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 writes from a participant-limited point of view allowing him to have a certain writing style to make the tone of the story more believable. A carefree and reckless attitude can be described as the tone and it is apparent in certain terms that are repeated. Terms such as, “Motherfucker” and when he says “we were bad” referring to himself and his friends allows the reader to imagine times when they too may have used diction similar to these young teens (T. Coraghessan Boyle, 168). …show more content…
It may just seem like the young teen being over dramatic about the severity of losing his keys but he compares it to being as “damaging and irreversible” as the outcome of “Westmoreland’s decision to dig in at Khe Sanh”(169). An event that according to Michael Walker, was actually “a crucible of a forming conscious” (Walker). By the narrator making these connections we better understand that this young teen is actually scared contrary to his feelings of being a bad boy. We see that the exaggeration of certain parts of the writing may be necessary to keep the story from going overboard with imagery such as the allusion to “the toad emerging from the loaf in Virgin Springs” (171). This reference was probably made to save the narrator from having to go into even more explicit details of the possibilities that could have happened that
In a restaurant, picture a young boy enjoying breakfast with his mother. Then suddenly, the child’s gesture expresses how his life was good until “a man started changing it all” (285). This passage reflects how writer, Dagoberto Gilb, in his short story, “Uncle Rock,” sets a tone of displeasure in Erick’s character as he writes a story about the emotions of a child while experiencing his mother’s attempt to find a suitable husband who can provide for her, and who can become a father to him. Erick’s quiet demeanor serves to emphasis how children may express their feelings of disapproval. By communicating through his silence or gestures, Erick shows his disapproval towards the men in a relationship with his mother as he experiences them.
As the writer gave freedom to her son, he tore a binder paper from the notebook, and he started writing about any story he wanted. Moreover, she was startled when she saw his story about The Boy In The Red Sox Shirt and Baggy Jeans. It was about a fourteen-year old girl, who
In the short story Greasy Lake, Boyle told of the changing of boys to men in one night. When it was cool to be bad. Senior year in high school, 19 years old and stupid. Not having any real clue as to the real world works, Driving mom's cars using dad's money. In Greasy Lake, T.C. Boyle used the theme of being bad by using the different characters to symbolize someone always trying to be more than they really are.
There is always a vantage point in everyone lives when they decide what kind of person they will become. Most of the time they saw it in the teenage age. The excitement of wanting to try new elements, such as drinking, smoking, or “love” exploring brought people to a new sky. Do they stay in the dark cloud or do they step out to the bright sky? Sammy of the “A&P” and the mystery narrator from “Greasy Lake” represent those in the clearest way that we can see.
Throughout T. C. Boyle’s work, “Greasy Lake”, a young man’s intrepid night leads him to discover how close death is to life. This realization causes a sombre awakening for the narrator as he falls in the midst of fatality and practically becomes a casualty himself. Following each traumatic event, the narrator’s innocence disappears and morality is called into question. When death fast approaches, and the grim reaper is breathing down his neck, the narrator subsequently realizes his mistake, but not before it’s almost too late. The first close-to-death experience the narrator and his posse have involves a case of mistaken identity.
This style is most effective with males and might not do so well with females because they might have a harder time trying to fill out a high school boy’s shoes. In the beginning the author talked about his background of his life. He tells the audience that he is a professor and has won multiple awards for teaching, so people can retain the lessons taught in the story and respect what the author has to say in the essay. Which plays on an ethos appeal, which is giving the audience credibility and trust in his piece. On the bottom of page 158, the beginning of the actual story, the author talks about some of the people on the buses in his town. He describes them as veterans and talks about the teenager’s on the bus had appeared as punks/pimps. This brings a perspective of a hood aspect to the story. Last paragraph on 158 leading onto 159, Rose was placed in a lower level class because the school had mistaken his name for another kid named Rose. This was one of the key first examples of a failed school
With his repetition of phrases such as “it really did” and “if you want to know,” his use of slang including “take a leak” and “booze hound,” and his coarse language, Holden gives the novel an upbeat, optimistic feeling, despite the book’s darker theme. Holden’s tone and diction allow the reader to relate to him and imagine him as a friend.
Narrative attitude has a large impact on the way a novel reads. It is what makes the reader feel for the narrator, connect to the story, and experience the words on the page in a moving and profound way. However, in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, the narrator appears to not be emotional in order to focus the reader’s attention on the real purpose of the novel.
In contrast, syntax provides a new perspective to the narrator s behavior as sentence structure draws attention to her erratic behavior. By her last entry, the narrator s sentences have become short and simple. Paragraphs 227 through 238 contain few adjectives resulting in limited descriptions yet her short sentences emphasize her actions providing plenty of imagery. The syntax quickly pulls the reader through the end as the narrator reaches an end to her madness.
In Tobias Wolff’s novel Old School, the narrator, a young and aspiring writer, plagiarizes a story that he views as his own in order to win his high school writing competition and impress his hero, Ernest Hemingway. “Summer Dance,” the story that he plagiarized—where “nothing was okay”—ends with the words, “Everything’s okay” (p. 125). The narrator’s truth, complicated and elusive, proves a challenge to admit as his own. As he considers writing someone else’s story, the narrator realizes how concealing his identity compromises the value of his writing and places his personal truth in question. The narrator uses others’ stories as an outlet for personal reflection, self-expression, and self-discovery without realizing
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.
Indeed, the satirical tone of this poem suggests that the speaker is somewhat critical of his father. The whiskey smell, the roughness, the inconsiderate and reckless actions are under scrutiny. The mother's frowning countenance suggests she too is rather unhappy with the scene. However, the winning tone of the poem is the light and comical one.
Several literary devices are implemented in the novel to convey the author’s experiences and feelings, thus contributing to the overall appeal of the writing. In his younger years
Diction plays a critical role in the development of the tone in a story. The type of words the author uses directly leads to the tone of the entire literary work. If ...
"It's the devils sure enough. Three of 'em! Lordy, Tom, we're goners! Can you pray?" Tom Sawyer loves to adventure. In the Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Tom the main character witnesses a murder with his best friend Huck. That changes the whole story and in the end the two boys find the murderer dead, his hidden treasure and become rich. Tom’s characterization traits prove that he has a true boyhood that others would admire.