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Modernism: Robert Frost- Acquainted with the Night’
On The Road Film’
On the Road – Jack Kerouac, Film Trailer’
Tenth Blog Entry- On the Road~
On the Road- Jack Kerouac, Section #10 (Pages 275-307)
1) They pass through the town of Sabinas Hidalgo, the Monterrey mountains, and then into a swamp area, staring at the people they see from the road. Dean is moved by them; Sal thinks it’s because they are like him. Sal takes over driving, to Gregoria, where he stops to talk to a man by the side of the road. Victor is selling windshield screens, but Sal jokingly asks if they can buy some girls. Victor says yes. Dean wakes up, excited, and asks if Victor can also get them marijuana. Victor takes them to the adobe shack where his large family lives, and his mother picks some marijuana from the garden for them. They smoke it, with Victor and his many brothers, and get extremely stoned. They all talk about each other, neither side understanding anything, but everyone is in a good mood.
In the car again, Sal has a moment in which he thinks that Dean looks exactly like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and then like God. Victor takes them to meet his wife and baby, and then proceed to the whorehouse, a dance hall with a jukebox blaring mambo music louder than anything they have ever heard. They start dancing and drinking and going to bed with the girls, who are mostly teenagers. There is a drunk eighteen-year-old Venezuelan and a beautiful sixteen-year-old black girl that Sal wants, but he sees her mother come down to talk to her and then is too ashamed to approach her.
Sal goes to bed with an older prostitute, and then continues dancing and drinking. Dean is so out of it that he can’t even recognize Sal. Sal is still high too, and feels for those few hours totally in love with the sixteen-year-old. She has a dignity that makes everyone keep a distance from her. Finally, everyone giddy and drunk, the girls say goodbye to them. Victor takes them to a bathhouse next to a playground on the highway, and they bathe and feel much refreshed. Dean likes Victor and tries to convince him to return to the States with them. Victor is sad to see them leave but refuses politely; he has a wife and child, he says. They leave Victor standing in front of the playground in the red dusk.
After leaving Gregoria, they drive through a jungle with “snaky” trees a hundred feet tall. The headlights are broken and they have to proceed in the dark. It is extremely hot and humid, and the air is full of insects, especially mosquitoes, which keep dropping on them when they stop to rest on the side of the street. In the morning, caked with dead bugs, they drive on. The country changes and the indigenous people here are shorter, darker, and stranger to them. They stop on a Sierra Madre mountain peak and look at a three-year-old Indian girl. Dean speculates that all her life, she will know no place but that particular ledge of that particular mountain. They pass through more mountains, a plateau, and then, from the next mountain pass, see Mexico City.
Vast, wild, packed with people and ceaseless movement, Mexico City feels to them like the true end of their travels. They walk through the streets, but after Sal gets dysentery and a fever so bad that he becomes delirious and unconscious. A few days later, he wakes to Dean telling him that he has gotten his divorce and that he is driving back to New York immediately, Stan will take care of Sal. When he gets better Sal realizes what a jerk Dean is, but he understands too that it’s just the way he is.
In the concluding section, Sal relates that Dean made it to Louisiana before the car fell apart, and got money from Inez to fly the rest of the way. Once in New York, he reassured Inez about the divorce, then got on a bus to San Francisco and went back to Camille. Sal, back in New York now, has met Laura, the kind of woman he was looking for this whole time. When Dean hears that they are planning to move to San Francisco, he says he will come get them himself, except he comes five weeks early. Weirdly, now Dean is barely coherent, not speaking very much. The visit is rushed, and when they part, Sal has to leave Dean standing on a street corner alone since Sal and Laura are going out with Remi B. Afterwards, Dean takes the train back to San Francisco leaving Sal bewildered about what he came for this time, except to see him.
2)
“It’s the world,” said Dean. “My God!” he cried, slapping the wheel. “It’s the world! We can go right on to South America if the road goes. Think of it! Son-of-a-bitch! Gawd-damn!” We rushed on.” (Kerouac, 276)
– This quote is important because it reveals how Dean never feels far enough south, just as Sal never felt far enough west. It adds further comprehension that Dean will always want to travel and explore, and his character seems like it will never outgrow that phase of his life. This foreshadows Dean traveling further South on the future.
“They’re never alone. Nobody’s ever alone in this country. While you’ve been sleeping I’ve been digging this road and this country, and if I could only tell you all the thoughts I’ve had, man!” He was sweating. His eyes were red-streaked and mad and also subdued and tender – he had found people like himself.” (Kerouac, 279)
– This quote reveals that Dean is only able to find madness akin to his own outside of the U.S., which is why is significant. Also, it adds more details on how Dean is obsess with this trip and everything seen at first glance surrounding him. This foreshadows Dean being sociable, and quickly making friends.
“My girl charged thirty pesos, or about three dollars and a half, and begged for an extra ten pesos and gave a long story about something. I didn’t know the value of Mexican money; for all I knew I had a million pesos. I threw money at her.” (Kerouac, 287)
– The quote is significant because it reveals how money loses its value and meaning for Dean and Sal in Mexico. It adds more insight on how they are unattached to any material, and are willing to give as much as they have to make their experience unforgettable and worthy. This foreshadows wealth, since people say when ever you give without expecting back you will receive.
3) Mexico City –
“A brief mountain pass took us suddenly to a height from which we saw all of Mexico City stretched out in its volcanic crater below and spewing city smokes and early dusklights.” (Kerouac, 299)
This change of route symbolizes a new beginning, giving Dean and Sal the opportunity to leave everything behind, start over, and make things right, which is what makes this trip important. By allowing them to perceive the world from a different perspective it adds a shift to the book. Throughout the novel, instead of just individual situations reaching their own climax, taking the initiative of heading South instead of West gives the entire book a turning point, where Dean and Sal outgrow their adventurous and experimental phase of life.
