Greasy Lake

What acts do the boys initially see as bad or rebellious? Why do they want to rebel, and how does their attitude change over the course of the story?

What role do female characters play in the story? How does this support the work’s themes?

Discuss the significance of the lake (and, relatedly, the story’s title). What does the lake symbolize?

Examine the narrative style and structure of the story, including the use of flashbacks and the resolution. How does the structure contribute to the story’s meaning?

Discuss the role of violence in the story, and how it relates to the characters’ sense of identity. What is the connection between violence and masculinity?

Explore the meaning of the story’s ending. What does it suggest about the narrator’s future?

Explore the idea of the American Dream as it is presented in the story. How does it affect the characters’ sense of self and identity?

Analyze the significance of music in the story, including the references to rock and roll and the use of Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics as an epigraph.