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.
I agree with Ari on a number of things including the concept that Dean and Sal are not "all about" the idea of working. Throughout the reading we see that they believe life should be completely filled with excitement whether it be at a party or some sort of gathering. The audience sees this to the extent that Sal parties the same night he rejects an opportunity to work and make money for his upcoming journey. Although I agree with Ari in relation to those ideas, I disagree when he says that Dean is materialistic while Sal is not. Throughout every reading thus far we have seen the clear obsession that Sal has with women. Nearly every time he sees a woman he comments on her appearance and personality. In addition, though Sal does not mind not having a true "home", he does admire the material things he sees in Denver and he also spends a lot of money on alcohol. Overall, however, I do agree that Dean is a bit more materialistic than Sal.
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