4) Simile –
“In that moment, too, he looked so exactly like Franklin Delano Roosevelt.” (Kerouac, 284)
The author enhances the meaning of the text by using this device to allow the reader to compare what is being said with a reliable and hopefully recognizable historical person, in this case. Without it the reader is challenged to use its understanding of the action that is being illustrated in order to comprehend how the character looks like, if not, for further apprehension the individual would have to rely on other resources such as imagination, and other clues given in the text.
Onomatopoeia –
“Oom-ta, ta-poo-poom, oom-ta, ta-poo-poom.” (Kerouac,286)
This device enhances the meaning of the text by stimulating a reader’s imagination, and aiding the text with the usage of vivid language to make it appealing to senses. Also, by evoking the sound of what is trying to be illustrated, in this case drums, is allowing the text to have a more realistic perspective. Without this device the reader would not have anything to assist his/her visual idea with which can make it easier, and constant throughout the whole text.
Repetition –
“There was one oil lamp in here, and outside a few more brown lights, and the rest all black, black, black.” (Kerouac, 293)
The author placed this device in this particular location because it draws attention to the message or what the character is trying to communicate. This allows the reader to completely comprehend that it is significant to know that the environment surrounding the characters in this scene is black or dark. Without the usage of repetition it would be harder for the reader to visualize the right image of what is going on.
Personification –
“The drums were mad.” (Kerouac, 286)
The author used personification to make the text more dramatic and interesting, and to convey a certain mood, which enhances its meaning. Also, readers can easily relate to the object or idea that is being personified because it is easier to correlate to something with human attributes. Therefore, without this device it would be harder for an individual to find a connection with the idea trying to be perceive.
Hyperbole –
“We were on a ledge where a little thatched hut suspended itself over the precipice of the world.” (Kerouac, 296)
The author located this particular device in this location to enhance the meaning and make emphasis on the message he wants to get across of how over board the thatched hut got. Using this allows the writer to draw the attention of the reader and extend the knowledge on the situation, by striving for exchange of more detail information. The meaning of the text is disturbed if hyperbole is not applied because it does not give a cue to the reader that it is significant.
5) Marginalized Cultures in the Americas – Throughout the novel, Dean and Sal are mesmerized by the marginalized peoples of the Americas, specifically through African-American culture and Mexican culture. During their trip to Mexico, the characters see freedom and adventure in the poverty of the Mexican people, not oppression. Even though Kerouac does not specifically mention the need for greater equality, through the character of Sal, he shows the value of attempts to take part in the marginality of a subculture. For example, Sal’s months of living as a migrant farm worker, picking cotton. During these months Sal comes to see himself as Chicano, and instead of feeling the oppression of the culture, he feels freedom in making only a dollar and a half a day, living with his lover, Terry, and taking care of her son. But Sal and Dean never expect to stay forever in the conditions of such cultures. Through their travels they always return to the white American culture that they came from, finding food and shelter when they need it.
6) This section made me feel happy but unsatisfied at the same time. To begin with, Sal finally got settle with the girl he always looked for and stopped getting influenced by Dean, which was guiding him on the wrong direction. However, Dean seems like he went back to his old habits of traveling and living his wife or companion behind, when I always had hope he was going to change. This opened up the doors of knowledge making me think and understand that all experiences do not always affect an individual, or means that they will or have learned from them. What makes this text unique is the exposure to a totally different environment that the characters went through, and how they learned or did not from them; what did they take with them from that experience.
Ninth Blog Entry- On the Road~
On the Road- Jack Kerouac, Section #9 (Pages 244-274)
1) Dean and Sal take a bus to Detroit. While Dean sleeps, Sal talks to a pretty but dull country girl who tells him joylessly about making popcorn on the porch in the evenings. In Detroit, low on money, Sal and Dean go to the all-night movies on Skid Row and watch a cowboy movie and another movie about Istanbul over and over. In the morning, after going to some bars and trying to pick up girls without success, they go to the travel bureau and get a ride to New York with a nice blond man.
Back in New York, they stay at Sal’s aunt’s new flat in Long Island, but she says Dean can stay for a few days only. At a party in New York one night, Dean meets Inez. Shortly, he wants to divorce Camille and marry Inez. A few months later, Camille gives birth to Dean’s second baby, and then Inez has a baby too. Dean is penniless and busy with his usual joys and troubles, so he and Sal don’t go on to Italy after all.
Sal has some money from selling his book to a publisher, and decides to go West again. For the first time, he will leave Dean in New York and go alone. Dean now is working hard in a parking lot to support both Inez and pay child support to Camille. He and Sal have been going to a lot of parties, but Dean has gotten quieter; he doesn’t really fit in New York. One night they stand on the street in the rain at 3 am, talking, and Dean tells Sal that he got a letter from his father, who is in jail in Seattle, for the first time in years. They have dinner with Sal’s aunt, and Dean surprises her by returning the fifteen dollars she paid for his speeding ticket. After playing games, eating, talking, and showing pictures Dean and Sal say goodbye, each feeling lonely.
On the bus, going through the Midwest, Sal meets Henry Glass, a twenty-year-old who has just been released from jail. He reminds Sal of Dean, though without Dean’s frenetic joy, and Sal watches out for him, making sure he doesn’t get into more trouble, until he gets to his brother’s in Denver. Stan Shephard has heard Sal is going to Mexico, and wants to go with him, and while they are getting ready to go when Denver Doll calls to tell Sal that Dean has bought a car and is coming to join him. Sal knows that this means Dean has gone crazy again.
Dean arrives in Denver like a whirlwind. His official reason to go to Mexico is to get his divorce processed there; it’s supposed to be faster. They have a great day and night drinking and partying with all of their friends. The next afternoon, they say goodbye to their friends and head south.
Only a few hours out of Denver, a flying bug bites Stan, and his arm swells horribly. Sal thinks it’s a bad omen. They continue south, through Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, stopping in San Antonio to take Stan to a clinic where he gets a shot of penicillin. Finally, feeling ill from so much driving, they cross the border town and the bridge over the Rio Grande River into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Immediately, their spirits lift; it looks exactly like what they imagined. Dean is delighted by the Mexican border officials, who are grinning, relaxed and careless. They change most of their money into pesos.
