Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle
"Greasy Lake" by T. Coraghessan Boyle is a short story that explores the turbulent experiences of three teenage friends during a summer escapade that takes a dark turn. Set against the backdrop of a seemingly carefree period, the narrative begins with the trio engaging in reckless behavior, including drinking and drug use, as they seek adventure at the titular Greasy Lake. Their journey escalates when they mistakenly confront a group of individuals, leading to a violent altercation that reveals the harsher realities of their perceived rebellion.
As the friends navigate the chaos, a series of events culminates in a distressing encounter with a floating corpse, symbolizing a loss of innocence and the consequences of their actions. The story's climax highlights themes of identity and moral ambiguity as the boys, once proud of their "bad character" image, are left shaken and introspective after the night’s events. Ultimately, "Greasy Lake" serves as a poignant commentary on youth, the search for identity, and the sometimes grim realities that accompany reckless choices, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of adolescence and the transition into adulthood.
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Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle
First published: 1982
Type of plot: Adventure
Time of work: The 1960's
Locale: A small American town and its environs
Principal Characters:
The narrator , an unnamed teenage boyDigby , the narrator's teenage friendJeff , another friendBobby , a rough character, also a teenagerAl , a "biker," who is found deadA young woman , unnamed, who is looking for Al
The Story
"Greasy Lake" is, on the surface at least, a teenage adventure story replete with high jinks, slapstick, and a good brawl. The good times go decidedly sour before the story is over, however, and the reader realizes that something more serious has been at issue all along.
The story is divided into three major sections. The first introduces the narrator and his two friends, just out of school for the summer, who cruise the streets of their small hometown, drinking, sniffing glue, and in general being what they consider "bad characters."
The longer second section of the story begins when the three drive out to scum-and refuse-clotted Greasy Lake in search of "action." A "chopper" (motorcycle) is parked on one side of the lot next to the lake, no owner in sight. A 1957 Chevy with the inevitable teenage lovers inside is parked on the other. The three friends mistake the car for that of an acquaintance; the narrator pulls his car behind the Chevy and, for a joke, flashes his headlights and honks the horn. Unfortunately, the owner of the car (Bobby) is not their friend after all. A fight ensues. The narrator and his friends are routed, comically so, by Bobby, who is in truth the "bad character" they believe themselves to be.
The relatively harmless fun now begins to sour. The narrator, humiliated by a kick to the mouth, hits Bobby over the head with a tire iron, perhaps hurting him seriously. Bobby's girl emerges screaming from the car, half-clothed, and the three, impassioned and heedless from the recent violence, attempt to rape her. They are stopped not by their consciences but by the headlights of an approaching car. This fresh carload of "bad characters" rescues the girl and chases narrator and friends into the brush surrounding the lake. Dodging rocks hurled into the darkness, the narrator dives into the lake and bumps into a true horror—a floating corpse. The second section ends as the narrator staggers out of the water and hears Bobby (recovered) and his friends battering the narrator's car.
The third section begins as dawn allows the narrator, Digby, and Jeff to survey the damage. It is some consolation, though not much, that the tires were not slashed and the car can still be driven. As they are about to leave, another car pulls into the lot. In it are two young women in their mid-twenties. One approaches and asks if the boys have seen Al, the owner of the chopper across the lake. Al, the narrator realizes, is the corpse he splashed into in the lake, but he denies having seen anyone. The woman takes a good look at the three of them—cut, bruised, and filthy—and says, "Hey, you guys look like some pretty bad characters." The three would have considered this high praise at the beginning of the story, but now they are too stunned by events to react. They decline when she offers them drugs, and the story ends as they drive away from the lake.
Bibliography
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Adams, Michael. "T. Coraghessan Boyle." In Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook: 1986, edited by J. M. Brook. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987.
Ang, Audra. "Author, Professor, Eco-Conscious." Associated Press 18 (October, 2000).
Carnes, Mark. Novel History: Historians and Novelists Confront America's Past (and Each Other). New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
DeCurtis, Anthony. "A Punk's Past Recaptured." Rolling Stone, January 14, 1988, 54-57.
Shelden, Michael. "T. Coraghessan Boyle: The Art of Fiction CLXI." Paris Review 155 (Summer, 2000): 100-126.
"T. Coraghessan Boyle." In Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Dan Marowski. Vol. 36. Detroit: Gale Research, 1986.
Vaid, Krishna Baldev. "Franz Kafka Writes to T. Coraghessan Boyle." Michigan Quarterly Review 35, no. 3 (Summer, 1996): 53-57.