English Essay: Greasy Lake and the Yellow Wallpaper
Discuss two or three texts in which an object functions as an important symbol. What is the symbolic meaning of the objects in question? Does that meaning change or evolve?
In the story, Greasy Lake, Boyle uses a specific setting to show the state of corruption and moral values of the society. The Lake has been used as a symbol to show the appropriate atmosphere of creating the characters well. Boyle has been able to achieve and bring out his themes well by centering his story on the Greasy Lake. The Lake has been used as both a symbol and a character. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the wallpaper has been used as a symbol throughout the story. The narrator tells her story by showing that the wallpaper is a symbol she needs to interpret. In both Greasy Lake and The Yellow Wallpaper, authors have used specific objects which serve as important symbols in the books.
The narrator has described greasy Lake has something that is not appalling; however, the narrators and his friends see this as a favourite place to hang out. The Lake has been described as “fetid and murky, and the mud banks have a broken glass with beer cans and charred remains of bonfires (Boyle 130).” But the Lake was not always this dirty. During the time of Indians, it was still clean with clear waters (Boyle 130). The complete change shows the changes in the society’s morals. Boyle uses this Lake to show a symbol of youth and their lives. A youths life has been littered both literally and metaphorically with violence, fun, sex, and alcohol. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the author uses the yellow wall paper’s pattern to show the confinement of the narrator. That yellow pattern is a symbol for trapping the narrator’s thoughts as she becomes interested in its paths. After a few weeks, the narrator is sure that the wallpaper’s pattern has bars which have trapped a woman inside (Gilman 7). The woman shakes the bars trying to get out. At the end of the story, the narrator tears down the wallpaper, attempting to free the woman inside.
The story has been set in a Greasy Lake to show the setting of corruption and sin. Boyle has created an environment that is wild and shows an uncertain atmosphere. The Lake has been described as having “a bad breath of decay (Boyle 135).” It’s in the Lake where the narrator and his friends believe that they are bad boys. The Lake gives them a sense of freedom and they do anything they want in the Lake. The Lake is a representative of the narrator and his friends. Just like the Lake, they all have decaying morals. The description and personification of the Lake help in bringing out the characters of the narrator and his friends. At first, the narrator is horrible and corrupt like the Lake, but eventually, he becomes born and pure. In the Lake, the narrator loses his keys after instigating a fight; he tries to kill a man, to rape a woman and then finds himself near a dead body of a biker. After what appears as many hours in the muddy water, the narrator realizes how the Greasy Lake was unsafe place. He understands the Lake represents society, the culture and people. All the people who frequent the Lake are bad people, or bad things happen to them.
In the Yellow Wallpaper, the wallpaper helps in developing the symbolism in the book. Initially, the narrator sees it as ripped and unclean (Gilman 3). It is very formless, but with time it starts to form a pattern. The narrator has been confined in the room to take a ‘rest.’ All she does is to stare for hours at the wallpaper; she sees sub-patterns then a pattern. The narrator realizes it’s a woman she has to free. She goes even to admire the life of the other woman. The wallpaper symbolizes the structure of the family, medicine, and traditions which have trapped her. Wallpaper is a simple object which should be domestic and calm. Gilman has used this simple object to shows symbols that trap women in household life. Eventually, she tears the wallpaper down. The symbolic meaning of the tearing down of the Yellow Wallpaper shows how the narrator wanted to be free to the point of tearing down the wallpaper. The narrator desires to be free.
The meaning of the symbols evolves with the story. The symbols also make the characters to grow and change. In Greasy Lake, the narrator gets baptized in the dirty waters. The waters of the Lake have been used to explain the rebirth of the narrator and his friends. The place where the narrator felt as a bad boy it’s the place he rediscovers himself. This Lake was initially clean and pure, but then it changed to muddy and dirty. If this Lake did not metaphorically change into good, then the narrator would not have been cleaned here. In the Lake, the narrator turns down drugs after the baptism. This shows that the setting of the Lake was an object of comparison and contradiction. The narrator and his friends were bad boys but after baptism, they become good boys again. In the end, the Lake symbolizes hope and good in people and society. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the object also evolves and changes its meaning. The narrator sees a woman trapped in the wallpaper and tears it down to free the woman. At the end of the story, we know the narrator and the trapped woman exchange their minds. At last, the narrator is free, and she can visit the places she always wanted. After ripping the wallpaper, she is free but completely insane.
In both books, Boyle and Gilman use different objects to show diverse symbolism. The yellow wallpaper is imperative in bringing out the events of the story. The yellow wallpaper provides an environment for the events that take place in the story. Just like the Lake, in Greasy Lake, it helps in developing the story. It’s a symbolism for the transformation of the characters. Both objects play vital roles in bringing out the story and the characters.
Work cited
Boyle, T. Coraghessan. Greasy Lake and other stories. Penguin, 1986.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper: A Story. Oregan Publishing, 2018.