2)
“We were so used to traveling we had to walk all over Long Island, but there was no more land, just the Atlantic Ocean, and we could only go so far. We clasped hands and agreed to be friends forever.” (Kerouac, 247-248)
– This quote is significant because it reveals how Sal contrasts the limitations of geography with what he believes is the limitlessness of his friendship with Dean. Also, this adds more understanding of how being together where ever they go is important and meaningful for the characters, by showing how they would go as far as they can together. It may turn out, however, that they could “only go so far” in their friendship with each other, in other words foreshadowing the end of their relationship.
“Then it was time to change our money. We saw great stacks of pesos on a table and learned that eight of them made an American buck, or thereabouts. We changed most of our money and stuffed the big rolls in our pockets with delight.” (Kerouac, 274)
– This quote is significant because it reveals how just as drugs, time, and music take on new meaning in Mexico, so does money. Including this element in the text adds another example of how experience influences the characters on making the decision of taking a trip. This may foreshadow the usage of the money on what they are constantly influenced by throughout the novel- alcohol and drugs.
“We saw a vision of the entire Western Hemisphere rockribbing clear down to Tierra del Fuego and us flying down the curve of the world into other tropics and other worlds. “Man, this will finally take us to IT!” said Dean with definite faith. He tapped my arm. “Just wait and see. Hoo! Wheel.” (Kerouac, 265)
– This quote reveals Sal’s dream- reaching their destination and contemplating their surrounds once they get there, which is why it is significant. This adds to the text the idea of how the view of Mexico serves to illustrate, if thought of hyperbolically, their belief that Mexico is the solution to their restlessness. But is it? Therefore, this quote foreshadows the revelation of the outcome from the trips made by the characters.
3) The Road – Is significant because it symbolizes the journeys of maturity and growth that Dean and Sal individually go on. Wisdom and knowledge is part of the growth process, adding to the text the ability for the characters to be drawn to one another because of their desire to learn – Sal to learn madness, Dean to learn intellectualism. Sal goes on a journey of self discovery; he starts off as the mature guy, a New York writer, and then goes off on an adventure. The road for him is the journey that takes him to happiness. For Dean the road is his life and his wild world, so his travels never come to an end. Sal’s road has a clear and defined end whereas Dean’s just goes on and on and on.
4) Hyperbole –
“It was tremendously hot: we were all sweating buckets.” (Page 273)
The author located this particular device in this location to enhance the meaning and make emphasis on the message he wants to get across of how hot it was; using this allows the writer to draw the attention of the reader and extend the knowledge on the situation. The meaning of the text is disturbed if hyperbole is not applied because it does not give a cue to the reader that it is significant.
Simile –
“If you touched him he would sway like a boulder suspended on a pebble on the precipice of a cliff.” (Page 263)
The author enhances the meaning of the text by using this device to allow the reader to compare what is being said with a reliable object, idea or image. Without it the reader is challenged to use its understanding of the action that is being illustrated in order to comprehend, if not, for further apprehension the individual would have to rely on other resources such as the internet, books, or if possible another individual that have more understanding of what is being said.
Repetition –
“What’s your road, man?- holyboy road, madman road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road.” (Page 251)
The author placed this device in this particular location because it draws attention to the message or what the character is trying to communicate. This allows the reader to completely comprehend that it is significant for the character to know what is the road of the other character. Without the usage of repetition it would be harder for the reader to understand the importance of the question being asked.
Imagery –
“The old man had gray hair and large almond eyes and a tense, mad neck.” (Page 266)
This device enhances the meaning of the text by creating a vivid image, or a realistic description of the person, which is the reason why the author placed it in this particular location. This also allows the reader to have a visual illustration of the character so when he takes action the reader can visualize it. Without this device the author makes it harder on the reader to be able to picture the individual and contrast it with her personality.
Alliteration –
“It’s an anywhere road for anybody anyhow.” (Page 251)
This device allow the individual to link the words and pay more attention to them in order to see what the author is saying. Creates a consistent pattern that will catch the eye of the mind and gains the attention of the reader, which is why the author placed it in this particular location. Without the aid of this device it would be harder for the reader to remember the message and/or give it importance.
5) The Natural Man – For Sal, Dean Moriarty represents true freedom. Dean’s motivations and passions, often foolish and criminal to the rest of the world, represent for Dean the true expression of what it means to be young and what it means to be a natural man. While all of Dean’s and Sal’s friends consider Dean to be irresponsible and not to be trusted, Sal instead sees Dean’s erratic behavior as the proof that Dean thinks and lives on a higher plane than the rest of the world does. Throughout the novel, Dean’s behavior is portrayed sympathetically. Kerouac suggests that Dean’s actions are only the result of his quest for a pure life and that he cannot be held responsible for what the rest of the world may or may not view as criminal or irresponsible. Engaging in such behavior is the only way, as Sal and Dean see it, to find the true meaning of life, “IT” as they call it, throughout the novel. Stealing cars, doing drugs, or engaging in sexual relations with underage women are only expressions of the natural instincts of men who seek to live true and natural lives.
6) This section made me feel joy based on the fact that the characters have finally changed their route from the West to the South. This will have a positive outcome since changing environments will open their minds and allow them to grow even more as an individual, because their going to be expose to situations completely different from what they are used to. This opens up my mind by making me want to experience another culture and learn from the events encountered, and from experience, I know it will have a positive effect on me by opening up more doors of opportunities. What makes this text unique is the exposure to another environment that the characters are about to face.
