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How does literature shape culture
Symbolism in greasy lake
What Are The Themes In Greasy Lake By T.C. Boyle
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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 out of style, when it was good to be bad, when you cultivated decadence like a taste. We were all dangerous characters then” (Boyle 569). This statement describes the societal norms of his generation and the type of behavior he was striving to model …show more content…
Greasy Lake was once beautiful and clear until the actions of humanity changed it to something that was filled with chaos and destruction. The Native Americans used to call Greasy lake Wakan, which was a reference to its clear waters (Boyle 570). The narrator says that, “Now it was fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of the bonfires” (Boyle 570). The lake acts a symbol because this was where the youth went to party and have the times of their lives. These characters went to Greasy Lake because to them, this was “nature” (Boyle 570). Moreover, the desolate lake could have been a representation of the people who went there in search of fun. The “bad” characters who visited Greasy Lake were associated with the transfiguration of the lake. This once beautiful lake was now a party site which, “…is associated with decay and destruction…” …show more content…
The next symbol was the corpse that the narrator encountered in the river after the events with Bobby transpired. The narrator encountering the corpse in the lake was significant because it was a visual representation of not only the river but also death. The corpse was a representation of the river; Greasy Lake was a place filled with death, danger, and destruction. Additionally, his encounter with the corpse drew him to the realization that “…life and sin inevitably lead one to: the corpse, death” (Vannatta). The narrator’s encounter with Bobby and the woman he was with, display the sins of: pride, lust, and greed. During his submersion in the lake, the protagonist was able to perceive and understand that these sins cannot accompany him towards his path to adulthood. One can notice that the narrator is not necessarily a “bad” guy, rather he is one who is confused and wants to relate to his friends Digby and Jeff. The realization of his true character was revealed whenever he was glad that Bobby was alive. The narrator could understand that there would be trouble and repercussions had he actually died from the tire iron. His true feelings were displayed when he said, “...I suddenly felt a rush of joy and vindication: the son of a bitch was alive!” (Boyle 574). The narrator felt the sudden rush of vindication because he was now clear of any blame or suspicion that would later impact
In the short story “Touching Bottom”, the author Kari Strutt uses a variety of examples of symbolism as a way to emphasize important traits about the narrator to the reader. First of all, Strutt uses the yellow towel as a symbol for the narrator’s feeling of comfort and security. For example, when the narrator opens her eyes for the first time underwater as a young girl “[she] [is] afraid”(124), but when her father greets her with a yellow towel after she surfaces “the fear, what [is] left of it, [evaporates]”(124). This shows the reader how the narrator finds safety in her yellow towel since all of the fear that she has trapped in her body is released when she is wrapped in the yellow towel. Furthermore, Strutt uses the contrast between murky
One symbol appears throughout chapter three, the turtle. It is a symbol for the migrants and how some people will go out of their way to knock them down, “the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it” simply because they want to, they want to feel like they are powerful (Steinbeck 22). However, some of the people go out of their way to avoid hurting the migrants, “she saw the turtle and swung to the right, off the highway, the wheels screamed and a cloud of dust boiled up” because they know that it would be immoral to hurt something, although they have more power (Steinbeck 22). Another example of a symbol is Rose of Sharon’s pregnancy, it holds new life for the family, except when the baby is born it is “a blue shriveled little mummy” that “‘Never breathed’ said Mrs. Wainwright softly. ‘Never was alive.’” symbolizing how the Joads never really had a chance (Steinbeck 603). They believe in their hearts that they persevere throughout their trials, but in the end they realized their certain doom as soon as they left for California, maybe even
In “The First Part Last” there are many, many symbols spread all throughout the book. All of them symbolize him either growing up or not being mature. Symbols are a main part of this book and you have to look deeper than the pages to find them. Here are four of the major symbols in the book.
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 can be a direct reflection of the characters and the experiences they encounter.
The role of symbolism in Bernard Malamud's The Natural is important in helping the reader understand the theme and meaning of the novel as well as the time period in which it took place. Malamud¡¦s use of symbolism defines the character of Roy Hobbs and shows how the events occurring around him affected his decisions and, eventually, his career.
The symbols and images reinforce each other because they create a dark image of the future in the minds of the audience, and also present familiar religious signs like fire in Hell. What makes the imagery so effective in the essay is that it resonates with the audience because of the religious connections that Edwards
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.
Symbolism is strongly represented through Kaplan’s short story. The symbols represented are the ocean, the killing of the doe and the woods. Visiting the ocean for the first time at the Jersey Shore was new for Andy. Since then she had been awfully frightened of the ocean. She believes the ocean to be a huge, vast that constantly moved, keeps shifting
Blythe, Hal, and Charlie Sweet. “An Historical Allusion In Cheever's 'The Swimmer'.” Studies In Short
There are more clues and subtle hints that reinforce these statements, most correlating to her mental illness and self-perception. The statements made through the use of said symbolism turns this story into an interesting viewpoint of a psychological breakdown.
“You think you can walk on water with your book? Look where they got you, in slime up to your lip. If I stir the slime with my little finger, you’ll drown!” It is through this confrontation with Beatty, when he finally removes himself from the society- crossing the river, which symbolises purification as it changes him from ignorance and conformity to knowledge and individual.
The story’s theme is related to the reader by the use of color imagery, cynicism, human brotherhood, and the terrible beauty and savagery of nature. The symbols used to impart this theme to the reader and range from the obvious to the subtle. The obvious symbols include the time from the sinking to arrival on shore as a voyage of self-discovery, the four survivors in the dinghy as a microcosm of society, the shark as nature’s random destroyer of life, the sky personified as mysterious and unfathomable and the sea as mundane and easily comprehended by humans. The more subtle symbols include the cigars as representative of the crew and survivors, the oiler as the required sacrifice to nature’s indifference, and the dying legionnaire as an example of how to face death for the correspondent.
First, White uses imagery throughout his essay to create an effective visual of his experiences at the lake. To start his essay, White reflects on his childhood memories of the lake when he and his family visited every summer: “I remembered clearest of all the early morning, when the lake was cool and motionless, remembered how the bedroom smelled of the lumber it was made of and the wet woods whose scent entered the screen.” This passage enhances
To the readers, this reveals a further truth within the narrator each time. This repeated image that is described is a signifier to her true trauma. The first mention of the body in the river is a critical signifier in the story.
A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. (2009 Open-Ended Question for AP English Literature and Composition).