Comment on Ari's Post

       I can see where you're coming from here, and I agree with your logic. Sal is most definitely a character who wants but cannot take- perhaps he has the ability but not the will. But I do think that that is his pattern. I think he definitely has a pattern the same way silence has a pattern: It's constantly the same thing because nothing is happening. I believe your second claim is contradictory to your first in that the fact that he consistently shows the desire to make the more dynamic decision but never has the balls to do so is indeed a pattern. Whatever personality Sal has, it seems to have one function, and that function is to be a little bitch. So we're definitely on the same page in terms of defining Sal, but unfortunately for both of us I do believe that to be a definite pattern- there is not one moment where Sal makes a ballsy choice, it's always the same thing from him.

Comment on Pedro's Post

       First I want to mention how much I enjoyed the structure of your comment, it was very clear and easy to read. Second, I want to mention how much I agreed with what you said about Dean. Dean has become insane. His life is even less based on reason, and I feel like he is living his life on a high that is going to and has to break eventually. I also want to mention how from the beginning of the novel I have been disgusted by Kerouac’s representation of women, which he has painted woman as being incredibly immoral and fake. But I think that we’re all starting to better understand Kerouac’s purpose in writing On the Road. We’re not really supposed to like any of his characters, and instead we are supposed to hate them and see the faults in them. Kerouac is so deeply associated with the beat generation not because of his support for them, but because of how realistically he represented them, and in the end Kerouac is very messed up. He took this generation that saw themselves as a group that refused to be apart of the norm, and saw this as a positive, and turned their ideas and beliefs sideways. Kerouac who himself was apart of the beat generation reflects on their opinions not in a positive attitude, but instead scorns them for their imperious beliefs. I also want to mention that I disagree with your view of Dean, and that I still really dislike him. Even though he is more entertaining, I find him to be an absolutely awful person that I wish didn’t exist.

Comment on Felipe's Post

       I too think that this novel is one that is strange to say the least. I mean I can’t imagine voluntarily watching a guy have sex with my girlfriend  (or whatever she is to Dean) and be completely comfortable with it. However, I do believe that this makes the novel and specifically Dean’s character a little more in a variety of ways. I think that this scene just adds to the idea that Dean is definitely a little insane and that he is either scared of relationships or is trying to avoid one for some reason. I also picked up on the idea that Felipe discusses involving Dean “blushing” when Sal comments on their great friendship. As I predicted in my post, I believe that this novel is going to change a little bit in the coming chapters based on how involved Sal gets in Dean’s life. As Felipe states at the conclusion of his post, Sal has not been involved in anything as of late and I think we are going to see his role come into play fairly soon. Sal will have some sort of influence on Dean’s personality and we may also see another side to Sal that we have yet to see. 

Dean's Weaknesses

       A number of conclusions can be made from the recent reading. First off, this is likely one of the weirdest novels that I have read in not only high school, but my life as a whole. In addition, the novel lacks a lot of the action that we have seen in other works of literature throughout the year such as The Kite Runner or Kafka’s short stories. Nonetheless, I do believe that Jack Kerouac is a great author who somehow keeps us captivated by this story which only features one or two interesting characters. The person who many would consider the main character, Sal, is awfully boring and does not really succeed in much. Throughout the novel so far he has just made desperate attempts at charming other women or becoming more “western”/hippy. Furthermore, he basically wants to become like Dean. This leads me to my next point, Dean is, in my opinion, the only character in the novel who is genuinely interesting. Whether we are learning about his past where he spent time in jail and had numerous affairs or we are looking at the present where he continues to be somewhat of a role model (for Sal), Dean does not disappoint us in relation to entertaining the reader. 

