The Long and Winding Road

As the book comes to an end, the theme in On the Road becomes more and more evident. Kerouac established himself in a time were he went beyond his generation. A traveler, much like Mark Twain, whose river became a road. Kerouac provides imagery of such times. "That grand wild sound of bop floated from beer parlors; it mixed medleys with every kind of cowboy and boogie-woogie in the American night. Everybody looked like hassle. Wild Negroes with bop caps and goatees came laughing by; then long haired broken down hipsters straight off Route 66 from New York; then old desert rats, carrying packs and heading for a park bench at the Plaza; then the Methodist ministers with raveled sleeves, and an occasional Nature Boy saint in beard and sandals. I wanted to meet them all, talk to everybody..." One of my favorite passages from the book, determines how Kerouac was trying to show the myriad colors in life. Painting a picture for the reader, of characters that changed the world in those times and forever. Comparing the minister to the hipster and how they're all just people. Do you think Jack Kerouac achieved his goal when writing On the Road, Did he show a true America?

Itchy Feet

Much like Chris McCandless in Into The Wild by Jack Krakauer at the end of chapter nine Sal is "itching to get to San Francisco" (p56) meaning he is aching to travel onwards. Yet while he is in San Francisco he attains a job being a security guard with his troublesome friend Remi who steals because "the world owes [him] a few things."(p70) It is apparent that Sal doesn't know what he wants in life. It is obvious he wants excitement and purpose but he doesn't know how to express himself. After having sex with a bored waitress named Rita he wants to help her become interested in life instead of weary. "I tried to tell her how excited I was about life and the things we could do together; saying that, and planning on leaving Denver in two days."(p58) When he becomes influenced by some bums he sees he realizes that he "wanted to go and get Rita again and tell her a lot more things, and really make love to her this time, and calm her fears about men. Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together; sophistication demands that they submit to sex immediately without proper preliminary talk...real talk about souls, for life is holy and every moment is precious. I heard Denver and Rio Grande locomotive howling off to the mountains. I wanted to pursue my star further." Just like how McCandless caught "itchy feet" because he felt that "We like companionship, see, but we cant stand to be around people for very long. So we go get ourselves lost, come back for a while, then get the hell out again.” (p96) By the end of the chapter he says he will go crazy if he doesn't get out of San Fran, yet his constant movement shows Sal's drive and passion in life, craving vicissitude. He is reckless for human contact (with woman) yet he is scared to commit so he keeps in constant motion, just as McCandless did, in order to survive in such a judgmental and conforming place.