On the Road by Jack Kerouac essays

On the Road by Jack Kerouac essays 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 Kerouacs 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, Sals sideburned hero of the snowy west is longing for his father, a man whos past is blatantly similar to Deans, and a man whos life is inevitably Deans future. Dean inherited his fathers difficulties with raising and keeping family, as he exhibits through his constant indecisiveness and reevaluating of whom he wants to be with, and where he wants to be. His affection bounces between the three main women in his life; Camille, Marylou and Inez, and his instability undoubtedly stems from his lack of family when he was a child. He says that ...no matter where I live, my trunks always sticking out from under the bed; Im ready to leave or get thrown out ( Kerouac 251). Although his remorse for his father is some...