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Question 1.
At the beginning of the story of the ‘Greasy lake’ we are introduced to three boys who are looking for trouble. The narrator and the two other boys are depicted as adventurous as they head to look for trouble. The urge of looking for trouble makes the three young boys look like daredevils. They want to look bad and dangerous. Although they possess different characters, they are united for a common course, and that is looking for trouble. The unnamed narrator is desperate to appear bad and dangerous at the beginning of the story. He tries to seem passive and cool. Eventually, he reveals that he is actually nervous. Digby can be described as a dangerous character. He takes the leadership role and leads the others in starting trouble. Of the three, Jeff is characterized by inaction. He seems to be lazy and uncertain. The three boys want to look for trouble, and that’s the reason they found their way to the Greasy Lake. Eventually, the problems escalate making them frightened. They realize that they never wanted to be involved in such a mess. Instead of becoming the bad boys, they realize that it is not worth and don’t want to be anymore. I do sympathize with the three boys due to their actions. They wanted to look rebellious, attacking innocent people. Due to this, they end up hiding rather than enjoying the coolness of being bad boys. Their freedom is restricted, and they forego the rebellious character. The narrator begins to grasp the seriousness of the situation after he knocks out a man down. They don’t know whether he is dead or not. They all run away to hid in the weeds. They feared of being tracked for their actions.
Question 2
At the beginning of the story, Greasy Lake is depicted as a symbol. A lake contains waters to which every person wants to explore. At the age of 19 years and a being brought up in a community with changing values, the boys are in dire need for freedom. The curiosity leads them to the greasy lake. The lake is not a representation of nature. The boys want to test the waters of independence. Through this, they want to find their own definition of a man. The setting of the story provides a perfect escape from the normal home life. Being at the lake is adventurous, and the freedom they want will be guaranteed. Being in a lake guarantees the freedom as everyone around that region is occupied with exploration. As the name of the lake suggests ‘Greasy’ something sinister was going to happen. The boys make a grief mistake that result from bad decisions. Just like testing the waters may seem cool, the story begins with promising freedom. Before they could even enjoy their independence, the boys are transformed into a monster, beating innocent people. The mood of the story is depicted by the dark and smelling stench of the Greasy Lake. The smelly stench is a depiction of how rebellion from the norms would be being lost and perceived as outcasts. The narrators setting has changed in that he thought that he wanted to be bad but ended up hiding due to the mistakes he committed out of the curiosity of being a bad boy. Boyle repeats the phrase ‘this was nature’ for a purpose. He wants to show that this was a normal thing that happens all the time. Being rebellious was normal, and the consequences are known. The boys are not the first people to desire to be cool by being rebellious, and therefore it becomes nature.
Question 3
In literature, water is a representation of spirituality and transition. The fact that the lake is greasy and polluted is a representation of the society at the time. The three young boys’ rebellious behavior is aspired by the desires to look cool in the society which is attained by being bad and dangerous. The narrator huddles out of the water near a bloated dead body of ‘Al’ breaking down into tears. The reason behind is that he realizes they are not truly bad as they had thought. They as well don’t want to be bad. They just admire the image of being bad and dangerous without getting into the hardships. The results of the narrator make him want to revert. He wants to go back to the safety of his hope and to his parents. The true dangers that led to the dead body was not part of the boys’ expectations. The narrator wants to go back to his cautioned life. While coming out of the water, he recognizes that there are people who live in badness. But despite this, he realizes that being bad is filled with insecurity that had led them into the mess they are in as well as the dangers that culminate in the floating body of the dead motorcycle owner are not meant for him. The presence of the dead body, therefore, is a representation of the evils caused by being rebellious in the attempt of becoming bad and dangerous. After leaving the waters, he contemplates that being bad is not meant for him. He needs to be a good person in accordance with the religion to avoid the stretching smell which are the consequences of being bad.
Reference
Boyle, T. C. (1986). Greasy Lake and other stories. Penguin.