       As we delve more and more into Dean’s character, the last few chapters that we have read portray a number of sides to his personality that we have not really discussed yet. For the first time, we can notice a variety of weaknesses that Dean has. Before we basically designated Dean with the role of being a “baller” (at least Felipe did), but now we can really see Dean struggling in a number of scenes. The issues that he has with accepting the relationship between himself and Marylou is one that is fascinating for a few reasons. As Felipe implied in his post, the recent reading shows us Dean’s incapability of sustaining a relationship. Although he has these f*** buddies that he can call whenever he wants, the reality is that he does not have a companion. Moreover, I believe that Sal will start becoming a more involved character in the coming chapters by being more influential in Dean’s life. Dean is in need of someone to be with him, and Sal, well...Sal is definitely not going to pass up the opportunity of being with Dean.

Comment on Meagan's Post

       Meagan this week provides a glimpse at some of the reasoning behind my frustration. Perhaps it is the fact that “Kerouac consistently reminds us that the group is trying to escape the inescapable institutions of family, state and church” that Sal and Dean are unable to ‘pull the trigger’. Perhaps in a structured society there is no capacity for a wildly free human being. But the first images of absolute liberty still haunts my group and I as we are now on our hands and knees begging for any ounce of excitement.

       This week however, Meagan reminds me that there is that possibility that the novel was never about the ‘wild and exuberant life’. Meagan could be right when stating that “the individual is destined to fail”. Could the novel have steered its reader is an entirely different direct purposely as to build the levels of frustration that all of my group members and I are experiencing?

       I do not have the answers to the following question; however, I am fully aware of one thing. The inability of Sal to make a connection with any of my group members speaks volumes. There is a consensus that it is a dreadful experience to have to read about Sal’s fluctuating views on life. He is not behaving as one human being, but rather, quite a few. And it is that very reason that makes me want to close the book right now and dump it in the trash.

Comment on Gioia's Post

       Now, I also see the true purpose of Sal’s narration, as he reflects upon the Beat Generation and its attempt to escape the inescapable societal institutions.  I believe that Dean is one of the leaders of this generation and that his clan follows him “sheepishly” (pg.105) because they are in awe of his youthful rebelliousness.  I agree that the characters are lost, for they are trying to escape the societal institutions and find themselves, but they seem as if they are just aimlessly wandering throughout the country.  I do not believe that the characters can escape these institutions, as we are constantly reminded when Sal’s aunt has to pay the fifteen dollars when they get pulled over, when they assure themselves that “God exists” (pg.111) and when they pay twenty-five dollars to the cop when Ed Dunkel recklessly drives.  These scenarios prove continuous failures at escaping the institutions of family, church and state.  I agree that there is a possibility that Sal is an observer and is fascinated with Dean, for he represents the Beat Generation.  The journey becomes mundanely dull, as it seems to be a continuous cycle that repeats itself and I think that it will ultimately end with everyone returning back to their own roofs.  I think that society will ultimately pull them back, as Carlo Marx says, “”Tain’t nothing but bureaucracy. And unions! Especially unions!” (pg.138) (as he sits with Kafka in his hands).  This alludes to the predestined failure of the individual.   

Dean

       So Dean is back and he is crazier than ever. Kerouac makes it obvious that Dean is morally corrupt and insane. Dean leaves Camille and his newborn daughter to meet up with a past girlfriend, and his conversation with Sal in the car about his view with God follows absolutely no reason. I question why Sal has decided to join Dean again and the only answer that I have come up with follows the same reasoning as with Meursault in The Stranger. He cannot and refuses to make judgments on other people, and I am just as frustrated with Sal while reading On the Road as I was with Meursault while reading The Stranger. Sal is indifferent to everything and is constantly overlooking Dean's failures. In The Stanger Meursault is created to be an outsider, to be an exception from the norm in order to have something to compare the idea of normal to, more or less questions the idea of normality. But Sal is neither a part of the group nor an outsider. I think I would be less frustrated by Sal he were to just choose a side. I believe the Kerouac wants the reader to feel this way, to hate the main characters of his novel which in the end is a little messed up, but also entertaining.

