In Greasy Lake the Idea of Youth Violence is very well portrayed and illustrated. As the story begins with a line Its good to be bad this is a very true statement. When relating to youth violence as it relates to an appearance for popularity it is shown to be a major motivator behind youth Violence. The appearance that is portrayed is believed to be accompanied by fame and prestige.
The story begins with a description of what the Youth in that story believe to be symbols of this so called bad Image We wore torn-up leather jackets these youths seem to be portraying a media idea of what is bad.
As the story progresses you find it to be focused around 3 youths named Digby, Jeff, and the author Boyle. These three youths are in their early years of college so are assumed to be between 18 and 20 years of age. The story is set in a small town where its hard to find anything to do for excitement. As it continues we find ourselves following these three characters to a small lake in the back woods know as Greasy Lake. Upon arriving they see another car, which they believe to be a friends.
They notice a man and a woman making out in the car. As a joke they begin to flash the other car with their bright lights, sound the hom and shout at the other car, They soon find out that this car is not their friends and is a strangers vehicle. The stranger from the other vehicle then enters into an argument with the three boys that lead to a fight. The Stranger then proceeds to beat up the other three boys until the main character and author Boyle grabs a tire Iron and hits the stranger.
Believing that they have killed him, and seeing the young woman the stranger was with get out of the car in a moment of excitement they rush her. They then begin to tear off her clothing in an attempt to rape her. Before they have a chance to rape her, another car comes and the three boys then run into the woods where Boyle finds a dead body of a biker named Al. Boyle then contemplates his actions and we see his idea of wanting to be bad quickly erode, he just wants to return home, The boys later return to their car to find it had been vandalized. They clean the debris from the seats and get ready to leave the lake when they see two girls approach them asking for the Biker named AL The boys say nothing. next the girls ask them if they would party do drugs with them. The boys refuse and return to their homes.
This story is an accurate illustration of the mindset of youth and how this need to fit in being Bad leads them to commit very Violent acts. The boys are not violent. They live very acceptable lives but this need to be popular leads them to these acts and that is the driving factor behind Youth Violence as shown in this story.
