Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Jack Kerouac was one of the most prominent proponent of the Beat Generation and Beat Literature whose second novel ‘On the Road’ not only attained -commercial success but is also considered as one of the best examples of countercultural Beat literature. It represents the anti-establishment cultural phenomenon and political movement that developed in the West during the mid-twentieth century.
The novel is a prime example of Spontaneous prose and it is a Roman a clef which means that while it primarily describes real people, their names are changed. The novel is set in the aftermath of the Second World War and it explores concepts of society, freedom, and—most of all—friendship. On the Road is considered an autobiographical account. The novel is divided into five parts in which the travels of Sal Paradise (based on Kerouac himself) and his friend Dean Moriarty (based on Kerouac’s real-life friend Neal Cassady) have been described as they crisscross the American landscape in search of freedom, adventure, and self-discovery.
Characters of On the Road:
Sal Paradise is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. The character is based on Jack Kerouac himself. Sal lives originally with his aunt in New York; he goes on four trips across the country with Dean Moriarty, his friend. Dean is based on Neil Cassady. He lives in San Francisco but travels constantly back and forth to New York; a wild, mad character whose energy and craziness affect others, especially Sal. He is an alcoholic and a drug addict and sleeps with many women. He is the father of four children with two different women. Carlo Marx is an eccentric poet in New York who becomes best friends with Dean and Sal. Carlo is based on Allen Ginsberg. Old Bull Lee is a writer and drug addict in New Orleans who has traveled the world. He is a mentor to Dean and Sal. Old Bull Lee represents William Lee from the Nova Series and is based on William S. Burroughs. Marylou is Dean's first wife and brief love interest of Sal. Ed Dunkle is a close friend of Sal and Dean; and lives mostly in Denver and San Francisco. He marries Galatea Dunkle so that she will pay for his cross-country trip with Dean, then leaves her in a Denver motel. Galatea confronts Dean and offers a piece of advice to him. Remi Boncoeur is a friend of Sal who helps him get a job as a security guard. Sal’s Aunt is a maternal figure who treats Sal and Dean well. Chad King is Sal's friend in Denver who is interested in native Indian culture and anthropology. Roland Major is a writer and friend of Sal's in Denver. Camille is Dean’s second wife and the mother of his two children. Lucille is a love interest of Sal. Sal wishes to marry her but decides to go on the road trip with Dean instead. Terry is a Chicano migrant worker Sal meets in California. Sal falls in love with her and spends many weeks with her, her child, and her people. Inez is a woman Dean finds and lives in New York; Dean has a child with Inez and leaves her to follow Sal to Mexico. He divorces Camille and marries Inez but then, he leaves her and goes back to Camille in San Francisco.
Summary of On the Road:
On the Road is about two young men, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, who traveled extensively across the United States for around three years. The actual events of the novel are secondary to their connection and the sometimes fraught nature of their relationship.
The novel begins as Sal remembers how he became friends with Dean Moriarty. Dean came to New York City from Colorado with his new wife Marylou and asked Sal to teach him how to write. Sal was a young writer with an intellectual group of friends, among them the poet Carlo Marx. Sal learned that Dean was recently released from prison and he breaks the rules of society in a way that Sal could never imagine doing. Sal was recently divorced and recovered from an illness, he was fascinated by Dean’s enthusiasm towards life. Whether stealing cars for fun, taking any drugs he can find, or committing bigamy by marrying two women, Dean's persistent criminality and refusal to adhere to social norms charm Sal.
Dean and Carlo traveled west to Denver, inspiring Sal to hitchhike and travel by himself. He saved some money for the bus and traveled to Chicago heading to San Francisco to meet his friend Remi Boncouer. During the journey, he ate apple pie and ice cream wherever he stopped. He met a co-traveler Ed Dunkle and befriended him by giving him a woolen shirt when it began to rain. Ed leaves Sal behind when he gets a farmer’s trailer with only room for one passenger. Sal then took a truck taking all sorts of vagrants from the road and shared whiskey with his fellow travellers.
