On the Road by Jack Kerouac

 

I put On the Road onto my Classics Club list based purely on its literary significance. This is one of those novels that "defines a generation," so I figured that I should give it a try. I knew nothing about Kerouac or about the Beat generation before I started reading, and what little I did know didn't seem appealing. The Beat Generation, popularized in literature throughout the 1950s, is generally defined by a rejection of materialism, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, sexual liberation, and a desire to explore or go on spiritual journeys. I'll be honest-- top to bottom, I can't relate to any of that. However, I was game to read On the Road anyway, as it's considered to be an exemplar of the genre and the time period. I thought it might help me understand the Beat Generation a little more, and broaden my literary horizons. 

 

The novel is divided into five sections, each following a man named Sal Paradise on different road trips he takes across North America. The trips are spread out across his life, so the story contains a lot of forward time skips. That's okay though, because the book is really not about what is going on in Sal's life apart from his traveling experiences. Brief snippets of information about him are presented from time to time. He's a struggling writer, he's served in the military, he was married at one point but isn't anymore, etc.-- none of it is important.

What is important in the story is Sal's relationship with his best friend Dean Moriarty. Dean is a free spirit with an inability to stay in one place. His personality is childlike and exuberant most of the time, and a lot of people, including Sal, are immediately drawn to him. He drifts from town to town, sometimes working, sometimes stealing. His behavior is often erratic and destructive; he's been in and out of jail in the past. He's had a few relationships with women and a few wives, but his restlessness makes it impossible for him to have a stable relationship. He accompanies Sal on three of the five road trips in the book, and they have some very memorable experiences together. 

There isn't much else to summarize beyond that. On the Road is about the journey. Unfortunately, I did not find it to be an enjoyable one. I thought that the continual hitchhiking and drifting from one town to another felt endless and meandering. I struggled to find meaning in anything Sal and Dean did. They did not have experiences that were enjoyable to read about. They drove fast, got drunk, stole things, hooked up with women, learned nothing, and then moved onto the next town. Over and over and over. The people they met were largely interchangeable and didn't stick in my memory. There was a lot of naked misogyny, racism, and homophobia. Logically, I can understand the impulse to just take off and explore the open road. In this novel, however, the journeys Sal and Dean went on didn't result in anything worth reading about. Dean was pretty clearly mentally ill and out of control most of the time and Sal enabled his behavior, believing him to be some kind of philosophical genius. The text was plagued by long speeches delivered by Dean that were basically gibberish, and a lot of Sal's inner musings didn't make much sense either. 

So obviously, this genre isn't a good match for me. I didn't enjoy the story or the way it was written. Generally, when I don't like a classic, I just leave my thoughts there and move onto my next read. Everyone has their own unique reading tastes and all that. This one bothered me though. The back of my edition describes On the Road as "the quintessential American vision of freedom and hope-vibrant, compelling, and full of wonder." I've seen other reviews and articles about this book speak of it with the same reverence, calling it the "voice of a generation." I would submit that perhaps this novel is ONLY the voice of a specific type of young, white, straight man. Women are treated as sexual objects, people of color are depicted as simple or childlike, and gay people are treated as threatening or weird. At one point, Dean breaks his thumb punching one of his girlfriends in the face. Another time, Sal pulls a gun on a man that made a pass at him. Throughout the whole novel, both Sal and Dean, both grown men, attempt to sleep with girls as young as thirteen. These men steal, lie, and leave nothing but damage, confusion, and heartbreak behind them. Why is this considered a vision of American freedom? What about all that is "vibrant, compelling, and full of wonder"? It's certainly not my "quintessential American vision." I don't think it is for most people, in fact. I think there's a much deeper discussion here about who get to decide what a classic is and why, and I'm not articulate enough to have it right now. It bothers me though.

This novel is largely autobiographical and supposedly mirrors the experiences Jack Kerouac had traveling with one of his friends. It was obviously a formative journey for him, but that did not come across for me reading about it. I guess you had to be there. On the Road is the novel that defined the Beat Generation. What I learned from reading it is that the Beat Generation isn't something I need to spend any more time learning about.

Challenge Tally

Classics Club (#88 on my list): 92/100 books completed

Total Books Read in 2021: 23