Okay, Sal is in New York and things are all different, he fawns over Dean, and Dean can't keep it in his pants, but none of this is important. Our book got mentioned in the last lecture and I don't know about you guys but my perspective has definitely changed. This entire time I have been reading this story and saying over and over that it was really a commentary on the setting, or a presentation of the setting, but I have still been reading it like it was all about the story when I should have been reading it for its message. What I'm picking up from the last lecture is this book is all about showing the reader all these different aspects of American society in a time where it is changing rapidly. While I think we have all picked up on the different faces of society Sal observes (as well as the fact that Sal is an observer, not a character) I definitely had not embraced the idea that this was Kerouac showing us moving history. Sal is boring, but he's supposed to be boring, this book is a documentary and we shouldn't expect the camera man to have a personality.
This then lends itself to answering the question I persistently propose: Who is the main character? At this point I would have to say it's American culture, or the setting. The focus of the story is Kerouac's observations- the changes in American society, Sal is just there to give him an excuse to show it to us. And Dean... Well, Dean is there to ensure that the story has at least ONE interesting character.
This also means that there is no hope of Sal changing; he will forever be the boring hitchhiker who has a creepy obsession with the legendary Dean. But I think there are more important implications here, like does Kerouac want us to read this like a book? Does he want us to pay attention to characters and plot points? Did he want us to realize this was an educational story and ignore the lesser things? I would think so, but he spends so much time dealing with characters and plot points that it was actually debatable as to what the focus was. I think we're supposed to read this story like a book but I also think Kerouac gives the reader a bit too much credit. I think he assumes that everyone will pick up on what he is trying to present but I don't think he realizes that not everyone will read a book and instantly see that it's not about the story. I'm hoping that either as the book continues Kerouac brings the real story closer to the reader, or maybe that reading it as a documentary will make it more interesting.
I too agree that my perspective has dramatically changed after this week’s lecture in recognizing the true purpose of the book. I too was getting almost frustrated with Sal’s mundanely dull character as he “haggardly” (pg.97) stumbles as a “ghost” (pg.97) on his seemingly purposeless journey across America. I particularly like your insights on Sal as the cameraman, writing down his observations on the changing society. I think we are now able to appreciate the analytically complex movement of the rebellious Beat generation, as its members are trying to break free from the societal institutions that constantly restrict them from becoming individuals. I feel like as Sal “sheepishly” (pg.105) follows Dean he is trying to break free from the societal force that tries to pull him in and prevent him from becoming an individual. However, I do not completely agree that Sal is simply a lens that shows us the setting of America, for I think he also exemplifies the concept of the failure of the individual who will never be a “Dean” because he cannot go on all the time in the “franticness and jumping around” (pg.108) which defines the mobile lifestyle of the Beat generation. Furthermore, I think Dean too has a purpose beyond his interesting character, for in my opinion he represents the youthful and nonconformist philosophy of the Beat Generation, who refuses to submit to the societal institutions. Sal wants to be Dean because he wants to be an individual who is unconstrained by society; however, I think Kerouac brilliantly shows us that people like Sal who seek to find the purpose of the individual while remaining under a societal roof are destined to fail.
ReplyDelete- Meagan Adler