Firstly, I would like to comment on the fact that it was difficult to remember the events of the past readings because of how long it had been since our last posts. Furthermore, after reviewing the previous posts and what we had discussed, I must say that I was surprised with what unfolded in Chapter 11. Prior to the reading, I expected a greater focus on one of the main characters. I expected Jack Kerouac to make use of either Sal or Dean in an effort to create more development in the novel. However, I was evidently mistaken as the novel plays on with just more time “on the road”. To continue, although Kerouac arguably characterizes Sal to a greater extent in this chapter, I believe that the novel still revolves around the concept of hitchhiking and reaching the west.
As I already suggested to Felipe, I believe that the novel (according to its title) will continue to take place “on the road”. In other words, as of now I believe that the central focus in the novel will be the journey rather than any specific character. In addition, I no longer think that Kerouac will manipulate any of the characters in an attempt to communicate the theme to his audience. Instead, I believe that the point of the novel might just be to characterize the personality of the country. Perhaps the author is using the personification of the country as a tool to illustrate the fascinating aspects of society. To conclude, I look forward to what the next reading of On the Road has to offer and whether or not my prediction will be supported.
I also had a really hard time when I started writing my reaction and trying to remember where we last left off. I actually went back and watched the discussion video for inspiration.
ReplyDeletePedro talks a lot about how the novel focuses less on the characters and more on the idea of traveling and hitchhiking West. I definitely, think that the traveling is a main focus in the story. Kerouac does a really amazing job at describing the changes in his Sal's environment, from the physical changes in the setting to the changes in the people around him. I believe that Kerouac needs Sal to stay fixed in order to magnify the changes in the landscape and the people of the United States.
I also think that we are making conclusions about the characters in the novel too quickly, there is still so much we don't know about Sal. We know the he lives with his aunt, and yet none of us have questioned where his parents are. There is still a lot that Kerouac is keeping secret, but I personally think that we are still in the introduction of the novel and that over time Kerouac is going to focus more on the characterization of Sal