Gressy Lake Review
The boy in "Greasy Lake" changes his outlook on life throughout the story. The way he viewed himself at the time of the events to the way he views himself after the story takes place. The narrator in this story is well rounded. There are many parts in the text showing the reader this. The story is told in a first person participant point of view, which lets the reader see into the mind and thoughts of the narrator. In the case of "Greasy Lake" the narrator has many thoughts and emotions brought forth for the reader that would automatically rule out the fact that he would be a stock or flat character. He worries and he cares for his friends. He is not unlike any regular teen that just graduated high school. He likes to "drink gin and grape juice", and show the world that "we [narrator and friends] don't give a shit about anything". (112). Smoking pot, and cruising up and down the strip are fun times for the narrator just like our kids will do. The view that the narrator has on himself the time the story is taking place is a bad dude. He states "We were bad". (112) I believe that the story takes place in the late 50's, and back then the word "bad" meant cool in certain social groups. Like in the mo
I also feel as though the narrator had a sudden epiphany when he came out of the water the next morning. Back in the beginning he states "This was nature" when referring to parting up at greasy lake. He was having fun with all of his friends while enjoying everything that was going on around him. The birds the crickets and the nice breeze that was floating by. He had the same though about nature when he walked out of the water and found everything the next morning to be completely still. The same breeze was there and the birds were still chirping but something was very different and he knew it. He realized that his life would no longer be the same as it did. He would no longer be just a kid that hung around doing drugs and parting. Now he was a criminal and he had seen a dead body and lied about it. He realized that life was going to continue on without him. That is were the sudden epiphany comes from. For being smart, the narrator sure made some stupid decisions. I think that we can all believe that. Why would he not tell anyone about the body in the river and why would he want to hang out with the crowd he did? Why rape? What lead him to do the things he did? We don't know and the police don't and we wonder if he even knows the answer as to why. But he did. vie "Grease" the greasers were bad and they often referred to themselves as bad. The narrator wore clothes with worn out knees and leather jackets. Most likely had slicked back hair and had breath that smelled like a brewery. At that time he thought it cool to be bad. Many other things came alone with being bad, most smoked pot, drank beer, loved many different girls and drove supped up cars. The narrator falls right into this category. I found only one thing to be missing from his whole make up of being bad. That would be his feelings about it all. I don't believe that he felt right doing a lot of the things that he did. I was under the impression that he was inexperienced with the actions he did. Sure he hung out with two dangerous characters that he thought of as cool, but he talks as though he thought he himself was bad but really not at all. He speaks of being bad like it's cool but then realizes it really isn't. For example on page 114 he says, "I kept it there because bad characters always keep tire irons under the driver's seat, for just such an occasion as this." If taken the way I see it, you see it as he wanted to be bad and he does what bad people do to look it. In a way he refers to it as an allusion or a dream he wanted to be but really knowing he wasn't there. After some of his actions he has second thoughts, like going to jail, or even actually hurting someone. Then he realizes what bad is. Is the narrator a dynamic or static? We know him to be a dynamic. After the big fight scene and the encounter with the body that belonged to the man with the "chopper", the narrator was a changed man. He was also being accused of murdering the dead man in the water. The reason the narrator is dynamic is because his thoughts of himself being bad change. The way that he spent his life was most likely not good enough for him know that he is in jail to serve the time. He wonders if he could have lived his liv
Some common words found in the essay are:
Greasy Lake, greasy lake, , bad narrator, happened night, playing chess, narrator telling story, telling story police, story police, telling story, flat character, bad traits, narrator telling, attempted rape,
Approximate Word count = 2186
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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