Greasy Lake: A Dangerous Journey to Discovery
“Greasy Lake” is a chronologically written, coming of age tale, by notable author, T. Coraghessan Boyle. In this short story the reader is transported to a place and time that served as a pinnacle awakening in the lives of three nineteen year old young men. Where the reader is allowed to follow our un-named narrator and his friends through a dark journey of events that unfold one fateful summer night. The main characters, who can only be adequately described as suburban pretenders, who want nothing more than to be considered “bad” when they stumble upon much more than what they bargained at 2 o’clock in the morning (357). The actions of these rebellious youth and the consequences that follow would challenge the moral compass of most people, yet it is exactly want drew …show more content…
As the sun is rising and the sounds of crickets give way to the chips of birds, the narrator emerges from the murky waters of his baptism. I get the impression this is meant to symbolize his baptism as a reformed adolescent. There he is joined by his companions who “to gape at the ravaged automobile” (361). All three of them clearly transformed by what has taken place. Like “war veterans” returning home from the war, they are truly traumatized by their experiences (362). They are able to find the keys to the car, and to their surprise, all of the tires are still intact. The end of this saga brings our trio one final encounter with a young woman from a mustang looking for “Al” (362). The girl also comments to them that you look like "some pretty bad characters" and then she invites the three young men to party with her and her friend (362). I am certain that partying was the last thing these characters wanted to do in that moment. For our narrator “thought he was going to cry” at her request and after declining he put the car in gear and took leave of Greasy Lake
“Greasy Lake” is a chronologically written, coming of age tale, by notable author, T. Coraghessan Boyle. In this short story the reader is transported to a place and time that served as a pinnacle awakening in the lives of three nineteen year old young men. Where the reader is allowed to follow our un-named narrator and his friends through a dark journey of events that unfold one fateful summer night. The main characters, who can only be adequately described as suburban pretenders, who want nothing more than to be considered “bad” when they stumble upon much more than what they bargained at 2 o’clock in the morning (357). The actions of these rebellious youth and the consequences that follow would challenge the moral compass of most people, yet it is exactly want drew …show more content…
As the sun is rising and the sounds of crickets give way to the chips of birds, the narrator emerges from the murky waters of his baptism. I get the impression this is meant to symbolize his baptism as a reformed adolescent. There he is joined by his companions who “to gape at the ravaged automobile” (361). All three of them clearly transformed by what has taken place. Like “war veterans” returning home from the war, they are truly traumatized by their experiences (362). They are able to find the keys to the car, and to their surprise, all of the tires are still intact. The end of this saga brings our trio one final encounter with a young woman from a mustang looking for “Al” (362). The girl also comments to them that you look like "some pretty bad characters" and then she invites the three young men to party with her and her friend (362). I am certain that partying was the last thing these characters wanted to do in that moment. For our narrator “thought he was going to cry” at her request and after declining he put the car in gear and took leave of Greasy Lake