Is Jack Kerouac trying to find his own identity through Sal?

Map of Sal's Journey

Hey guys,

So I found this map that sort of pin points all the places where Sal travels through or stops at according to passages from the novel. I thought it would be interesting and helpful to actually see where and how far he's traveled.

Enjoy.

http://littourati.squarespace.com/storage/kerouac-files/kerouac_map.htm

Hitchhiking Gone Wrong

Hey guys, I just wanted to share an article that I came across this morning. The article discusses a hitchhiker who was shot by a driver whom offered a ride. Moreover, I think the article clearly portrays the contrasts between the time in which On the Road is set to the modern world where hitchhiking is no longer as common. 

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/23503992/police-hitchhiker-shot-by-driver-offering-ride

Confirmation

       First off I just want to say how startlingly short this book feels, likely because I read through 3 chapters in roughly 8 pages. I fully understand why the Kerouac decided to split them up in the way that he did, however I personally have gotten used to the idea that after every chapter there should be a sense of having new and important information. I bring this up because the chapters in this book have me feeling "Well, story stuff kinda just happened. Now it's a new day." and I feel as though nothing uniquely important has happened.

       There was one thing evident in the entirety of the most recent reading that I found pretty significant, and it is a product of the whole gang being in the same place. I think this is the first time we get to see Dean from the eyes of more than just Sal, or at least in terms of those who know him relatively well. Now we know that its not just Sal that sees him as this eccentric playboy badass; all Dean's friends know that he has these wondrous adventures of debauchery, and that he steals cars, and dances, and fears nothing. Now that we have this confirmation- now that we know Sal is not just entranced by this figure, I think we need to ask ourselves why Dean is being built up so much. We have had a little glimpse into his past and seen that his life is by no means perfect, but why is he so cool to everyone around him, and why is he so important? Maybe this is due to cynicism and perhaps the fact that I have experienced many stories through many mediums, but I feel very confident in predicting that something is going to happen to Dean, or maybe he will cause something big. I almost just want to say that he will end up in prison, just based on what we know about him. Regardless, I think it will be interesting to see where Kerouac takes him.

Glamour

Sal has spent much of On the Road glamorizing his experiences and those around him such as Carlo Marx and Dean Moriarty. Sal’s ignorance shines through as they amuse themselves by stealing from young people who actually have jobs. One of Sal’s friends Tim Grey even says, “Isn’t this great? Using the opera stars bathroom and towels and shaving lotion and razors”(53). Sal is repulsed by the mere idea of having to get a job, and would rather than leaching off those around him. Ironically he believes himself to be part of the Denver community, referring to some of the other’s around him as tourists, as if he is not included in this group.

Sal is still amazed by Dean Moriarty whose abundance of moral value decreases continually. Sal has picked up many of Dean's characteristics, but some things still remain true to Sal. He still remains what is best described as the role of the observer. He pretends to sleep while he eavesdrops on Carlo and Dean’s midnight conversation. Sal forms very few opinions on many of his friends, and he does not want to take part of the conversation, he’d rather just listen. But for the first time cracks start to appear in Sal’s illusion of glamour in his surroundings. He’s not entirely impressed by Central City where he repeatedly refers backs the scene as “the baritone rises out of the dungeon” crying out “What gloom!”(52).  This scene and line “what gloom?” is referred back to again when he is at the party in the cabin as they sing again “ah me, what gloom!” (54). I think this is why Sal decides to move onto San Francisco. He doesn’t really want this illusion to dissipate, so he leaves.

Who’s the Freest Of Them All?

    This weeks reading proved to be quite interesting in that Sal trampled Dean’s free spirit through his blind faith and integration of ‘western’ philosophies in his life. It came to the point where Dean and Sal did not have enough money to continue on their journey and had to find jobs; however, Sal rejects this idea as he believes it will alter his perceptions on his voyage. If he were to work, Sal is frightened that it would strip away the ‘westernness’ out of him.  He is fearful that working will result in a freedom-less, meaningless life. The ‘western’ aspect that he is assimilating into will be diminished or even destroyed if he becomes a working man again.

    Dean isolates the working population as the problem of the world in that if people did not work, they would be able to do as they please and also experience the self-government that provides him such glee. Sal would rather have only a bed and some food if it is in conjunction with his liberty and the purity of nature.

