In modern day society, one’s worries include success, money, exterior appearances, and other superficial wants. However, in Jack Kerouac’s, On the Road, the narrator Sal chooses to fret over his dreams of the West. Unlike Eastern values which include analytical, static, and critical ideas, the West to Sal symbolizes wild exuberance. Sal's friend, Dean, is the personification of his dream of the West. Through Dean, Sal will be able to accomplish his dreams.
The narrator’s perspective on life is slowly dwindling away in the industrial era. He appreciates the excitements that life offers and wants to take advantage of them while he can. Today, when one thinks of America, they dream about New York City and its skyscrapers; however, there was a time in which America was the epitome of freedom where people rode horses and became one with nature. It is essential that people of America never lose this idea because the relationship between people and nature is symbiotic. If people continue to separate themselves from nature and believe it to be a visitor of earth, they will assume that they no longer need to depend on the natural world. If this were to take place, the consequences could be detrimental to the world as people cannot exist without nature and nature cannot exist without civilization. Sal realizes this and wants to isolate himself from “the negative, nightmare position of putting down society” through political and pychoanalystical means. Instead, he wants to assimilate into Dean’s life who explores his passions and hobbies without a single worry.
The narrator’s perspective on life is slowly dwindling away in the industrial era. He appreciates the excitements that life offers and wants to take advantage of them while he can. Today, when one thinks of America, they dream about New York City and its skyscrapers; however, there was a time in which America was the epitome of freedom where people rode horses and became one with nature. It is essential that people of America never lose this idea because the relationship between people and nature is symbiotic. If people continue to separate themselves from nature and believe it to be a visitor of earth, they will assume that they no longer need to depend on the natural world. If this were to take place, the consequences could be detrimental to the world as people cannot exist without nature and nature cannot exist without civilization. Sal realizes this and wants to isolate himself from “the negative, nightmare position of putting down society” through political and pychoanalystical means. Instead, he wants to assimilate into Dean’s life who explores his passions and hobbies without a single worry.
Dean illustrates the answer to the Sal’s conflict in that he separates himself from public greed and judgment. For society to continue on and the natural order to continue to exist, people need to transform their outlooks on life and become more like Dean in order to save a rotting mother nature.
I do not recall the narrator being named, but I write assuming that you have read past the sections I have read, and with this I am aware that your assertions may be based on information I do not yet have. Regardless, I disagree with your statements implying that the idea of nature is so relevant in this story. I do not believe that Dean is more in tough with nature, nor do I believe he has to be. Forgive me for straying from the topic of the book, but to be honest the main thing that I disagree with you here is when you say that "nature cannot exist without civilization" and vice-versa. Given that humans are inherently part of nature, human civilization is literally impossible without nature, however nature has been around before us and will still be around after us. Maybe your statements stem from something in the book that I have yet to come across, but right now I cannot possibly agree with the idea that nature needs civilization, let alone that people need to be more like Dean to save nature. No matter what humans do, nature will always be around- nature has survived at least 3 apocalypses, and I doubt a few people disconnecting from nature will lead to a rotting mother nature.
ReplyDeleteI do feel the need to express how well I think you presented the relationship between Dean and the main character (Sal?)- the idea that Sal is trying to escape the negativity and perhaps mundane aspects of his own life by trying to be a part of Dean's is one I had not considered. Now that you mention it, I believe Sal is trying to experience the life he has always wanted by being a part of Dean's, but I also believe that Sal is completely out of place- there is a reason why Sal has a life entirely different from Dean's, they are totally different people. However, I do not agree that Sal is the way he is in reaction to the industrial era, I think he is just a shy person and has never been outgoing the way he desired to be. Moreover, I think his desires to be that way are manifested in his desire be Dean, or get as close to Dean as possible.