Book Review: "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/articleid/391081/newspaperid/3933/Book_Review_On_the_Road_by_Jack_Kerouac.aspx
November 18, 2010
By Mia Kirby
Out of postwar mid-century America sprung the Beat Generation, a
youthful generation motivated largely by jazz, poetry and the
open-minded experimentation of drugs. The Beat Generation was the
pre-curser to the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, a Hunter S.
Thompson-esque scourge of the so-called, and widely sought-after,
American Dream. The Beat Generation shook the basis of conservative
ideology, planting seeds in many writers, artists and musicians that
fervently inspired millions.
Jack Kerouac is one such artist. His autobiographical novel On
the Road is nothing short of heroic. Liberating the minds of
countless people from shackles of materialism and traditional moral
and ethical beliefs, Kerouac heavily influenced artists such as Bob
Dylan and, one of my favorite authors, Tom Robbins. "I read On the
Road in maybe 1959. It changed my life like it changed everyone
else's," said Dylan.
On the Road is the true story (though names and details are
changed) of Kerouac (or Sal Paradise, as he is called in the novel)
and his friends hitchhiking across the country in search of true
freedom. When they first embark with nothing but miles of open road
in front of them, the objective is not so clear. However, through
travel, art and a few chemically-induced epiphanies, the objective
evolves into the destruction of time-honored American values.
The two main characters are of course, Sal, and his best
friend, Dean Moriarty, who is really Neal Cassady. As Paradise states
in the exposition, "With the coming of Dean Moriarty began the part
of my life you could call my life on the road." Dean and Sal's
relationship becomes complicated, sometimes more disparaging than
actually supportive; however, they have one thing in common, and that
is a fascination with the idea of humanity and the basic definitions
of independence and liberation. They bond over the road. Dean's
madness intoxicates Sal, making even the most commonplace experiences
completely extraordinary.
On the Road is the kind of story that will motivate you to live
each and every day to its fullest. As Sal Paradise states in the
book, "Life is holy and every moment is precious." Kerouac lived by
the philosophy that "everything belongs to me because I am poor." He
set aside materialistic wants and replaced them with spiritual needs.
"The only thing to do was go," said Paradise, as he traveled from
small quiet urban towns to deserts and wildernesses in a hunt for
personal freedom and a sense of belonging. What makes the story of
Kerouac and his friends so incredibly moving is their dedication to
get the most out of every moment their absolute refusal to do
anything except live the kind of life they want to live. They simply
do not miss out on life. After all, we only do this once, right?
.
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