    Unlike Sal, Dean needs material and physical pleasures like woman and cigarettes in order to survive as it makes him feel dominant in his surroundings. As a result, Sal becomes triumphant in his self inflicted battle of becoming the epitome of a western man. Through this actualization, hopefully Sal will be able to separate from Dean a little and become a self dependent man rather than one who needs the likes of Dean to feel accomplished.

"Ray called the waitress a whore" (pg. 50)

     Whether it is looking through an “address book for girls” (pg.42), commenting on the “beautiful well-dressed blonde” (pg. 47), or observing the huge “crew” (pg.48) of women working for him, I again found myself primarily focusing on the subordinate female roles that Sal comments on in this week’s reading;  he constantly emphasizes a woman’s combined purpose of being an object of a man’s physical pleasure in a superficial relationship while simultaneously being a subordinate waitress in both the diner and the household.  We furthermore realize that these conventions are not only defined by men, but also by the women themselves who accept their roles as slaves in the bedroom and in the kitchen;  for when Sal asks Rita, who is “lined up” (pg. 51) for him that night what she wants to do with her life, she responds, that her desire is to “just wait on tables and try to get along” (pg.51).  Also, with a simple demand of “Come on help us clean up the joint” (pg. 48) from Sal and his friends, the women automatically submit, as if the thought to reject the command never even crossed their minds.  Although I know Kerouac is honestly  portraying the attitude of the beat generation across America as he says, “Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together;  sophistication demands that they submit to sex immediately without proper preliminary talk” (pg.52), I cannot help but be somewhat dissatisfied with the clear discrimination of women by the men of the era.  Overall, I am slightly bothered by the novel because I feel like the author shares this superior attitude too.  

Sal as a Dynamic Character

         Throughout this week’s reading of On the Road, there was not one event that stuck out in particular. Instead, it was the combination of all of the occurrences that made the reading interesting. In chapters seven through ten, Jack Kerouac portrays the significant changes that Sal has experienced thus far in the novel. Before getting to Denver, Sal was essentially a homeless man who luckily found his way across the country. In the recent reading, Sal’s surrounding environment has completely changed. Perhaps it is because of the interest that I find in Dean’s character, but I felt as if the scenes in which Sal sits and admires the discussions between Carlo and Dean exemplified the change in environment. Before, on his way to Denver, Sal was exposed to other hitchhikers who spoke of meaningless ideas and situations. As a result, when Sal is exposed to this opportunity of listening to Dean and Carlo, he takes advantage because it provides him with such entertainment to hear two “maniacs” converse. Moreover, Sal’s exposure to other women and the overall party scene in these chapters is significant. “Only a few days ago I’d come into Denver like a bum; now I was all racked up sharp in a suit, with a beautiful well-dressed blonde on my arm, bowing to dignitaries and chatting in the lobby under chandeliers” (pg. 47). In this quote, Kerouac directly reminds the audience of Sal’s not-so-distant past and how much his life has changed in such short time. All in all, I do not believe that this week’s reading was that entertaining. However, in my opinion, the reading serves a great purpose of portraying Sal’s transition into the western mindset. 

Description and Time

Compared to the other books that we have read so far this year in class; such as Atlas Shrugged, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and the Calvino short stories, the amount of description in On the Road is significantly different. Atlas Shrugged, for example, can spend an entire page, or even at times pages, describing a single moment. Unlike Atlas Shrugged, Kerouac in On the Road spends only brief sentences or lines for describing events that can happen over days. But we also get a larger range of time, for example in On the Road, within the first forty five pages we have covered a span of time of about six months. Although the ability of the author to portray the events, emotions, and internal thoughts of characters depends on the author’s control and use of language, both modes of description; spending pages describing moments or spending pages describing days, allow the reader further insight into the conflicts and the story lines of the novels. 

               Because Kerouac breaks up what we have read so far in the novel into three distinct sections; the first section during which he meets Dean while he’s still in New York, the second on his journey to Colorado, and what we have seen as the beginning of the third as his time in Denver, we have also seen the development of Sal as a character. Since his journey to Denver his own image of himself has changed. He no longer believes that he is just boy who has only ever seen the town of which he has grown up in, but instead he now sees himself as equal to the others in his group, such as Chad King and Roland Major.