Eighth Blog Entry- On the Road~
On the Road- Jack Kerouac, Section #8 (Pages 213-243)
1) At a restaurant, Dean makes a comment about Sal being older and Sal, exhausted, snaps at him irritably. Dean becomes the most excited Sal has ever seen him at the prospect of meeting one of his cousins, whom Dean was close to as a child. The cousin answers Dean’s questions about the past, but says that he is only meeting him to ask Dean to sign papers saying that he and his father will have nothing to do with the family anymore. After, Sal is sympathetic and reassures Dean that he, Sal, believes in him even if no one else does. Then they go to a carnival, and Dean is attracted to a beautiful midget girl but doesn’t have the nerve to talk to her.
Dean gets in trouble with the neighbors for pursuing their pretty daughter. Sal calms them down, but the mother threatens to shoot Dean if he comes back. At a bar, Dean goes crazy when a man hits on him, runs out and starts stealing cars one after another. Finally, in the morning, everything a mess, Dean realizes that the last car he stole and wrecked was a detective’s car, and he and Sal flee on foot immediately, taking a taxi to a travel bureau. There, a man wants someone to drive his Cadillac to Chicago; Dean leaps at the chance.
That afternoon, he drives around town and makes love to a waitress he just met. They leave with their passengers, two boys going to religious school, and immediately Dean breaks the speedometer, going over 110 miles an hour. Though Sal cautions him when it starts raining, Dean hits a turn too fast and flips the car into a ditch. Dean goes to the nearest farmhouse for help, the farmer hauls them out of the ditch with his tractor. His whole family comes to watch: the prettiest daughter is a shy “prairie angel” who Sal and Dean can’t stop staring at.
Dean speeds across Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois. He tells Sal more stories about when he was a teenager: running to Los Angeles, stealing cars, falsifying his age to get work, being in and out of jail, and going to Denver, where he met Marylou, who was fifteen then. When it is day again, Dean is driving so fast and crazily that Sal can’t stand it and has to go into the backseat. Dean gets in a minor accident, bumping the car ahead at 5 mph, and they are briefly taken in to the police station. Everyone thinks the car is stolen, but they straighten it out with the owner in Chicago and go on, picking up two hobos on the way. When they get to Chicago, they have come from Denver in seventeen hours of driving.
They drop off the hobos and the students, clean up a bit, and then hit the jazz clubs of Chicago. They listen to the musicians play all night. In the morning, everyone staggers home, and Sal and Dean return the battered Cadillac to the owner’s garage, leaving quickly, before anyone sees what bad shape the car is in.
2)
“Yes, man, yes, man. But please harken back and believe me.” “I do believe you, I do.” This was the sad story of that afternoon.” (Kerouac, 214)
– This quote is important because it reveals how for Sal his fight with Dean is surely the saddest of all his sad stories. Here he loses, for a moment, the one soul connection he counted on. It stands out because it confirms what Sal have shown throughout the piece of literature, the importance of their relationship for him. The sadness provoked by this undesired situation foreshadows the suffering of Sal’s character from a permanent separation from Dean.
“I asked him the circumstances of his being in LA in 1944. “I was arrested in Arizona, the joint absolutely the worst joint I’ve ever been in. I had to escape and pulled the greatest escape in my life, speaking of escapes, you see, in a general way.” (Kerouac, 233)
– This quote stands out because Dean raises an interesting point about escapes. If one is speaking about escapes in the general way, then what might Dean and Sal actually be escaping from? This is important because it allows the reader to go back and think throw everything that have happen and why did it happen, since most of Sal’s and Dean’s trips are unexpected. Discovering the real negative reason behind most abrupt trips could a foreshadow influenced by this quote.
“Don’t worry, man, I know what I’m doing.” (Kerouac, 235)
– This quote is significant because it adds irony to the piece of literature. Throughout this section Dean has been out of control and cannot manage to have dominance over the result of his actions. Eventually Dean ends up crashing, demonstration the contrary of knowing what he’s doing. This quote reveals the confidence Dean has over his actions, decisions and thoughts, but it foreshadows instability and the opposite outcome of what is expected.
3) The Cadillac –
“He wanted me to go along with him in the fiction that I owned the Cadillac, that I was a very rich man and that he was my friend and chauffeur.” (Kerouac, 229)
Dean and Sal drive a Cadillac across country to Chicago which is significant because is an American car, and a big beautiful Cadillac is all tied up with the big beautiful “American Dream”, the idea of being wealthy and successful. But the Beat Generation is running around rebelling against the American Dream, and destroying it in their trips across country with their mad, fast driving, their need to move, and their dangerous lifestyles ending up with a big hunk of destroyed metal.
4) Repetition –
“Dean sweated at the table and told them to go, go, go.” (Kerouac, 243)
The author placed this device in this particular location because it enhances the message or what the character is trying to communicate. This allows the reader to completely comprehend than the person the character is referring to has to “Go.” Without the usage of repetition it would be harder for the reader to understand the importance of the command being told.
Hyperbole –
“One time he had a tremendous fist fight with his brother that lasted two hours in the yard…” (Kerouac, 216)
The author located this particular device in this location to enhance the meaning and make emphasis on the message he wants to get across; using this allows the writer to draw the attention of the reader and extend the knowledge on the situation. The meaning of the text is disturbed if hyperbole is not applied because it does not give a cue to the reader that it is significant.
Onomatopoeia –
“Sometimes gently bumping as they milled and mooed like a sea around the car doors.” (Kerouac, 228)
This device enhances the meaning of the text by stimulate a reader’s imagination, and aiding the text with the usage of vivid language to make it appealing to senses. Also, by evoking the sound of what is trying to be illustrated, is allowing the text to have a more realistic perspective. Without this device is harder for the reader to understand the sound being described; this makes it easier to relate it to a known or familiar sound.
Imagery –
“She was about sixteen, and had Plains complexion like wild roses, and the bluest eyes, the most lovely hair, and the modesty and quickness of a wild antelope.” (Kerouac, 227)
This device enhances the meaning of the text by creating a vivid image, or a realistic description of the person, which is the reason why the author placed it in this particular location. Without this device the author makes it harder on the reader to be able to picture the individual and contrast it with her personality.
