Kerouac A Failure in his own eyes
Jack Kerouac was the spark that started the flame of the Beat Generation though, through his own eyes, he felt like a failure. Jack keyed the term 'beat' generation in a conversation with John Clellon Holmes, another of the beat generation poets, in 1948 (). The Beat Generation might not have happened without the help of Jack. What formed him into the blunt writer that he was, was his loving family, the death of his brother, movies, college, and newfound friends. Jack Kerouac, baptized Jean Louis Lebris de Kerouac, was born to Lou and Gabrielle Ange L'Evesque on March 12, 1992 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Jack had two older siblings: brother Gerard, five years older than [whom he looked up to], and sister Caroline or Nin who was three years older. The whole family spoke French in the house due to Gabrielle's French-Canadian decent and this was the children's first language (Charters 24). When Jack was four years old, Gerard died of Rheumatic fever leaving little Jack shocked, and scared (Gifford 5). Jack's mother often spoke of Gerard as a saint after death implying to Jack in his mind that he was not. "Jack worshipped him and emulated him and was entirely bereft after his death." (5
Gifford, Barry, and Lawrence Lee. Jack's Book: An Oral Biography of Jack Kerouac. ). The whole community mourned for Gerard because he was such a model student, and religious boy. But soon Nin, eight, and Jack, five, were off to the movies every day where they could watch for free because their father printed the programs for the theater. These movies were the spark that started the flame for an imagination that never quit. Brinkley, Douglas. "In the Kerouac Archive." The Atlantic Monthly. 28:5 (1998). 9 Jack started his wanderer stage at about this time, and his beginning of dating, marrying, divorcing, and drugs; what Anne Charters called "a jumble of creative brilliance and personal chaos (99). He had met a girl at Columbia before he dropped out, Edie Parker, and he moved in her New York apartment with her in 1943 (Cosmic Baseball Association). Jack's mother discouraged him living there because morally, she felt that a woman who let a man live with her did not really respect him (Charters 41). Through Edie Jack met all the people he would become best friends with to develop him into an unforgettable writer and leader of the Beat Generation. Some of the people he met was Lucien Carr, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, John Clellon Holmes, and Allen Ginsberg. William [Bill], Allen and Jack were the three that were together the most, helping each other and influencing each others work with Jack as their tutor. Before Jack became great friends with Bill and Allen though, he befriended Lucien. They were quick friends and often hung out at bars together. Lucien had a homosexual man, David Kammerer, that was obsessed with him. Kammerer would often follow Lucien and it got worse and worse. On the night of August fourteenth during an altercation Lucien killed him and disposed of the body in the Hudson River. Lucien came to Jack for help and they disposed of the boyscout knife he had used to stab Kammerer (Charters 48). Later both Lucien and Jack were arrested, Jack was charged with helping to dispose of evidence and was sent to prison. To raise bail to get out Jack married Edie Park
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Approximate Word count = 1431
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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