Literary Analysis Essay on "On the Road"

Introduction

On the road describe an adventure of two men. Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty meet in an unplanned situation, and after some time they decide to embark on an adventure around America. The two friends explored the west and engaged in partying and drinking and taking drugs. They also listened to jazz and involved themselves in sexual practices with different partners. The book describes the two friends as adventurous and always on the move. They would do casual work whenever their money drains and continue with their adventure. At the end of the novel, the two friends fall apart. This essay will discuss several themes as portrayed by the writer.

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The theme of friendship is portrayed in the novel by Sal and dean. Their differences bond the two friends. They travel the world together and enjoy and party together. On their destinations, the two friends made more friends. On the road describes the positive and negative power of friendship. The book describes the association of the two friends as a brotherhood. The two are seen calling each other brothers. The book also gives another account of the friendship between Dean and Carlo. The two would meet every morning and have a chat. On the negative side of friendship, Sal later realizes that their association with dean was destructive. He recognizes that Dean was not the hero he was searching. Thought the book brings forth several friends, the most important friendship in the book was the one between Sal and Dean.

The book portrays the society, norms and counterculture as a theme. The theme is vividly revealed by the beat movement and the life of the two friends that broke all the societal rules of the time. Sal and Dean lived a free life. They never regarded the laws and the social way of life. The two friends indulged in heavy drinking, drugs and sex. They also stool food cars to fund their adventurous life. Dean also is portrayed as breaking some social norms for marriage. Through the novel, he divorces three wives. They drive recklessly and go around their adventure socializing with criminals and fellow trouble makers. The two friends wander around the world without jobs. They get into trouble through their behaviors. They find themselves being rebellious about every laws and norm. Thought they lead this life for a long time, they finally come to their senses and realize they are losing it all. Sal finally realized that through their adventure, he had forgotten it all. He finally understood that the friend he thought were real friends were fake.

The theme of privilege is portrayed through the life of Sal and Dean. The two are white. The fact that they were whites gives them the opportunity to wander around America freely without any fear of the law. The two individuals enjoy some freedom from obligations and the law. The novel builds an image of marginalization by sending the two characters to San Francisco where they experience the lives of the communities there. They find themselves in the mix of the marginalized and discriminated people. Sal and Dean enjoy the mainstream but have the privilege to go back to their normal life. Dean is privileged to move from one place to another and marry any time he feels like and divorce. He married three wives and left them every time he was hitting the road. Sal, on the other hand, has no family to take care of; he was white and enjoyed the availability of his aunt who could send him money any time he needed. Through these accounts, the novel portrayed the theme of privilege vividly.

Another important theme in the novel is prejudice. Biased opinions characterize this theme. It can also be classified as the opinions that have no deep reasoning behind them. First, the two interact with a new marginalize community and don't put the factor of marginalization into consideration. They continue to lead there counterculture life. The two consider women as objects. Throughout the novel, Sal and Dean use women for their sexual desires fulfillment and dumb them. They view women as dumb and stupid. The writer uses this setting to clearly show the biases and prejudice the women faced by men. Sal is found to romanticize the cotton picking while picking cotton with Teresa without because she may be suffering from tumors on slavery. Dean, on the other hand, expects his women to remain at home while he takes his road trip. He trades his women freedom for his own. The novel objectifies women by presenting them as a disposable object and should be subjective. The act surfaces when the two friends go round sleeping with multiple women, but Sal calls Marylou a whore when she does the same.

Kerouac portrays America as a great nation. The novel laments America from its expensiveness, variety, and incredible energy. Through the adventure of Sal and Dean, they discover the vastness of North America. The small and big cities, the wilderness, the beautiful landscapes and the Rocky Mountains. On the road also portrays the American culture of desire to explore.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the main themes that Kerouac tries to portray in the book are friendship, society norms and counterculture, prejudice and privilege and America as a whole. The novel describes these five themes through the lives of Sal and Dean and their friends. The experiences that these individuals live are full of adventure and discoveries and friendships. The fact that the two individuals are always travelling to new destinations gives the book the relevance of its name. It is indeed on the road.

Works Cited

Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. Penguin Book, 2018.