He stayed with his friend Chad King in Denver and then he met his other friend Roland Major from whom he learned about Dean and Carlo who were now close friends. After reuniting with Dean and Carlo, Sal learns that they are taking drugs and Dean is sleeping with another woman Camille. Ed too reaches Denver and all the friends enjoy a boisterous party during which Dean declares that he has decided to divorce Marylou and marry Camille. Sal expresses his wish to visit San Francisco. Dean introduces Sal to Rita Bettencourt and Sal sleeps with her.
Sal eventually leaves Denver for San Francisco, reuniting with his old friend Remi Boncoeur. Sal and Remi work dead-end jobs and struggle to make ends meet— until Sal decides to hit the road again. During his travels, he meets a young Mexican woman named Terry and spends several months living with her and her young son in a tent. He struggles with difficult manual labor jobs (which are all he can find) and realizes that he must leave Terry and return east. He hitchhikes to Los Angeles where he meets an old hobo he called The Ghost of the Susquehanna who was wandering around, saying he was going to “Canady.” Sal returns to New York and goes to his aunt’s house. Upon his arrival, he discovers that he’s just missed Dean.
Sal runs into Dean. Dean is with his first ex-wife after running away from his second wife, Camille, and their newborn baby. He is joined by Ed, who is also running away from his wife. Dean is crazier than ever, but Sal continues adventuring with him. Sal leaves and heads to New Orleans with Dean and Marylou to see the drug addicts Old Bull Lee and Jane, his wife. They meet many hitchhikers and cause trouble along the way. During this period, Sal develops a romantic interest in Maylou. From New Orleans, they move to San Francisco where Dean leaves them and goes back to his second wife Camille. Marylou leaves Sal soon and takes up with a rich older man. Sal returns to New York but soon takes some money from his aunt and goes to San Francisco to meet Dean again. He tempts Dean to go on the road again. Dean fights with Camile and runs away with Sal. They visit Denver to search for Dean’s father.
Sal begins to feel that Dean is too selfish and he doesn’t care for anyone but himself. Yet, he likes Dean and his crazy adventures. Before leaving for Denver, Galatea confronted them and scolded Dean for leaving Camille and going off on the road so that Camille had to look after their children. In Denver, they stayed with Frankie, a woman Sal knew from when he lived in Denver alone. Frankie lived alone with her children, including a thirteen-year-old daughter named Janet, whom Dean was infatuated with. Dean and Sal had a good time in Denver, going out drinking, and Dean stole several cars. Dean fails to find his father and is disappointed to learn that the rest of the family wants nothing to do with him or his father. Sal and Dean then drive to Chicago in a borrowed Cadillac. Dean drives hard and fast, destroying the beautiful car and delivering it to the owner as a beaten-up wreck. They travel from Chicago to Detroit and then return to New York. Dean meets a woman named Inez at a party and impregnates her within months.
Sal notices a change in Dean who is somewhat settled now working in a parking lot to support Inez while sending child support to Camille. He decides to travel alone and goes to Denver where he meets his old friend Stan Shepherd and plans to go to Mexico. Dean also joins them as he spends all the money he saved to buy a car. They continue taking drugs and visiting brothels during the journey. They drive through the jungle until they reach Mexico City, where Sal contracts dysentery and slips into a fever. Dean stays there until Sal recovers and then returns to the US.
Sal feels bad about it and realizes that Dean is a bad friend. He returns to the U.S. where he meets Laura and falls in love with her. They plan to go to San Francisco and settle there. Sal learns that he divorced Camille to marry Inez but now he feels he must go back to Camille. Dean approaches again and promises to help in moving their furniture. However, he takes drugs and even fails to stand on his feet. When he gathers himself, Dean says that he must go back west. Sal leaves him at the train station. The book ends as Dean travels back to San Francisco. It is the last time that Sal ever sees Dean. As the novel closes, Sal sits by the bank of a river, thinking of the great American landscape that he has seen in his journeys, and thinking of Dean.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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