Simile –
“All the bitterness and madness of his entire Denver life was blasting out of his system like daggers.” (Kerouac, 222)
The author enhances the meaning of the text by using this device to allow the reader to compare what is being said with a reliable object, idea or image. Without it the reader is challenged to use its understanding of what is being illustrated in order to comprehend, if not, for further apprehension the individual would have to rely on what was understood even if is the wrong idea.
5) Madness – Dean shows constant madness throughout the novel, which is the main source of Sal’s idolatry of Dean. While he himself cannot achieve the madness of his hero, Sal is fascinated and follows Dean around because of it. While madness initially enables Sal and Dean’s friendship, it later becomes a barrier between them causing unsteadiness in their relationship. The association of madness with drugs, alcohol, and poverty is strong in the novel. This also connects to the evolution of Dean’s madness that can be trace throughout this section, and it is suggested that its root may be in Dean’s criminal past. Anybody that reads this section can perceive or detect his madness with the voluntary actions he takes, such as reckless driving and careless behavior.
6) While reading this section I felt anger and frustration because of how often there were immature actions happening, such as car robberies, and consuming excess of alcohol which led to regretful consequences. Also, the fact that Dean was so graceful on performing this robberies and how he got away with them added fuel to the fire, and I personally do not like felonies. This actions made me elaborate on a comparison and realize how now a day criminals abscond from burglaries more often that I could imagine, and just like it is for Dean, it becomes a negative habit. What made this text unique was the clear and elaborated display of Dean’s real personality through his madness which was influenced by his past. Before these illustrations where shown in little glimpses so the reader could have an idea, now is easier to see the whole picture.
Seventh Blog Entry- On the Road~
On the Road- Jack Kerouac, Section #7 (Pages 183-212)
1) Dean, now living in a house on Russian Hill with Camille, answers Sal’s 2-am knock naked as usual. Dean tells what he has been doing: working as a mechanic and going crazy over Marylou, who has slept around a lot and is now married to a used-car dealer. At one point, he even wanted to kill either her or himself. Now, with a hurt hand, he is staying at home taking care of his baby daughter, who he thinks is wonderful.
In the morning, Dean and Camille have a terrible fight which makes Camille throw Sal and Dean out, calling Dean a liar and sobbing. On the street with their luggage, Sal suggests that they go to New York, and then Italy. Dean realizes for the first time how much Sal cares about him; they feel they share a common fate, a new closeness, and feel both uncomfortable and joyous.
They decide “everything”: they will stick together, and they also resolve to find Dean’s father, wherever he may be, but first they will have two days of fun in San Francisco. Their friend Roy Johnson chauffeurs them. They go to see Galatea Dunkel, who has been left by Ed again. She berates Dean for his lifestyle, and for leaving Camille and his daughter. Dean just giggles while Sal defends him, after they go out to a crazy jazz joint, where a saxophone player plays his heart out and connects with Dean. They go to another jazz place, where an alto sax player who looks like Carlo Marx makes the whole room shiver with his playing. They stay out all night carousing, ending by stopping at a new friend’s house. The new friend has a wife who, woken from sleeping, only smiles and asks no questions: Dean says she is a “real woman.” Sal stops by Galatea’s (who is nice to Sal but prophesies doom for Dean) to pick up their luggage. Regretting that he is leaving San Francisco already, Sal gets a taxi for himself and Dean and they head east again.
Dean and Sal, scaring the people they are sharing a ride with, talk non- stop in the backseat about childhood thoughts they had in common, and Dean talks more about being a child with his drunk bum father. At night, the man hits on Dean unsuccessfully; Dean tries and fails to get money from him. But he does let Dean drive for a while. Dean speeds crazily, frightening the others further. When they arrive in Denver, they drop Sal and Dean off with great relief.
2)
“The people in the back seat sighed with relief. I heard them -whispering mutiny. “We can’t let him drive any more, he’s absolutely crazy, they must have let him out of an asylum or something.” I rose to Dean’s defense and leaned back to talk to them. “He’s not crazy, he’ll be all right, and don’t worry about his driving, he’s the best in the world.” (Kerouac, 211-212)
– This quote stands out because it reveals that although Sal recognizes Dean’s madness, he hides it from others to protect his friend. This quote is significant because it shows how important is Dean for Sal and how he will step up for his friend in any case, which adds a meaning to the relationship of this two characters in this piece of literature. It stood out to me because it might foreshadow their relationship being over because of how one sided it is, meaning Sal is the only one willing to sacrifice anything for the other person.
“This was not true; I knew better and I could have told them all. I didn’t see any sense in trying it. I longed to go and put my arm around Dean and say, Now look here, all of you, remember just one thing: this guy has his troubles too, and another thing, he never complains and he’s given all of you a damned good time just being himself, and if that isn’t enough for you then send him to the firing squad, that’s apparently what you’re itching to do anyway…” (Kerouac, 194)
– This quote stood out to me because it reveals how Sal feels a friend’s defensiveness for Dean, but is left in the unfortunate position of choosing one friend over everyone else. Also, it is important because it adds a greater value on how Sal see his relationship with Dean. This might foreshadow a conflict between Sal and another individual due to a defensive reaction towards his friend.
“It was with a great deal of silly relief that these people let us off the car at the corner of 27th and Federal. Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” (Kerouac, 212)
– This quote stood out to me because just as Dean’s madness progresses, Sal’s vision of the importance of the road grows and blossoms. This quote is important because it reveals how Sal defines all of life by his travels on the road, which adds a reason for Sal to be constantly on the road. This might foreshadow Sal ending his journey in another place not consider to be his home.
3) IT –
“The point being that we know what IT is and we know TIME and we know that everything is really FINE.” (Kerouac, 209)
This is important because it adds suspense and intrigue to the text to make the reader figure out what is “IT.” IT becomes this thing that Dean seeks and then knows, but will not detail explicitly because he just doesn’t have the time. IT symbolizes the end of the road for Dean and Sal, is what they are searching for. The problem is they do not know what they want, their desires are vague, which adds frustration to their dissatisfaction. Dean simply put a name on this thing that he doesn’t know he wants; he calls it IT.
