnal Knowledge by Boyle In the story “Carnal Knowledge”, by T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jim is the main character who loves to eat meat. He would love nothing more than to enjoy a dinner of “Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs”. (1107) However, Jim’s cravings for “Kentucky Fried or Chicken McNuggets” were no match for Alena Jorgensen. (1108) Alena is an obsessive animal rights activist whom Jim met while laying on the beach feeling sorry for himself. When a person has
T. Coraghessan Boyle is the author of Greasy Lake. Boyle was born in 1948 in Peekskill, New York, son of Irish immigrants. Mr. Boyle’s character, which is the narrator, corresponds to who he was during his young years. He was a privileged college kid as he recalls, “as a sort of pampered punk”. He later on became a high school teacher for quite some years, while he studied in the University of Iowa processing stories for his PH.D. He has recently published four novels and was quickly noticed due
There are many themes highlighted in the short story Greasy Lake, by T. Coraghessan Boyle. Some of these themes include being adventurous, violence, and being young and restless. However, there is a main message that stands out more than the others and is the most centered theme of the story. 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
different ways. If a person loves someone, they may be willing to do whatever they can to protect them. Or perhaps it’s the love one harbors for themselves that causes them to do the unthinkable. In short story “The Love of My Life,” author T. Coraghessan Boyle seems to use the idea of motivation between a young couple who are said to be madly in love. The couple morals behind and have no recollection of the society in which they live where their actions, no matter if they were a secret, will always
Gender in “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway’s 1927 short story “Hills Like White Elements” explores the way a couple discuss an ‘operation’ (42) which the woman is to receive, which is implied to be abortion without actually mentioning the word itself. It is set at a table at a train station somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid in Spain. The couple consists of an American male and a ‘girl’ (5), whose name is later revealed to be Jig (42), which might imply that perhaps she is younger
What does it mean to be “bad”? In his short story “Greasy Lake”, T. Coraghessan Boyle writes: “There was a time when chivalry and winning ways went out of style, when it was good to be bad”. Being “bad” can mean dressing uniquely and acting differently, but there is a line between being a “bad” character and being truly “bad”. When that line is crossed unfortunate things happen to the character. Boyle uses the setting of Greasy Lake to show how a teenage wasteland can lead to moral decay. To begin
In the short story “Tooth and Claw” written by T. Coraghessan Boyle, the protagonist, Junior, is a man who lacks motivation and is full of disappointment. He falls in love with a girl named Daria who brings him happiness. He also wins a wild cat in the bar where Daria works. However, Daria eventually leaves Junior. “I steeled myself, pulled open the door, and slipped inside. And then- and I don't know why- I pulled the door shut behind me” (Boyle 83). This is a meaningful ending that makes people
stopped the mass spread of malaria. But the reward is not worth the damage that it does to the environment, especially in modern day where we have other ways to prevent parasite and diseases from getting to us. "Top of the Food Chain" by T. Coraghessan Boyle, is a story about the absolute absurdity of things that human beings do to their world and to their fellow living beings. Set during a Senate hearing by a chemical company executive on the defensive about the effects of DDT in Borneo. Basically