Revisiting

I am tempted to say I am "back to square one" in terms of my thoughts on this book, but I do feel that I cannot deny the focus on Sal's environment and temporary encounters, nor do I think anyone can. However, I must revisit my dismissal of Dean as a "main character" figure. Dean is an interesting character, this is difficult to deny. He is first described to us as this fascinating individual that Sal admired greatly. Sal admires him in such a way that I got the feeling he was more of a supporting character than a main character. I still believe Sal to be a supporting character, now I'm just trying to see what exactly he is supporting. Obviously the main character figure does not need to be one thing/person, but one has to be more emphasized than the other, or at least this is what I expect.

Chapter five began with an interaction between Sal and an attractive young woman that I found interesting; Sal is not only comfortable with random interactions with strangers, but seems to love trying to be close to someone he has never met. Granted, this instance may be more sexually driven than emotionally driven, but regardless I feel that he has a certain love for people, more so for strangers. So this chapter continued to be more about the journey of Sal, but the second Dean comes into the picture we're on the adventures of Dean Moriarty, with Sal as the narrator, supporting character, and spirited best friend. Maybe Sal has an awesome backstory, maybe his writings are about his adventures in unexplored jungle, maybe he's actually the creator of the universe just trying out the human experience, but so far we have no reason to believe he is any more normal than what has been shown to us. Dean has been characterized more than Sal has, and Sal has been the narrator this whole time; Dean has been given a dark past, exciting motivations, and has shown himself to have an interesting personality. Sal has been given... well he's a hitchhiker, and that is an interesting story on its own.

I do not think Sal is the main focus of this story, and I am struggling to decide if Dean is as important as I had originally hypothesized or if its all about the journey. I know I may very well be alone on this analysis, but I suppose that's half the fun. I don't need Sal to murder someone, I just need him to be interesting, maybe then I'll see him as more than just a lens for the story.

An Abused Child- A Characterization of Dean

   This week, rather than having a better understanding of Sal, I was able to analyze why Dean is who he is. In his case, I believe that nurture triumphed against nature in that Dean was mentally abused as a child  as a result of of his drunken father. Dean most likely feels responsible for his father’s behavior. He grew up in a chaotic environment and thus was not able to learn the feeling of trust and safety in the world. Furthermore, Dean suffers from a lack of self esteem and self worth and is unable to trust others. Therefore, he is unable to form a meaningful relationship in his life.

    The threads that tie Dean’s blanket all came together this week. The reader now possesses a deep understanding why Dean never settles in one place. He does this due to the fact that he never learned how to create stability in his environment. He thrives in the uncertainties of life which he describes as the road as to not form any bond or relationship with the people or the settings around him.

    Dean’s constant action and movement is a coping mechanism as a result of the traumatic incidences that came about during his childhood. He is on the road not because he wants to be a free spirit, but rather, he is on the road as to not be betrayed once again as his father did when we was a child.

Sal's Cowardliness and Desperateness in the Reading

       In my opinion, this week’s reading of On the Road was the most entertaining thus far. The first subject I would like to address concerns the idea that Sal is wasting his money on going to bars and on other unnecessary things and he later wishes that he would get to Denver already. I do not understand why Sal constantly desires to get to the west so fast if he blows off most of his money that could help with his journey. Moreover, another major idea presented in these chapters is the idea that Sal has become fascinated with the women along his journey. Everywhere he goes, Sal marvels at the looks of the women and the descriptions tell the audience that Sal is desperate for a companion. Later on, he says, “I was the only guy without a girl” (p. 37). Here, the reader can foreshadow that one of Sal’s goals during his time “on the road” will be to find a woman. Once he is reunited with Dean, whom is currently sleeping with two women at the same time, Dean claims that he will find Sal a girl. My favorite part of the reading was the interactions between Dean and other characters. Dean’s personality is one that is captivating for the wrong reasons. Dean’s entire reputation revolves around all of his immoral stunts and chauvinistic attitude. However, he still comes off as a sort of admirable character. Looking forward to next week’s reading, I strongly anticipate the introduction of the waitress’ character and how it will affect Sal’s thoughts. 

