Book review, On the Road, Jack Kerouac, Denver Doldrums, alternative way of life, Dean, Sal
"On the Road", by Jack Kerouac, is a powerful novel about a group of friends who travel throughout the United States and go through various adventures. They represent a group of people who are always on the move, never willing to commit to anything, and live life with passion and recklessness. In thinking about such individuals, one would expect them to be uneducated and unaware of any culture. This, however, was not the case, and Dean, Sal, as well as their friends were interested in learning new things such as history, art, and literature. This should not be overlooked because it diminishes the stereotype that many individuals may already have of men like Sal and Dean. Upon reading this novel, we realize that people are much more complex and interesting when their lives are analyzed closely.
[...] the by Jack Kerouac is an excellent novel that demonstrates and alternative way of life—on that is very different from the way of life commonly referred to as “American.” Sal and Dean go on various journeys in which they demonstrates their intelligence and ability to deal with people, and they prove to us that they are people who are ready for anything. It seems like throughout the novel, nothing can surprise them. These individuals are much more adaptable, creative, and often more clever than the average American, and a reader can truly get an excellent understanding of their world by reading this novel. Bibliography Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. New York: Penguin, 1976. [...]
[...] Unlike many other Americans, Dean and Sal did not automatically stereotype and reject the culture of people who they did not yet understand. They were willing to engage in conversation and eventually understand people whose thoughts and view of life were very different from their own. Because of this readiness to accept, Dean and Sal had the opportunity to experience different ways of life and they heard the opinions of various Americans. For example, Sal spend about fifteen days in California with a Mexican girl named Terry whose life was very different from his own, and they shared their experiences. [...]
[...] Carlo, for example, was a poet with a wide vocabulary. He encouraged Sal to read some of his poems: read me his poetry. It was called “Denver Doldrums. Carlo woke up in the morning and heard ‘vulgar pigeons' yakking in the street outside his cell; he saw the nightingales' nodding on the branches and they reminded him of his mother” (Kerouac 47). Such thoughts do not represent the culture of a man who is reckless, unintelligent, and uninterested in life. [...]
[...] On the by Jack Kerouac the by Jack Kerouac, is a powerful novel about a group of friends who travel throughout the United States and go through various adventures. They represent a group of people who are always on the move, never willing to commit to anything, and live life with passion and recklessness. In thinking about such individuals, one would expect them to be uneducated and unaware of any culture. This, however, was not the case, and Dean, Sal, as well as their friends were interested in learning new things such as history, art, and literature. [...]
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