Alaidi 1

Hamad Alaidi
Professor Megan Miller
English 200-003`
19 March 2016
Digbys Epiphany at Greasy Lake
Character: Digby
Plot: It is considered good to be a bad person, Digby and his friends are travelling to a Greasy
Lake for the sake of thrills
Setting: Dark night, an old and dirty lake with some teenagers and girls.
One of the characteristic of Digby is that he is showing Dilettante efforts to rebel. He tries
his best to adapt to the fashion of modern days; he thinks it is good to be a bad person. He is
looking for the trouble on a summer evening without any hesitation. He is a lover of trouble and
encouraging his other friends as well. He is amateur of becoming cool and modern so he is
wearing a gold star in his right ear. He is found of doing innovative and dangerous things for
example he drinks beer, smokes, howls at the stars and roars of rock and roll. He likes to face the
trouble Boyle says Digby leaned on the horn laughing, and instructed me to put my brights on
(51). His perceptions of being cool person are developed from movies and televisions, he tries to
adopt the get up to look cooler and smart Digby says We wore torn-up, leather jackets, slouched
around with tooth picks in our mouths, sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was
cocaine (15).
Another characteristic of Digby is that he rebels to the teachings of his parents; his
parents paid his tuition fee so that he studies at the finest institute of the world. He takes a
dangerous decision to take an adventure on a late summer night; he is going to a greasy lake

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along with his friends. He has intentions to have fun at the greasy lake; he is planning to use
drugs and enjoy music at this sight. Although he belongs to a very noble family but he is trying
to escape from his identity. He is surrounded by the views of modernization and fashion. While
on his way to the lake he chases a car which he thinks of one of his friends, he flashes the lights
of his cars and tries to behave rudely. Unfortunately he comes to know that the car belongs to
one of a big greasy man along with his girlfriend. Instead of behaving courteously he beats the
man with the help of his friends. As the man becomes unconscious the lady comes out of the car.
Digby does not respect her, she is a woman but it doesnt matter for Digby. Boyle says Before
we could pin her to the hood of the car, our eyes masked with lust and greed and the purest
primal badness a pair of headlights swung into the lot (58).
As he is trying hard to become bad, he tries to rape the woman. The narrator has used a
very vulgar language to describe the ideas of Digby as he confronts the woman Boyle says
There were dirty, bloody, guilty, dissociated from humanity and civilization, the first of the uncrimes behind us, the second in progress, shreds of nylon panty and spandex brassiere dangling
from our fingers, our flies open, lips licked there we were caught in the spotlight nailed (63). As
Digby comes out of the woods Boyle says that they slouched across the lot, looking sheepish,
and silently came beside me to gape at the ravaged (82).
Another characteristic of Digby is seeker, he loves to wander about. He loves to go on
dangerous places, he has passion to do adventures. Boyle says When we wheeled our parents
whining station wagons out onto the street we left a patch of rubber half a block long (24). The
greasy lake was once a sacred place, the Indians named it Wakan because of the clarity of its
waters; now it has become a murky place to which no one is agree to go. Boyle says Now it was
fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the

Alaidi 3
charred remains of bonfires (12). So it is place a noble person will never intend to go, it can be a
wanderer who may tries to explore or go on adventure at this place.
Actually Digby wants to do as much bad things as he can, it may not be possible to do
bad things at populated areas so he wanders to Greasy Lake. Boyle says there was a single
ravaged island a hundred yards from shore, so stripped of vegetation it looked as if the air force
had strafed it (16). They were really planning some bad things Boyle says We wanted to snuff
the rich scent of possibility on the breeze, watch a girl take off her clothes and plunge into the
festering murk, drink beer, smoke pot, howl at the stars, savor the incongruous full throated roar
of rock and roll against the primeval susurrus of frogs and crickets. (28).
One of the characteristics of Digby is addiction to the changing trends of society. He
doesnt think before taking any step, he just follows the sayings and actions of people. He is an
addicted follower of his ideals, who are the emerging and modern characters of 1960 era. His
addiction makes his character alarming, he tries to make harm to the people. He doesnt care for
the respect of woman and tries to rape her. Due to his addiction to evil he beats a man and makes
him injure. Boyle says there was a time when courtesy and winning ways went out of style,
when it was good to be bad (1). The writer has portrayed the trends in society in 1960 era,
Digby is not a bad person, but an addicted person to evil. He is hesitant to adopt the path of evil
but the pressure of society is forcing him to do Boyle says We were nineteen, we were bad. We
read Andre Gide and struck elaborate poses to show that we didnt give a shit about anything
(6). The environment around the Digby has made him an addicted person to evil.

Another characteristic of the Digby is his bullying nature; he is a teenager who is trying
to jump into adulthood. He is unsure about his identity; he doesnt know how to fit into a

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changing society. After he hits the man, another car approaches he becomes fearful and runs to
hide. In the lake he comes across the bloated body of a corpse, after seeing the body he becomes
more nervous. He thinks he is not brave enough but pretending to be brave. As he comes out of
hiding another car approaches, there are girls in the car. The girl offers him a good time and
sexual relation, Boyle says One of them cupped her hands to her mouth, Al she called, hey Al
(90). Digby refuses this offer, actually he is not a bad person, he is not adult but a teen who has
become captivate from the fascinated views of modernization.
Initially he is in search of a good time but now he is drenching in the hotness of his fear.
At one point he attempts to rape a girl but when he is offered the sexual activity he refuses it. His
rebellious spirit is now gone, Digby says I thought I was going to cry (107). In the start of the
story Digby is ambitious to visit this odd place but now he is now in a hurry to leave this place as
soon as possible Digby says I put the car in gear and it inched forward with a groan shaking off
pellets of glass like an old dog shedding water after a bath, heaving over the ruts on its worn
springs, creeping toward the highway (115). The end of the story draws a very coward situation
of Digby, the innocent boy has returned to its reality. He learns a lesson that jumping from
teenage to adulthood is not good. He now realizes his reality and comes back home like a little
coward boy. Digby has an open opportunity to fulfill his dreams; the girls are offering him the
sexual intercourse. He is now returned to his reality, he now admits himself a good person.

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Works Cited
Boyle, T. Coraghessan. Greasy Lake & Other Stories. New York, NY, U.S.A.: Viking, 1985.
Print.
Onehealsone: Alternative Therapies Group. Offering Reiki, Healing, and Other Therapies. Web.
06 Mar. 2016.