The Kitchen is Calling

     After reading chapters five through seven, I was dissatisfied with the continuous discriminatory commentary made on the roles of American females at the time.  Throughout these chapters, Sal underscores the general conception that women are the inferior sex that can be taken advantage of for men’s own pleasures.  Sal describes a “Mexican and beautiful” (pg.29) waitress, a “beautiful Colorado gal” (pg.32), and a “beautiful blonde called Babe” (pg.37); these superficial remarks emphasize the use of women as objects of physical attraction.  Not only are all these women described by their physical appearance, but they also all play subordinate roles in the society, most as waitresses.  This further implicates that their role is to wait on the dominant men.  Not only are they slaves in the restaurant, but they are also slaves in the bedroom; they have a constant dependence on men which is exemplified when Camille, one of Dean’s objects of pleasure, asks Dean, “‘But what time will you be back?’” (pg.39).  Camille is willing to sit around, waiting for two hours so that Dean can do whatever he intends to do.   A particularly powerful description for me was when Sal describes Ray’s sister, Babe, as a “doll of the West” (pg. 37); here, we see clearly see him objectifying a living person so that she becomes an inanimate object. Also, the name, Babe, clearly connotes the importance of beauty to men, as they see women as targets of physical attraction.  Although in my prior posts I thought I could relate to Sal, in these chapters I felt it difficult to connect to a character who is so casually degrading towards my own sex.

On the Road for Real

  Sal once again allows himself to be used. Although his tolerance for and acceptance of other people do allow for some very interesting experiences and situations, he is also hurting himself, spending much of his money and ultimately limiting his happiness and the extent of his travels. I’m afraid that Kerouac is setting up Sal, who is this innocent kid traveling west with wide eyes and a hopeful open mind, who so ready to accept everything, just to be crushed. I believe that Sal is romanticizing the characteristics of many of the characters he meets and places he sees, and exaggerates what he believes makes them compelling, whether it be the “beautiful bevies everywhere” (15) in Des Moines or the fact the apple pie keeps getting better and bigger as he moves further west.

  The part of the reading that I enjoyed the most are the scenes where Sal is lying on his back on the flat bed of the truck, watching the scenery and landscape change around him where he describes his journey “like riding a railroad, just as steady and just as straight” (28). The entire time I spent reading the passage I was reminded of the scenes from Forrest Gump, during which Forest is running cross country. I felt the same wonder and serenity reading this passage as I did watching the movie.

  It was definitely interesting reading these chapters while driving from Hartford, Connecticut to Columbus, Ohio touring colleges, and being able to see how much the characteristics of the landscape, people, and even the weather could change so drastically from town to town.  

I'm Very Happy to Say I Was Wrong

      For those of you who read my first impression on this book, you may remember that I was hoping that Dean would be the intended main character but we would see him from the perspective of the narrator. While I still believe this would be a pretty awesome way to weave a story, I think I finally understand what the "main character", in a sense, is to be. The narrator is taking us on a journey, a fascinating journey filled with events, hardship, and most importantly people. The story is not about him, and I am inclined to argue that it isn't even about his journey across America, but rather I think it is about the people. I think the main event of this book is the people that the narrator encounters and describes in such a way that I at times was reminded of Calvino. Keroauc writes in such a way that I feel the characters encountered on this journey are real people with feelings, emotions, and stories. I stand by what I said two weeks ago, I think having Dean be the main character would be an enthralling experience, but I now understand that this story is not about the narrator, but entirely about what happens around him, and I fall for stories like that far too easily. If it is not entirely obvious by now, I think I am enjoying On The Road far more than I was two weeks ago.

Apple Pie in the Novel

       Throughout my recent reading of On the Road, I encountered a number of ideas that could serve great importance in understanding the novel. Firstly, I believe that the “hitchhiking” concept does a tremendous job in allowing the reader to realize a variety of things. For instance, because of his experience with different drivers or companions along his journey, the narrator becomes extremely culturally educated. He meets people from all around the United States and he then compares and contrasts life across state borders. When he first encounters a real American cowboy, the narrator becomes intrigued and curious about his lifestyle. Moreover, I found that Jack Kerouac also used symbols as a means of communicating to his audience. The most obvious one that I found was the apple pie and ice cream. “I ate apple pie and ice cream - it was getting better as I got deeper into Iowa, the pie bigger, the ice cream richer” (p.14). Here, the narrator notes the differences to something that is known to be stereotypically “American”. As he moves farther west, the apple pie changes along with the ice cream, representing the cultural disparity found in the United States. 

