Allusion Exposed In Boyle's Greasy Lake
Greasy Lake
My intent is to share with you comparisons of what the author portrays his characters to be rather than who hey really are. Allusion played a significant role in how the author described a theme throughout this story where the characters thought of themselves as the epitome of being bad in the short story “Greasy Lake”(Boyle).
The allusion is one of the many ways the author developed his characters into bad guys. The opening paragraph of the story paints a picture wit the first sentence. There was a time when courtesy and winning ways went out of style when it was good to be bad when you cultivated decadence like the taste (Boyle 687). I used the literary term Allusion because of the underlining tone of the character’s true selves as you read further where only portrayed to be bad guys. The story spoke of how the characters drove great distances looking for something bad to get into. It was almost as if they needed something bad to happen so they could have a chance to insert themselves into the matter and come out the victorious. More of a vetting process to prove the extent of their bad nature. In a twist of the …show more content…
exposition, the author gave you feelings that the characters had already done bad things, which enabled them to display such high confidence in being bad.
Another example of how the author used allusion was when the narrator quoted that he was in the company of two dangerous characters (Boyle 688).
After this statement, the narrator revealed that the two minor characters in the story attended a prestigious college that their parents paid for. It is not common that bad guys are very interested in furthering their education nor is it normal that bad guy’s parent pays for the things they have no interest in. Also, the narrator tries to sell you on the fact the characters have excellent social skills, can dance well, and drive cars very fast while rolling joints identifiers of bad-natured people. These traits are commonly found in the person who does not consider themselves as bad. The author has done a magnificent job with the literary term allusion in the exposition of this
story.
The next allusion occurred during the conflict of the story. After the characters had realized that they played a joke on the wrong person, the storyline shifted from sheer sight of the greasy characters. They had no idea about this guy and if he could handle himself or not. As the reader, you instantly understood that the characters no longer viewed themselves as the bad guys based on the look and probable intent of the antagonist. The conflict begins, and almost immediately the three characters lost the fight. The narrator explained himself as being terrified. The allusion became more vivid, and identities unique to each character as their true natures are put on display. In the eyes of the reader, the allusion of bad guy rhetoric quickly dissipates as the characters flee for the woods in hopes to find a sanctuary away from the conflict.
In conclusion, the author pulled off a tremendous job of building the characters up to ultimately revealing their identity of not being so bad after all. Multiple allusion inserted different emotions on the reader through a back and forth nature of trying to figure out these characters and then the ultimate realization that the characters were not bad guys at all. The story ends, and as a reader, I have left with thoughts that the characters realized themselves as no longer a part of what they thought as the status quo.
My intent is to share with you comparisons of what the author portrays his characters to be rather than who hey really are. Allusion played a significant role in how the author described a theme throughout this story where the characters thought of themselves as the epitome of being bad in the short story “Greasy Lake”(Boyle).
The allusion is one of the many ways the author developed his characters into bad guys. The opening paragraph of the story paints a picture wit the first sentence. There was a time when courtesy and winning ways went out of style when it was good to be bad when you cultivated decadence like the taste (Boyle 687). I used the literary term Allusion because of the underlining tone of the character’s true selves as you read further where only portrayed to be bad guys. The story spoke of how the characters drove great distances looking for something bad to get into. It was almost as if they needed something bad to happen so they could have a chance to insert themselves into the matter and come out the victorious. More of a vetting process to prove the extent of their bad nature. In a twist of the …show more content…
exposition, the author gave you feelings that the characters had already done bad things, which enabled them to display such high confidence in being bad.
Another example of how the author used allusion was when the narrator quoted that he was in the company of two dangerous characters (Boyle 688).
After this statement, the narrator revealed that the two minor characters in the story attended a prestigious college that their parents paid for. It is not common that bad guys are very interested in furthering their education nor is it normal that bad guy’s parent pays for the things they have no interest in. Also, the narrator tries to sell you on the fact the characters have excellent social skills, can dance well, and drive cars very fast while rolling joints identifiers of bad-natured people. These traits are commonly found in the person who does not consider themselves as bad. The author has done a magnificent job with the literary term allusion in the exposition of this
story.
The next allusion occurred during the conflict of the story. After the characters had realized that they played a joke on the wrong person, the storyline shifted from sheer sight of the greasy characters. They had no idea about this guy and if he could handle himself or not. As the reader, you instantly understood that the characters no longer viewed themselves as the bad guys based on the look and probable intent of the antagonist. The conflict begins, and almost immediately the three characters lost the fight. The narrator explained himself as being terrified. The allusion became more vivid, and identities unique to each character as their true natures are put on display. In the eyes of the reader, the allusion of bad guy rhetoric quickly dissipates as the characters flee for the woods in hopes to find a sanctuary away from the conflict.
In conclusion, the author pulled off a tremendous job of building the characters up to ultimately revealing their identity of not being so bad after all. Multiple allusion inserted different emotions on the reader through a back and forth nature of trying to figure out these characters and then the ultimate realization that the characters were not bad guys at all. The story ends, and as a reader, I have left with thoughts that the characters realized themselves as no longer a part of what they thought as the status quo.