4) Repetition –
“You’re a liar, you’re a liar, you’re a liar!” (Kerouac, 183)
The author placed this device in this particular location because it enhances the message the character is trying to portray. This allows the reader to completely comprehend than the person the character is referring to is a “Liar.” Without the usage of repetition it would be harder for the reader to understand the importance of the message being send.
Metaphor –
“Everything swirled around him like a cloud.” (Kerouac, 202)
The author enhances the meaning of the text by using this device to allow the reader to compare what is being said with a reliable object, idea or image. Without it the reader is challenged to use its understanding of what is being illustrated in order to comprehend, if not, for further apprehension the individual would have to rely on research of the word used and idea illustrated.
Hyperbole –
“Defending him and drinking him in as they once tried to do.” (Kerouac, 195)
The author located this particular device in this location to enhance the meaning and make emphasis on the message he wants to get across; using this allows the writer to draw the attention of the reader and extend the knowledge on the situation. The meaning of the text is disturbed if hyperbole is not applied because it does not give a cue to the reader that it is significant.
Onomatopoeia –
“Baugh” and down to “Beep!” and up to “EEEEE!” (Kerouac, 198-199)
This device enhances the meaning of the text by stimulate a reader’s imagination, and aiding the text with the usage of vivid language to make it appealing to senses. Also, by evoking the sound of what is trying to be illustrated, is allowing the text to have a more realistic perspective. Without this device the reader would not have anything to assist his/her visual idea with, that might make it easier, and constant throughout the whole text.
Visual Imagery –
“The tenorman wore a tattered suede jacket, a purple shirt, cracked shoes, and zoot pants without press, he didn’t care.” (Kerouac, 199)
This device enhances the meaning of the text by creating a vivid image, or a realistic description of the person, which is the reason why the author placed it in this particular location. Without this device the author makes it harder on the reader to be able to picture the individual.
5) Jazz America –
“Holy flowers floating in the air, were all these tired faces in the dawn of jazz America.” (Kerouac, 204)
This theme is significant because throughout this section Dean and Sal go to multiple bars and always end up surrounded by a jazz melody. The music influence mainly Dean and makes him act careless to anything and everything, allowing him to portrait his immature personality, which is the image everyone ends up with about how Dean really is and acts upon situations. This actions results lead to Camille kicking Dean out. Jazz becomes a tool through which we can see Dean’s true self through his reactions towards this genre of music.
6) This section made me wonder how the end is going to be because of how unstable everything seems, like Dean’s and Sal’s relationship, or the uncertainty of where to go. This time I compared my life with what is going on in the text and realize how often I do not know what I want in life, how often I need help or a guide, and how often I need to get to a certain point of my life in order to have a minimal idea of I am up against. What made this text unique was the incorporation of music to influence actions, and how much it relations on today’s world. Often people rely on music to display or phrase their emotions, and even let it all out through movement, just like Dean did in this section.
Fifth Blog Entry- On the Road~
On the Road- Jack Kerouac, Section #5 (pages 123-155)
1) Dean and Sal are re-united with their New York friends, and there are big parties all through the New Year’s weekend. Sal brings Lucille to the biggest one; she doesn’t like Dean and Marylou much, or how Sal acts around them. Marylou starts flirting with Sal to make Lucille jealous, and though Sal won’t respond, he enjoys it. In retaliation, Lucille goes out with Dean to his car, but they just drink and talk.
Sal prepares for another jaunt West with Dean and friends; he wants to go along for the ride, and hopes to have an affair with Marylou in San Francisco. Before they leave, the group stays at Carlo’s place for awhile.
One day, sitting in a bar, a blushing Dean tells Sal he wants him to make love to Marylou while Dean watches. Sal knows that it’s because Dean wants to see how Marylou would be with another man. He agrees, but when all three of them are lying on the bed together, he can’t go through with it. Finally, with Carlo irritated, his apartment a mess, and Dean and Marylou banged up from fighting with each other, the group starts on their trip.
They pass through Washington, D.C., Ed Dunkel starts driving, and against their instructions, drives recklessly which get them caught and taken in to a police station. The police are suspicious of them, but can’t do anything more than charge a $25 fine, leaving them only $15 to cross the country.
They pass through South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Dean steals gas when a station attendant isn’t paying attention, and tells them his life story: jumping freight trains with his drunk father, losing his virginity at nine years old. They arrive in drowsy Louisiana and go to Bull Lee’s house and stay there.
They spend the next morning immersed in Bull’s weird life: picking nails out of a wormy piece of wood, throwing knives at a target, hearing stories of Morocco, and fighting with his neighbors, and then go to a racetrack, where Bull loses money. Back in Bull’s backyard, they compete by showing each other athletic tricks. At the end, Ed and Galatea decide to stay in New Orleans. Dean, Sal and Marylou say goodbye to everyone; they’re off to California.
2)
“Everything in life, all the faces of life, were piling into the same dark room.” (Kerouac, 126)
– This quote stands out because it reveals the understanding that Sal has on life. Also, it summarizes for the reader the effect that alcohol, which is the result of this idea, has on people from Sal’s point of view. This quote is important because it adds meaning to the piece of literature by allowing the reader imagine the “faces of life” instead of listing them out, and by letting the person associate it with the story being told. Foreshadowing a change on Sal’s character based on the effect the abuse of alcohol might have on him, can be seen as a long shoot of a personal a opinion.
“Oh, I love, love, love women! I think women are wonderful! I love women!” (Kerouac, 140-141)
– This quote stands out because it reveals Dean’s obsession with women, which is why is significant. Also, this adds a further insight on Dean’s character, and one of the meany ideas that influence his being. As Sal continues his journey he might take his influenced of Dean’s attraction towards women to a more extreme level, which could be a foreshadow.