       During our video conversation a little more than a month ago Felipe made a claim that Sal isn’t necessarily the main character of On the Road, and that Dean would better fall under the title of main character. Up until now I had disagreed with him, but I believe that I now better understand his reasoning. Kerouac is writing On the Road as a representation of the beat generation and I don’t believe that Sal is apart of the group. He will follow them around and sometimes take part in their activities, but I believe that Sal is just means for the reader to observe what Kerouac believes the beat generation to be, and the subject of Sal’s observation is Dean. Dean is Kerouac’s view of the beat generation, and this was not the point of view I was expecting when I started reading On the Road. I was expecting the characters of on the road to be rebels with a new vision of what right and wrong are, but really they are just lost.

Jack Kerouac Might Be Insane, and Dean Definately Is

"...Dean and Marylou were sleeping on my bed, Ed and I on my aunt's bed." Sal Paradise, page 70.

       And that's where we start our reading this week, ladies and gentlemen; we start with Dean the playboy having sex with a girl on Sal the worshiper's bed, and something tells me Sal couldn't be happier. Maybe he's hoping some of that Dean Moriarty charm will rub off on him in his dreams since it clearly isn't happening in reality. Normally I wouldn't start a post with a quote, but quite frankly I found this too funny to pass up mentioning. And even better, shortly after this line, Dean gets a call from ANOTHER girl, which is really just over-reinforcing it at this point. Unless, of course, Dean ends up getting an STD, then all of this will have been a nice setup to a great punchline and perhaps some actual plot. But as we all know, this story isn't about plot, or characters, or even the great almighty Dean. This story is about history- it's about history, and America, and any message Kerouac wants to pack in there. But... does Kerouac have a message? I mean we can kind of see his view on things but I can't really recall any situations where I could say "Yeah, there's Kerouac". Unless Sal is supposed to represent Kerouac (and if this is the case then boy, does Kerouac need a therapist) I don't really see him popping his head in the story to tell us what's in his head while he's writing this. Now, maybe he is Sal and he is simply expressing his fascination with the changing West but lack of courage to join it. Or maybe he's gay for a guy named Dean. Regardless, I'm not ruling out the possibility of the observing character to be the author's embodiment, but this is almost entirely because that seems to be the most reasonable assumption if we are to also assume that Kerouac has something to say beyond wanting to convey a little American history.

       Now I think we're all kind of glad to see Dean changing a little, some dimensions being added and all that. I like that he is becoming somewhat contradictory to himself and a little insane, and I think we can read a little more into him now. Dean has seemed to accept God but he doesn't seem to have thought it through. He has accepted this sort of natural balance where everything works itself out but also accepts that shit like a kid breaking a windshield and killing a man happens, so in his ramblings it seems as though he means that everything is going to work out for him. As usual, Dean seems predominantly concerned with himself, even in the adoption of his new mystic philosophy he has absolved himself of responsibility for his own actions and claimed a sort of divine protection, while simultaneously claiming that people are people and shit happens. Whether this makes Dean insane or stupid I am no position to say, but at least we're seeing some change.

       Okay that was all pretty much about one of the several chapters we read, so I'll make the rest of my reaction brief. Sal is horny and Dean is just a weird dude, like I get that he wants to see how Marylou behaves with another dude but how can he think it'll all be normal when he sits down to watch his friend fuck his girl? I feel like Dean would probably be perfectly comfortable, but evidently the other two weren't exactly down with being watched- they couldn't get into it. But there is one thing of actual importance I want to mention before I finish this: When Sal tells Dean they're buddies, Dean blushes. Now, maybe this is because Dean was embarrassed to ask Sal to bang Marylou, but a part of me wants to believe that it's because deep down Dean might be a little insecure about friendships. Sure, he can have any girl he wants anytime anywhere, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's not lonely. Now, this is me fishing for any sort of depth to his character so maybe I'm totally wrong, but I thought it was an idea worth mentioning.

Also Sal hasn't done anything for 88 pages, I think it's time we start wondering if he's even human.

