"Greasy Lake", by T. Coraghessan Boyle, and the writing techniques that were used to develop the theme and meaning.

Whether it be stealing some candy at a store, or punching a kid in the mouth for the shear aspect of respect and fear from others, people at one time or another have felt the "good to be bad" feeling. I speak from personal experience myself, for I have wanted to be one of the "bad guys" on more than one occasion. Though I'm not a bad person, there are times when I have tried to make myself more "bad" than I really was. One instance is when I was much younger, and trying to impress others, I threw a rock at a camp counselor's car of whom I was upset with. I don't recall what I was upset about; only know of the later consequences of that action, and the looks on my friends faces when I did it. My parents were all very much surprised and wondered what I was thinking, and I all I said was "...I

The first short story from the reader participatio...

Short Story Writing Workshop

Greasy Lake & Other Stories

don't know". I was the quiet kid in class, of whom no one would expect to do such things, even when upset. I didn't do it because I was upset, but because my friends were around and I wanted to prove I could be bad, or at least look like I am.

With this past experience, along with others that are quite similar, I have established a connection with the short story, Greasy Lake, by T. Coraghessan Boyle. The story is about three teenage friends and their coming of age of who are bad characters, but not as bad as they appear. They too do such actions like mine in order to establish a look of being bad, and to be the hoodlums of the world. Being bad was the way they walked, talked, and treated others, loving...