on the road
by jack kerouac
This novel tells the story of Sal Paradise, who represents Jack Kerouac as this novel is largely autobiographical and almost all of the characters represent real people, and his friends as they take multiple road trips across the United States. Throughout the book, the characters embrace a carefree attitude, simply enjoying their lives on the road without dwelling on their material possessions or past troubles. In Part One of the book, Sal Paradise leaves New York City with only 50 dollars in his pocket, only having a simple idea about where he was going. He hitchhikes and takes buses here and there in order to get to where he wants to go throughout the book, meeting up with old friends and creating new ties along the way. The characters travel freely across the country, being tossed around in the beds of pickup trucks. They travel to Denver and to New Orleans and to wherever their hearts take them, simply enjoying life as it naturally occurs around them.
Jack Kerouac and On the Road are great representations of the modern American Dream. For him to leave his home with only fifty dollars in his pocket and not much of a direction is the embodiment of the American experience that people want to achieve. His repetitive life was not fulfilling enough, and he left it all behind in order to reunite with old friends and make new ones along the way. He didn’t care about sleeping in the backs of pickup trucks or spending days hitchhiking because he was able to see the world in all of its beauty, while not being distracted by all the meaningless stuff that people are usually held back by. He would spend his last dollar bills on a bottle of whiskey and share it with all of his new friends as he traveled quickly down a midwestern highway in the middle of the night. People think that the purpose of life is mostly about gaining economic stability and social status, though honestly, life is lived fully when one is able to experience the beauty of the country and of the world without having to worry about the nonsense and meaningless aspects of life that keep them living in repetitive cycles. The American Dream is also achieved by creating ties with people and discovering everyone’s uniqueness, and Jack Kerouac is able to conquer both of these fundamental aspects throughout this novel. He travels through the country from city to city, but he is content because he does not need to worry about supporting himself economically or paying bills. He was simply able to see the beauty of the world while being surrounded by new companions.
Jack Kerouac and his lifestyle share many similarities with that of William Least Heat-Moon, the author of Blue Highways.
Jack Kerouac and On the Road are great representations of the modern American Dream. For him to leave his home with only fifty dollars in his pocket and not much of a direction is the embodiment of the American experience that people want to achieve. His repetitive life was not fulfilling enough, and he left it all behind in order to reunite with old friends and make new ones along the way. He didn’t care about sleeping in the backs of pickup trucks or spending days hitchhiking because he was able to see the world in all of its beauty, while not being distracted by all the meaningless stuff that people are usually held back by. He would spend his last dollar bills on a bottle of whiskey and share it with all of his new friends as he traveled quickly down a midwestern highway in the middle of the night. People think that the purpose of life is mostly about gaining economic stability and social status, though honestly, life is lived fully when one is able to experience the beauty of the country and of the world without having to worry about the nonsense and meaningless aspects of life that keep them living in repetitive cycles. The American Dream is also achieved by creating ties with people and discovering everyone’s uniqueness, and Jack Kerouac is able to conquer both of these fundamental aspects throughout this novel. He travels through the country from city to city, but he is content because he does not need to worry about supporting himself economically or paying bills. He was simply able to see the beauty of the world while being surrounded by new companions.
Jack Kerouac and his lifestyle share many similarities with that of William Least Heat-Moon, the author of Blue Highways.