Name___________________________________________
Summer Reading Project – Model Sample Format
__________________Class
September _____, 2014
Title: Greasy Lake
Author: T. C. Boyle
Protagonist:
Characterization: (8-10). The narrator is a 19 year old college boy who perceives himself as “bad”. By all accounts he
seems well educated though a bit of a partier. He drives his mother’s car and hangs around two other teens who are
similar in personality. They all define themselves as “bad” characters simply because they dress the part with leather
jackets, mirrored sunglasses, alcohol and a nonchalant attitude towards life. The main character appears to have anger
and impulse control issues as he loses his cool very quickly and allows bad actions to progress to worse. However, he
does have the capacity to learn a lesson as he has a sudden realization about his true naive and innocent self after he
commits several terrible acts. He does seem contrite at the end of the story.
Conflicts: (5-7). The narrator is faced with several conflicts in the story; the first is man versus self. The narrator is a
teenage boy who is in conflict with himself as he has not come to terms with who he really is. He thinks he is a cool,
greasy, “bad” character when in fact he is an innocent teen. As the story progresses, the narrator is in conflict with
another character- a truly cool, bad, greasy man who is the person the narrator thinks he wants to be. Finally, the
narrator is in a bit of a conflict with natural world as he finds himself struggling with the elements of nature- a greasy
lake complete with turtles, muskrats and a dead body.
Antagonist: The bad, greasy character
Characterization: His exact age is not mentioned, but the antagonist seems to be in his early twenties. While he may
not be much older than the narrator, he appears more secure in his identity- a big, muscular man who does not tolerate
anything from anyone; he lets his fists do the talking. He is tall in stature, physically fit and dressed in blue jeans and
steel -toed boots. He drives a classic muscle car and he is tough. The antagonist could be described as the “bad
character” the protagonist and his friends aspire to be.
In many ways the antagonist is mature. His lack of impulse control gets him into the attempted murder and rape
situation. He thinks he is bad character without really knowing what that means. When he finds himself face to face
with a truly “bad character” he loses his grip on reality and turns animalistic in his behavior. Another important quality
of the narrator is his ability to learn from a situation. When the opportunity to be “bad” presents itself with Sarah and
her friend, he shows that he has gained the sense to leave.
Conflict: (4-6). The antagonist in this short story is in a classic man vs. man situation. He is startled and interrupted with
his girlfriend by the protagonist and he attacks.
Secondary Characters: Digby, Jeff, The Fox, Al, Sarah and friend
Character Details: (4-6 sentence paragraph describing each person)
Digby: friend to narrator, 19, looking for action, defender of friend, educated, drinker and smoker
Jeff: very similar to Digby, musician, directionless, trained in karate
The Fox: seen as tainted by narrator and friends, hysterical, victim, and witness
Al: presumed owner of chopper, dead, possibly another “bad, greasy character”
Sarah and friends: partiers, Al’s friends, symbolize what narrator thought he was looking for.
How main characters affect minor actions and reverse: (6-8)
The minor characters have a large effect on the main characters. Digby and Jeff encourage the main character. They do
not try to prevent him in his quest for bad adventure, nor do they try to stop him from attacking the greasy character or
the Fox. They become the narrator’s partners in crime. While the narrator’s action of bumping into the metallic blue
car does initiate the attack, the bad character’s retaliation is so swift that one can assume this is not a first time assault
for the “Bobbie.” Likely, anyone who interrupts Bobbie is getting a beating. Therefore it is Bobbie’s violent reaction that
motivates the main character to aggressively retaliate. The Fox has a tremendous effect on the main character. Both
her screaming and physical appearance further propels the narrator’s crime spree. She is just a girl with painted toe
nails, yet she represents damaged goods and the next step into the unraveling of civility in the main character. The
discovery of Al’s corpse snaps the narrator back into reality: the sight of the floating human body gives way to the
magnitude of what the narrator has done. Realizing the enormity of all that has gone wrong, the main character
recognizes that he is little more than a neophyte. Al’s death puts everything into perspective for the narrator. Finally,
Sarah and her friend help the main character realize the idiocy of his original quest, to define himself as a “bad
character.”