Sick & Tired

       Now, after reading almost half on the novel, I am confident in saying that I am sick and tired of On the Road as a result of Sal’s inability to act or behave like one person. Normally, despite the many options that they are presented with, characters in all books fall into a pattern as they are human and therefore predictable. Throughout the novel I have said, over and over that Sal cannot love because he does not love himself because he does not know himself. In this connected chain, I have had sympathy for him, as it is hard in this world not to be effected by its mysterious and mystical offerings; however, I believe that Sal is the guy who takes out the gun, but will not pull the trigger. In other words, we wants to make the change, but will never have the guts or balls to do so.

       The reasoning behind by frustration results in the fact that I am now reading The Kite Runner. Amir, although not fully developed as he is still a young adult, provides emotional shocks with twists and turns. Through these shocks, however, Amir has proven to learn from them rather than fluctuate like a Bobo Doll which Sal does continuously. Despite his horrid experience in the ‘wild and exuberant’ west, Sal’s opinion fluctuates as he now, once again, deems the region to be the ‘cool’ destination. Sal is the cause for his own undoing as he does not learn from his experiences unlike most people in this world. Rather, he continues to go back to places and the people that screwed him over in the first place.

       In addition, Sal is having visions of a Shrouded Arabian Traveler chasing him across a desert that will catch him before he reaches heaven. Dean thinks, that is signifies Sal’s longing for death. I believe, however, that Sal is not living so death will bring no change in his worthless life. I hate that my writing in this blog comes with a negative connotation, but there is truly no meat or substance in Sal’s world. He is a hypocrite as he ‘desires’ to parallel the life that Dean has; yet, he drives he describes to the reader the slow and careful drive he takes as to not hurt himself.

       I feel as if there is no hope for this novel. Sal is unsure of himself and his self worth and therefore can switch personalities as easily as he does because he is so empty. How can the main character of the novel be so empty and provide a meaningful message? I hope Kerouac cleans up his act, because as of right now, I am most definitely NOT a fan of On the Road.

“Bureaucracy!” says Old Bull; he sits with Kafka on his lap… (Meagan Adler)

       As we continue on our monotonously dull journey with Sal, we become frustrated as he aimlessly wanders with Dean on the road, as they try to escape the inescapable societal institutions.  We see that these institutions are going to follow Dean’s clan whether or not they are in the east or the west.  Whether it is needing Sal’s aunt to pay the fifteen dollars when they get pulled over by a cop, assuring themselves that “God exists” (pg.111) or paying twenty-five dollars to the cop when Ed Dunkel recklessly drives, Kerouac consistently reminds us that the group is trying to escape the inescapable institutions of family, state and church.  We are further frustrated by the idea that Sal and Dean are trying to become individuals in a country where the purpose of the individual is destined to fail.  I was particularly intrigued by Carlo Marx as he sees the borders of society and consciously decides to stop trying to escape the societal institutions.   He consciously advises Dean’s clan as he says, “The balloon won’t sustain you much longer.  And not only that, but it’s an abstract balloon.  You’ll all go flying to the West Coast and come staggering back in search of your stone” (pg.121); here, Carlo warns the group that they are trying to escape the inescapable force that will ultimately pull them in and lead to the failure of the individual. Sal frustrates us as he becomes a sheep that aimlessly follows Dean on his seemingly unsuccessful journey; as Sal says, “I didn’t want to interfere.  I just wanted to follow” (pg.123).  Do we like Sal? Not particularly.  Do we dislike Sal? Not particularly. I think that as a reader the journey seems to be mundanely dull because we do not feel any connection to the narrator.  The group is searching for a “wild and brawling and free” (pg.135) country, but will they ever find one? At the conclusion of this week’s reading, we are exposed to the wisdom of Old Bull as he sat watching sullen French faces go by at café tables in Paris and was a bartender in New York “merely for the experience” (pg.132).  As he “sits with Kafka” (pg.138) on his lap he tells the group “Tain’t nothing but bureaucracy. And unions! Especially unions!” (pg.138).  I found this part of the reading particularly powerful, as it clearly communicates that the individual is destined to fail and that the members of the Beat Generation will ultimately be pulled back by the inescapable societal forces that they so desperately try to break free from.