On the Road by Jack Kerouac

A detailed Summary of On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Imagine a sign on the side of the road. In shallow wood-carved letters it reads, "Freedom: 40 Miles." If only it had been that easy. Instead, the quest for freedom was one stretched out over years, and the long-awaited treasure was never found. Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road is the story of many journeys, back and forth across America, and just one; of the pursuit for freedom. In On the Road, Kerouac explores the beat culture through the eyes of two young travelers, who are different in as many ways as they are alike. In a world where countercultures often focus solely on the negative aspects of their own society, the beat culture embraced theirs, were intoxicated by the differences between the people they encountered and the vastness of the landscape. They objectively noted the dark and the light of their evolving country, and relentlessly sought out the freedom they so desired.

Through the characters of Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise, Kerouac presents two restless characters, each burdened by his own internal demons. In a whirlwind of traveling, drugs, sex and parties, each man is subconsciously looking for one thing: release. Dean, Sal's "sideburned hero of the snowy west" is longing for his father, a man who's past

Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty were living lives devoid of outward regret. They disguised their fears and reservations they did have with spontaneity, by taking silent oaths to themselves and others, which they knew they couldn't keep. Their independence was feigned; they depended on others as much as others depended on them. Responsibility was inevitable, and as Dean's true persona transcended the heroic one Sal had invented for him, the boundaries of their friendship and personalities were defined. Once, Dean had been the confident one, an almost holy being bursting with insight, with excitement, and talent. He was in love with the world, and it had seemed that the world was in love with him. Sal was the quiet observer, who was lost in comparison to Dean's direction, unintelligible to Dean's western eloquence. By the end their roles had switched. Sal never loses his affection for Dean, but knows that the foreseen fantasy of the two old bums that Dean had painted so early on would only become a reality for one of them.

The venture to Mexico was a startling one for Sal and Dean. By being able to contrast & compare the countries, they learned valuable things about their own culture. They had exhausted the perimeters of America, and whatever they were searching for had not been found. Sal says that, "It was no longer east-west, but magic south. We saw a vision of the entire Western Hemisphere rockribbing clear down to Tierra del Fuego and us flying down the curve of the wo

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dean Mexico, Dean Moriarty, Dean Sal's, Marylou Inez, Road Kerouac, McDonalds Starbucks', Sal Dean, Western Hemisphere, , Paradise Kerouac, beat culture, dean sal's, dean moriarty, sal paradise,

Approximate Word count = 1002
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels