"It's about a mile down on the darkside of route 88..."In the notes for T. Correghessan Boyle's short story, "Greasy Lake," he references the allusion of his title to the Bruce Springsteen song "Spirit in the Night."
Click on the song and read the lyrics. Then, answer the the questions below in your comment. Also, listen to the song.
- How does Springsteen create the setting of "Greasy Lake"? What mood does his depiction of the setting create? Consider the imagery, diction and figurative language of the lyrics and the music itself.
- Is Springsteen's version of Greasy Lake different or similar? Why?
- How does the movie depict the setting? Is it true to the story? To the song? How is it similar or different?
1.Springsteen creates the setting of “Greasy Lake” by saying that it’s located on the dark side of route eighty- eight. This indicates that Greasy Lake isn’t the most positive place where people hang out. The setting creates a gloomy mood because the lake represents more of a negative and filthy place rather than the opposite. He uses slang when he said “I got a bottle of rose so let’s try it”; this obviously means alcohol and that’s what the teenagers came to the lake to do. Also when Springsteen writes “Janey’s fingers were in the cake, I think I really dug her cause I was too loose to fake”. This indicates him having sex with her.
ReplyDelete2.Springsteen’s version of Greasy Lake is similar because the lake represents a place for teens to escape to so they can party, abuse drugs, and have sex.
3.The movie depicts the setting the same way the story does. Greasy Lake is filthy, dark, and muddy. The movie just gives you an image of the story; it’s on point and true to the story. It’s not true to the song because the song doesn’t talk about three boys trying to be someone their not. The song just talks about people going to Greasy Lake to drink. It’s simpler than the story and the movie. But the song, movie, and story gives the reader the same idea of what is Greasy Lake and why do people often go there.
First of all I would like to say that love the fact that I can mix rock n’ roll with my English Homework, is like the best thing ever especially writing about one of PaPa Bruce’s songs. Well now with the assignment. PaPa Bruce describes Greasy Lake like a place where “spirits in the night” dance, like a dark place. He describes it’s location to be “on the dark side of route eighty-eight”. From this line its obvious that the place is not a safe place to be. It sets like a mood of danger waiting to happen, which in the story Greasy Lake happens. Springsteen’s version of Greasy Lake is similar to the actual story. In both there are descriptions of characters going off in the night to be bad. In both stories the characters seem to be young and lost. Also in both stories something bad happens to the character when they are in contact with the Lake. In Springsteen’s song Hazy Davy got hurt by just touching the Lake. The movie Greasy Lake does a great job of depicting out the setting. In the movie the setting is dark and seems to be one of a horror movie, its like what Springsteen’s song and the story Greasy Lake make you think like.
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