       In addition to these key features in the reading, I would like to discuss the importance of the ride throughout the conclusion of the reading. The narrator meets a good amount of people who are similarly looking for a new beginning and this allows him to sustain his self-esteem, for he is not alone. Furthermore, the narrator realizes that there are people who are in even worst shape than him, whether they are running from the law or simply do not have the same amount of resources as him. Overall, I have really enjoyed reading the novel thus far.

A Reaction to Sal's Character

   Through his adventurous and child like spirit, Sal made a deep connection with me in the first two chapters in that his innocent dreams of exploring the “promised land” rejuvenated the meaning of life. His vision of the people and places that surround him make earth seem like a real life heaven through his use of adjectives. All objects that he observes are incredible, the sweetest, or the best. However, because of this relationship that I formed with Sal, I was extremely frustrated at him this week. His righteous dreams consumed him, and as a result, he became similar to a naive child as illustrated by his relationship with Eddie. He believed Eddie to be similar to his family which was his greatest downfall to date in that Eddie was a complete stranger. In this world, people have learned to kill or be killed whether it be people from the east or west coast. In other words, people such as Eddie are willingly ready to squeeze Sal like a lemon of everything he has and then dump him in the trash in order to further continue on their journey. Even though Sal pays for Eddie to take a bus to Omaha, the second that Sal is no longer useful to Eddie, he leaves him alone like waste.

    I was aggravated with Sal in that he should have known better. Even if people from the west might have different moral values and remind Sal of his family, in the end, it is in the nature of people to be selfish in order to further themselves in life. It is heartbreaking that Sal allows himself to be taken advantage of and be disappointed by ‘friends’ because he allows his idealistic dreams to take hold of him and blind him of reality.

    Despite his light setback, I still believe in Sal. He is a unique force in this world in that no one today will bravely pack up all their belongings and take themselves out of their comfort zone in order to have a journey of finding their true selves. I now see that these dreams can create some weaknesses such as naiveness; however, I also realize that it can give people the strength to become self actualized.

A Big Thumbs Up (Meagan Adler)

  After reading chapters three and four of the novel, I unintentionally found myself relating to the mundane, yet extraordinary experiences of a hitchhiker.  I find it admirable how the narrator is able to connect us to a person whom normally we find ourselves trying to avoid; I know that when I see someone with their thumb up on the side of the road I automatically classify them as a sketchy abnormality who I could in no way relate to.  Yet, the narrator's natural and humble approach in reflecting upon his experience blended with his unexpectedly insightful observations of the nation as a whole makes the reader relate to him.  A particularly mundane comment is made when he describes the trends of music in America as he says, “I thought of all my friends from one end of the country to the other and how they were really all in the same vast backyard” (pg.11); this comment underscores the influence of contagious trends in America and how conformity unifies the vast nation.  This idea is one that defines the country, even today, in that it describes a spreadable force that connects us to each other. I also found that the color gray (pg. 17,18) is continually used to describe the narrator’s surroundings; to me this dull color refers to the hazy future the narrator has ahead of him.  Another comment the narrator makes in his depiction of his stop at the diner is that the restaurant was “run by a bunch of women” (pg.22); this was a slight comment made that had no direct intention in being the focus of the description, but suggests the subordinate roles women played in society at the time.  I admire how the narrator was able to suggest the influence of gender on society in an understated manner.  Lastly, I liked how the narrator describes the Minnesota truck drivers as the “captains” of their ship (pg.22); this made me think of the Hudson river reference made earlier in the novel and how he is like the rose on the river, unknowing of where he will end up.  Furthermore, I feel like I am on this journey with the narrator as he flows next to the many roses beside him in his hitchhiker alliance that forms on the back of the Minnesota drivers’ truck; a big thumbs up for the novel so far.