The Road is Calling

Perhaps reading about On the Road's era (read here) and author (read here) piqued your curiosity and you wanted to learn more about the book. Read on to discover the most important aspects of the first quarter of the novel! 

The Characters (Mégane)

Events can characterize a story well, but when a novel is constructed around characters and real-life people as much as in On the Road it is necessary to explore that aspect as well in order to have a proper overview of the book. 

The most significant character introduced in the first quarter of Jack Kerouac’s masterpiece is Sal Paradise, the narrator and literary alter-ego of Kerouac. Sal is a writer, longing for adventures to retell. He is fascinated by eccentric people, like Dean Moriarty, and loves having company. In his own words: 

Therefore, it's easy to affirm that Sal Paradise is a people person. 

Another character in the book, Dean Moriarty, embodies the novel’s spirit and represents Neal Cassady, one of Kerouac’s friends. Dean is a rascal and a womanizer. He spent some of his childhood in reform school and some in jail but he simply likes to have a good time. He wants to learn to be an intellectual. Dean is an intense person; he takes on the world with his whole heart. His freedom is perhaps the most important thing in his life.

All throughout the story, friends of Sal come and go. There’s Carlo Marx, who is sensual, energetic, and a countercultural poet. Carlo is fascinated by Dean too, with whom he quickly becomes friends and leaves on the road. Another of Sal’s intellectual friends is Chad King, who is the one that told Sal about Dean. Passionate about philosophy and anthropology, he is soft-spoken. The last « essential» friend in the first quarter is Remi Boncoeur, with whom Sal stays for a while. Remi is flamboyant and a gambler.

There’s also a feminine presence in On the Road, brought mainly by Marilou, Camille and LeeAnn. Marilou is Dean's first wife. Sharp-tongued, though a bit dumb, she matches Dean’s energy but not his so-called madness. Camille is Dean’s second wife. She is loyal and seems to accept Dean’s unfaithfulness and his lies. Finally, LeeAnn is Remi’s girlfriend. Sal has a little something for her.  

Of course, those are just some of the wonderful characters created by Jack Kerouac. 

A song to accompany your reading (Xavier)

The song Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf represents the wonderful spirit of On the Road. It is like this sensational song was made for the incredible adventures of Sal Paradise. Firstly, the song says, '' Head out on the highway ''. There is a strong resemblance with Sal deciding to hit the road in this first quarter of the novel. Moreover, most of the action in the book takes place on the road as the vagabond transports himself by hitchhiking. It is the true essence of On the Road's first part. Secondly, the next verse of Born to Be Wild says, '' Looking for adventures''. In fact, the main reason why Sal embarks on an improvised trip is to live memorable adventures. Furthermore, he wants to connect with life and have a blast. Sal is driven by the mad desire to enjoy life. This philosophy makes him explore drugs, alcohol, prostitution, and party in this first section. Thirdly, the brilliant song mentions, '' In whatever comes my way''. Those significant lyrics have a clear link with Sal's way of living life. Effectively, Sal lives day to day and takes life as it comes. In his epic road trip, he is facing the unknown, so he has no idea of what is coming in his way. 

                                      

 Chapters 1-4 (Derek)

In the beginning, Sal Paradise and his friends go meet Dean Moriarty and Marylou in a dumpy flat in Spanish Harlem. Sal's first impression of Dean is that he resembles a young Gene Autry. Dean speaks formally, in long, rambling sentences. In Hoboken, Dean works in a parking lot. Marylou and Dean will end up fighting. Marylou will eventually send the police after Dean. He will then proceed to hide at Sal's aunt's house in Paterson, New Jersey. Sal, Dean and Carlo Marx go back to Denver by Bus. In July, with only fifty dollars, Sal heads west. He hitchhikes at Bear Mountain while it's raining. He will then end up taking a bus to Chicago the next day. After a day he will take the bus to Illinois and hitchhike to Davenport where he will see the Mississippi River for the first time. He will then ride with a truck driver and switch truck driver at Iowa City. The driver drops him off in Des Moines. While hitchhiking he will meet Eddie. They will then take the bus to Omaha. Eddie will then leave Sal for the next ride since it only had room for one. In Nebraska, Sal will then catch what he calls the greatest ride of his life in a truck driven by two farmers to Cheyenne. 

Chapter 8-12 (Daphnnée)

There is a quote that was written by the author of the book named Jack Kerouac. The quote says, `` In the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddam mountain. `` This quote, for me, represent the spirit of the book and the feeling I felt during my reading. The characters don't want to die with the impression that they didn't live their lives at their fullest. They don't want to spend their lives working. They want to be experiencing new things and going on adventures every day. In my opinion, this quote shows how I picture the energie of Sal and Dean and how they see life.