Critical Review of Greasy Lake

When I began reading Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle, I thought these boys were exhibiting typical behavior of young-adult men and their behavior led them to trouble. Boyle kept my interest by anticipation and turn ones stomach at the boys of the boys behavior in this story. The narrator, who is the main character of the story, often describes himself and his friends as corky characters and this becomes more convincing in the story. Boyle also used Greasy Lake at not only the move for this story but also as a character.He described the lake as fetid and murky, the blow banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer hind ends and the charred remains of bonfires. Greasy Lake is used as a symbol for the spring chicken culture itself in the story and is littered by alcohol, sex and violence. When the boys first came across the greasy military man at the lake, their attitudes change for a moment, all three of them are scared. When they began to fight with the man, th e narrator grabbed the tire press out out of fear.Once the three of them beat him up and knock him unconscious, I suppose this only increase their already arrogant attitudes. When they attempt to rape the greasy mans lady companion, I think that shows how truly pathetic each of them are, acting like deranged brothers. In a very distressful way, the boys were asserting a primal physical dominance over the woman. I think Boyles was direct a message that there are consequences for our actions.Even though kids tend to think theyre vast and bad and have it all figured out, these once cocky boys quickly became horrified once they had to front the consequences of their actions. I personally enjoyed reading Greasy Lake very much. The language in the story Boyle used is rude and literal, but it goes with the theme of badness portrayed by his characters. Boyle emphasizes the corruption of the lake by using it as a not only the setting, but also as tool to compare the narrator and the y outh of the time.In the beginning, the narrator is as corrupted as the lake though born pure and clear he becomes deflower by the beer and wildness of his culture. By ending with the beaten narrator and his friend refusing drugs and driving home, Boyle left me with a sense of for the boys that they are not really bad characters after all. The narrator has realized the consequences of his actions, and that he can no longer act invincible.