Green, Green Grass

In chapter four grass appears quite often, surrounded by different contexts. The green grass is first mentioned as the "quiet greenness": where the narrator possesses "the only identity [he] had ever known" (99).  This conveys a sense of tranquility and contentment, as green is a soothing colour that represents life and vitality, especially when associated with plants. The green grass here shows the vibrant life and identity that the university has given the narrator and how he may lose that if he leaves.
The next appearance that grass makes is in a message that a girl sends to her boyfriend. "Just tell him that the grass is green..." she instructs our narrator, and explains that it is a secret code that her boyfriend is sure to understand (105). Again the green grass seems to represent vitality. The girl's message is cryptic and intriguing, its simplicity makes the reader want to know the complexity behind the plain words. This intrigue shows the intelligence and curiosity of the university culture. Green grass here displays vitality of the mind in the narrator's university surroundings.
And then the narrator's roommate mentions that green grass one more time. He suggests that the narrator take "a gal and show her how the moon rises over all that green grass on the Founder's grave, man..." and the narrator responds with a blunt "go to hell" (107). The context surrounding this instance of the green grass is more negative than the others with the narrator's rude response and the roommate referring to grass on top of a grave. There are also obvious sexual implications behind the roommate's suggestion of why the narrator should take a girl up there. However, the slight negativity and sexuality hold tension and energy. This energy is just as viable and just as relevant to the university life as the other, more positive, energies.
Overall, the green grass in this chapter appears to represent the energy and life through which the narrator has been able to build an identity for himself at the university. Throughout this chapter the narrator is unsure of his future at the college, so the aspect he loves most about it keeps appearing to show how relevant this vitality is to the narrator's life and how empty his life would be without it.