“Seeing that we didn’t know anything about ourselves.” (Kerouac, 145)
– This quote is important because it reveals the comprehension the characters have of themselves and each other, which is none. This affects the way the characters are display throughout the book; they seem like they do not have a purpose on life, they decide to make trips around the United States without a reason other than lay eyes on what is out there. This quote foreshadows a discovery, growth, and settlement of each disoriented character.
3) New Orleans –
“The air was so sweet in New Orleans it seemed to come in soft bandannas; I need you could smell the river and really smell the people, and mud, and molasses, and every kind of tropical exhalation with your nose suddenly removed from the dry ices of a Northern winter.” (Kerouac, 140)
This image makes it seem like the characters are more exited about this trip than any of the others they have done so far because of the reaction they have on this imagery. Also, illustrating the entrance they make to this scenario symbolizes the beginning of a new adventure, which is why the addition of the description of New Orleans is significant.
4) Repetition –
“He lisped, he writhed, he flopped, he moaned, he howled, he fell back in despair” (Kerouac, 127)
– The author placed this device in this particular location because it enhances the meaning of what he’s trying to portray or illustrate. This allows the reader to completely comprehend than “HE” is doing all the these actions and sounds. Without the usage of repetition it would be harder for the reader to picture a specific character doing all these.
Personification –
“Every day the world groaned to turn and we were making our appalling studies of the night.” (Kerouac, 132)
– The author used personification to make the text more dramatic and interesting and to convey a certain mood, which enhances its meaning. Also, readers can easily relate to the object or idea that is being personified because it is easier to relate to something with human attributes. Therefore, without this device it would be harder for an individual to find a connection with the idea trying to be perceive.
Simile –
“He crawls like a big spider through the streets.” (Kerouac, 127)
– The author enhances the meaning of the text by using this device to give a visual image that can help the reader picture the action of the character. Without it the reader is challenged to use its understanding of what is being illustrated in order to comprehend, if not, for further apprehension the individual would have to research the meaning of the word that is being used to describe the character action.
Hyperbole –
“His excitement blew out of his eyes in stabs of fiendish light.” (Kerouac, 127)
– The author located this particular device in this location to enhance the meaning and make emphasis on the message he wants to get across; using this allows the writer to draw the attention of the reader and extend the knowledge on the situation. The meaning of the text is disturbed if hyperbole is not applied because it does not give a cue to the reader that it is significant.
Onomatopoeia –
“Whooee!” yelled Dean.” (Kerouac, 134)
– This device enhances the meaning of the text by stimulate a reader’s imagination, and aiding the text with the usage of vivid language to make it appealing to senses. Also, by evoking the sound of what is trying to be illustrated, is allowing the text to have a more realistic perspective. Without this device the reader would not have anything to assist his/her visual idea with, that might make it easier, and constant throughout the whole text.
5) Drugs and Alcohol –
“Bull himself only got fifty dollars a week from his own family, which wasn’t too bad except that he spent almost that much per week on his drug habit.” (Kerouac, 143)
This theme is significant because it elucidates how both drug and alcohol use can be sources of money problems and poverty, as characters repeatedly prioritize drugs or alcohol over food and other necessities, as illustrated on the quote above. Also, later on Bull discusses the decay of America via the loss of “The Ideal Bar.” Alcohol and drugs become a tool through which we can see Dean and Sal’s relationship, as Sal’s dreams and actions when he is high or drunk parallel those of a sober Dean.
6) This text gave me a mixture of multiple feelings, madness and joy. Madness was based on the absurd abuse of drugs and alcohol illustrated throughout the entire section, since I know and have been taught the damage that it can cause. My joy was influenced by the constant demonstration of Sal’s character growth, which elucidates his further understanding of right and wrong, even though he still does it. The piece of literature made me realize and understand that age does not set your knowledge standards, instead the way you pursue and absorb information and ideas from the experiences you go throw daily is what sets them, which is also why it made it unique.
Fourth Blog Entry- On the Road~
On the Road- Jack Kerouac, Section #4 (pages 103-122)
1) Sal meets a girl on the bus on his way back home, who buys him meals, and they make out casually until she gets off in Ohio. His final ride is with a stick-thin plumbing fixtures salesman who believes in controlled starvation for health. Sal is starving, the salesman relents and gives him some bread and butter. Sal, devouring the bread and butter while the salesman does business, all of the sudden starts laughing at his situation.
The salesman drops him off in New York, and suddenly Sal is back in Times Square. When he finally gets home, he eats everything in the refrigerator, and his aunt pities how thin he is. His aunt tells him that Dean came looking for him, and left only two days ago, for San Francisco, where Camille (Dean’s second wife) has just gotten an apartment. Sal regrets that he didn’t look her up when he was there, and that he missed Dean.
It is Christmas, 1948, and Sal is celebrating the holidays with his Southern relatives in Testament, Virginia, when Dean arrives on the doorstep with Marylou and Ed Dunkel. He left Camille and a new baby daughter in San Francisco, with Ed and Galatea Dunkel (a woman Ed recently married), zoomed across the country, stopping in Denver where he begged and made love with Marylou again and brought her along.
Meanwhile, Sal has been going to school on the G.I. Bill, and met Lucille, whom he wants to marry. Dean offers to deliver some furniture to Sal’s aunt’s house for the relatives: two trips back and forth from Virginia to New Jersey, on the second bringing Sal’s aunt back to New Jersey, in which also Sal joins them; he’s on the road again.
On the drive back to Virginia, Dean talks continuously, describing to Sal his new found mysticism: he believes in God and that everything will work out. What he says doesn’t make any sense, but Sal feels like he understands anyway. They get back to Testament in the middle of the night, and immediately start out for New Jersey on the second trip, this time with Sal’s aunt and more furniture. Dean describes to them the details of his new job as a railroad brakeman. Around 4 am, they are pulled over by a cop and given a speeding ticket, even though Dean was going only 30 mph at the time. Dean will have to spend the night in jail if they can’t pay the fine; neither Dean nor Sal have any money, so Sal’s aunt pays. The cops are confused: what is a respectable middle-aged lady doing with these vagrants?
