Thomas Coraghessan Boyle's Greasy Lake

In every young person’s life, there comes a moment in which they transform from fantasy dwelling, wild teenagers into adults. For many, it is a slow, steady process which can take many years; however, for many others, it happens in an instant. Such a transformation is experienced by the narrator of the short story “Greasy Lake" by Thomas Coraghessan Boyle. During a time when it was good to be bad, the narrator and his two friends felt they were the very definition of bad; however, these three teens, desperate for treacherous adventure and new experiences, ended up getting more than they bargained for after a prank goes awfully wrong. This incident causes them to run into some people more “bad” than themselves and to the see the uncensored reality …show more content…
We were nineteen. We were bad" (129). During this time, the narrator didn’t care about anything besides being bad and having fun. They considered themselves to be baddest guys around and had no real goals or plans in life besides being as bad as they could possibly be. After establishing this fact, the narrator then goes on to tell that they had “been in and out of every bar and club [they] could think of in a twenty-mile radius” and that they “had chucked two dozen raw eggs at mailboxes and hitchhikers” (130). At this point in the story, it is evident that all the narrator wants is to seek trouble and dangerous adventures. It is slightly shown, however, that he is likely a poser and probably only wants to do all the latter to further prove to himself that he is genuinely a bad character. However, he would soon begin his transformation when, as a result of his bad attitude, he goes to Greasy Lake with his friends and experiences his first experience with true