Summary / Key Plot Details: (3 full paragraphs each being 7-10 sentences)
Three college boys ,who define themselves as cool dudes and dress the part, set out on a summer night, in their
mother’s car, looking for adventure. The teens head up to Greasy Lake in search of a good time and mistakenly bump
into another man’s car. The car owner, Bobbie, attacks the narrator who in turn completely loses his grip on reality. The
narrator hits the car owner in the head with a tire iron, knocking him out cold.
Being completely overwhelmed with adrenalin, the narrator and his friends turn almost savage and attempt to rape a
young woman. They are stopped in the nick of time and escape into the fetid Greasy Lake. Here the narrator stumbles
upon a corpse which scares him back to reality – he recognizes that he is a mere wannabe whose behavior has spiraled
out of control. Meanwhile, on the shore of the lake, the collapsed greasy character has regained consciousness and
taken revenge by smashing the narrator’s mother’s car.
Eventually, Bobbie and crew leave the lake, a new day emerges, and the boys return to the ruined car. Realizing the
car’s tires are intact, the boys are relieved and about to return home when they are approached by two inebriated
women who are looking for “Al”- the corpse. The boys make no mention of Al. Sarah and her friend invite the three
boys to party, but they, in an almost comatose state, flatly refuse and drive away seeking refuge in their parents’ safe
homes.
Central Themes (4-6)
Greasy Lake is about coming of age. Teenage years are focused on self- discovery. It is a time to try on “different hats”
to find the best fit. The three boys in Greasy Lake are attempting to define themselves as “bad characters”, but they
quickly and painfully discover that they are far from the tough guys they aspire to be. Undoubtedly, the narrator and
his friends leave the lake with a different mindset and a new level of maturity than when they ventured there the night
before.
Greasy Lake is also a story about making choices. This story illustrates how one bad choice, made without thought, can
quickly spiral into an avalanche of disaster.
Setting (8-10)
This story takes place in the evening of early summer in the late 1960’s. Most of the action takes place around or in
Greasy Lake. At first the boys are around the perimeter of the lake that is loaded with remnants and debris from years
of parties. This setting encourages the boys to act recklessly as tainted goods are not worthy of consideration or
respect. Later on the setting is in the dirty, slimy lake, safe- harbor to creepy animals, their juices, waste, and a human
corpse. This setting sets off the narrator’s fears and forces him to realize the atrociousness of his situation. The last
setting is again around the lake but its impression has changed from a place of wild adventure to an area of somber
regret. The time of day changes from mysterious late at night into a bright and early morning. As the time progresses,
so do the characters’ actions and emotional states. The story begins at night filled with potential of fun, it moves into
early hours of darkness filled with black horror and ends with the dawn of a new day, a rebirth of sorts. The time day
influences the characters actions, moves the plot and parallels the characters’ mindset.
LITERATURE NOTES ~ Choose any 3 QUESTIONS (6-8 sentence paragraph for each response)
1. Discuss which characters you feel sympathy for, and in detail explain why.
In some aspects I feel sympathy for the narrator, but not completely. I understand the adolescent desire to
occasionally live recklessly and have a good time. I also appreciate the concept of getting caught up in the moment and
making impulsive choices. At no point was it the narrator’s intention to really hurt anyone or anything; he was a teen
just fooling around. However, it did not just stop there. I cannot condone the actions from the tire iron assault on. It is
one thing to fight with your fist; it is entirely different to use a steel weapon. The narrator was no longer in danger when
he hit the greasy character, so this was no self defense- this was attempted murder. I lose all sympathy when the attack
turns towards the girl in the car. While I have made some stupid decisions in my life, I have never done anything to
cause profound damage to another living thing. Even though the narrator was a stereotypical teen of the 60-70’s who
did not set out with malevolent intentions, he changed into a savage for whom I cannot completely feel sympathetic.
2. Discuss the author’s perspective on the human condition.
T.C. Boyle seems to be taking the position that humans are only one decision away from becoming savage animals.