2)
“Ah now, man,” said Dean, “I’ve been digging you for years about the home and marriage and all those fine wonderful things about your soul.” It was a sad night; it was also a merry night.” (Kerouac, 117)
– This quote stood out to me because it reveals the dichotomy of Sal’s emotions, how he sees no contradiction in the night being both sad and merry. Also, in this portion of the section Dean is shown as idolizing aspects of Sal that he himself is unable to surpass instead of Sal being the one who idolizes Dean, as shown through out must of the novel, which is why it illustrate its importance. This might foreshadow Dean’s comprehension of being open minded, by allowing others influence his ideas, decision and/or point of view.
“Ed Dunkel was a tall, calm, unthinking fellow who was completely ready to do anything Dean asked him; and at this time Dean was too busy for scruples.” (Kerouac, 111)
– This quote reveals that Ed idolizes Dean in much the same way that Sal does, which is why it stood out to me. It is important because it adds to the text an understanding of how Dean is seen as a leader, not just by Sal, but by the people surrounding him. As Sal continues his journey and Dean is mentioned in it, there might be more characters who see Dean as a role model since he influences people quickly, which could be a foreshadow.
“My aunt – a respectable woman hung-up in this sad world, and well she knew the world. She told us about the cop. “He was hiding behind the tree, trying to see what I looked like. I told him – I told him to search the car if he wanted. I’ve nothing to be ashamed of.” She knew Dean had something to be ashamed of, and me too, by virtue of my being with Dean, and Dean and I accepted this sadly.” (Kerouac, 122)
– This quote is important because it reveals that by being friends with Dean, Sal must take on all of Dean’s baggage, problems, and guilt – not only by becoming an accomplice to Dean’s crimes, but the mental and metaphorical weight of Dean’s madness. Also, the reason why it stood out to me is because it illustrates how Sal is burdened and laden with the guilt of his friend’s, which he might considered his brother by now, actions. This foreshadows Sal constant support on everything Dean does, no matter what it is; divulges Sal’s loyalty.
3) Times Square –
“Suddenly I found myself on Times Square. I had traveled eight thousand miles around the American continent and I was back on Times Square; and right in the middle of a rush hour, too, seeing with my innocent road-eyes the absolute madness and fantastic hoorair of New York with its millions and millions hustling for ever for a buck among themselves…” (Kerouac, 106-107)
Every time Sal returns to New York, he goes back to Times Square. This is significant because in the novel Dean measures everything in terms of time (this many minutes sleeping with Camille, this many hours for driving to Chicago, etc.), but Sal measures things in distance; since Sal thinks in terms of places, he needs a physical location to represent time, like Times Square, which is why this symbol/imagery stroke me.
4) Foreshadowing –
“He was sick with regret when he saw her face again, and, as of yore, he pleaded and begged at her knees for the joy of her being.” (Kerouac, 111-112)
– The author placed this device in this particular location to create suspense, which enhances the meaning of the text. If an event is foreshadowed, the readers want to read further to see how it develops. Also, the author prepares the reader for the ending so that it does not seem to be random or arbitrary.
Alliteration –
“He had quieted down since the Denver Doldrum days; the Dakar Doldrums had done it.” (Kerouac, 119)
– This device allow the individual to link the words and pay more attention to them in order to see what the author is saying. Creates a consistent pattern that will catch the eye of the mind and gains the attention of the reader, which is why the author placed it in this particular location. Without the aid of this device it would be harder for the reader to remember the event and/or give it importance.
Personification –
“Not for once deviating from the white line in the middle of the road that unwound, kissing our left front tire.” (Kerouac, 116)
– The author used personification to make the text more dramatic and interesting and to convey a certain mood, which enhances its meaning. Also, readers can easily relate to the object or idea that is being personified because it is easier to relate to something with human attributes. Therefore, without this device it would be harder for an individual to find a connection with the idea trying to be perceive.
Simile –
“His laugh was maniacal; it started low and ended high, exactly like the laugh of a radio maniac, only faster and more like a titter.” (Kerouac, 114)
– The author enhances the meaning of the text by using this device to give a visual image that can help the reader picture the action of the character. Without it the reader is challenged to use its understanding of what is being illustrated in order to comprehend, if not, for further apprehension the individual would have to research the meaning of the word that is being used to describe the character.
Onomatopoeia –
“Everybody held his breath to listen. “Tick . . . tack . . . tick-tick . . . tack-tack.” (Kerouac, 119)
– This device stimulate a reader’s imagination, by aiding the text with the usage of vivid language to make it appealing to senses, which is why by placing it in this particular location it enhances the meaning. Also, by evoking the sound of what is trying to be illustrated makes the text more realistic. Without this device the reader would not have anything to assist his/her visual idea with, that might make it easier, and constant throughout the whole text.
5) Transformation –
“Marylou was the only girl Dean ever really loved. He was sick with regret when he saw her face again, and as of yore, he pleaded and begged at her knees for the joy of her being.” (Kerouac, 111-112)
In this section we can see a change on Dean’s commitment. Also, after Dean’s declaration of his devotion and loyalty towards Marylou, Sal is immediately influence by this idea and starts talking about the woman he wants to marry- Lucille. Also, by introducing this change on the main characters it might foreshadow there personal growth as an individual, and maturity, which is why this is important.
6) This section made me feel exited because I can finally see growth on the main characters. This opened my mind to believe that if there is anything wrong I can make a change, is never too late, because us as individuals have the power to do and accomplish what we want. What makes this unique is how Sal’s and Dean’s experiences with other people and diverse situations demonstrate the change an person can achieve unintentionally, by showing it with their new perspective on commitment. This piece of literature made me speculate that life is a roller coaster that can take you into many ups and down experiences, but at the end of the day you still have the capacity to shape it into your life how ever you want it.
Magnolia's World~ 