He begins with three boys who appear well raised, properly educated and fully able to operate within the norms of
society. Boyle’s story swiftly and progressively unravels the boys’ civility: first they drink, then they use drugs, then they
deface property, then they invade privacy. The savage attack by the greasy character and the retaliation in the form of a
tire- iron- to- the- head by the narrator shows the easy jump from human to beast. The Fox even refers to the boys as
animals. The complete loss of control over the human ability make sensible choices is evidenced in the attempted rape
of the Fox. Boyle takes three average teens, looking for a good time, and turns them into savage creatures in the matter
of a few paragraphs and one or two bad decisions.
3. Discuss the behaviors the characters engage in and how these behaviors provide insight into each
character, situation, story, or the world.
Each character engages in self -centered and reckless behaviors. From initially thinking they were bad, to
drinking, driving, smoking, fighting, attacking, running, and hiding the characters proved to be spoiled, rich kids who
think of nothing beyond their own ideas of fun. They appear to be people without a conscious or concern for anyone
else. These boys went out looking for a good time and left a path of misery and destruction in their wake. Even in the
end, although they seemed to realize the enormity of the situation they found themselves in, but this was in a selfcentered, “what will I tell my mom about the car” manner. Is T. C. Boyle surmising that we live in a world where
individuals or -maybe just teens- are concerned only about their own good time and do not care about the
consequences of their actions? Maybe!
4. Reflect on the historical era in which the book is set, comparing it to today.
From the fashion statements: leather jackets, slicked back hair, toothpick adorned mouths and mirrored shades
to the muscle cars: the Bel Air, the Mustang and Trans-Ams , Greasy Lake serves as a tribute to the early 1960’s, the
time period in which it is set. This was an era before cell phones and facebook; it was a time when teens cruised “the
strip” in their borrowed mother’s car looking for a good time. This pre -Woodstock, pre-draft, and pre-Vietnam period
was a time when parents didn’t ask, and kids didn’t tell. The 1960’s was a time when kids were left to sort out their
problems by themselves, usually without the legal consequences of the 21 century. The reader can surmise that after
the narrator returned home, explained away the condition of the mother’s Bel Air, he was handed a harsh punishment
from the his father likely in the form of a stern lecture and some period of grounding. The rest of the night’s
shenanigans is left unspoken.
5. Discuss if the book accurately portrays human nature, society and the human condition.
While just about everyone has found themselves, at some point in their life, like the narrator, in a situation that
has grown out of control, it is unlikely that the average teen would turn from nice college kid to killer/rapist in a matter
of minutes. Greasy Lake is a thrilling read, however, it is not accurate in its portrayal of typical human nature. It is
grounded in some reality because yes, it is reasonable that the narrator would have physically fought his attacker and
yes, Jeff and Digby may well have joined in as defense for their friend, but slamming the tire iron into the bigger man’s
head seems extreme. Even more far -fetched is the assault on the girl. A typical young man does not turn rapist upon the
sight of painted toenails. The act of rape is far more complex. Boyle writes a story that defines the line between civility
and savage as miniscule, but is the line really as slim as he portrays?? Occasionally, perhaps, but in general, I think not.
6. Discuss the conflict/problem this book explores and the author’s overall message about life.
The root problem in Greasy Lake is boredom among the adolescent. The story begins on the third night of
summer vacation. The three boys have nothing but time on their hands. Typically, the very young- toddlers through
elementary school age children- turn to innocent play and their imagination to fill empty hours. Older, mature adults
turn to harmless entertainment: television, reading, knitting, eating or mindless chatters to occupy their time. The
independence seeking hormonally charged teen sees unfilled hours as the chance to push the limit of acceptable
behavior. Teens actually prefer to be busy with jobs, school, homework, hobbies, and sports. Their developing brains
are at a point where it craves constant stimulation and activity. The brain does not like to be bored, so it avoids it by
thinking up stimulation, which in some cases leads to trouble. T.C. Boyle’s Greasy Lake is a declaration about the teen
age consequences of too much time combined with too many hormones and minimal self- integrity.