One of my favorite writers is Jack Kerouac, author of the revolutionary novel, On the Road. Written in a stream of consciousness, the novel is largely autobiographical. It tells of Kerouac’s adventures in his station wagon, journeying across our nation. He introduced the concept of the Beat generation in 1948 that was made up of the post WWII youth who rejected the middle-class ideal lifestyle surrounding stability and the accumulation of wealth and possessions. They opposed the nuclear family model in which a man’s only desire was to find a typical, house-making wife to settle down with. Rather, they preached creativity and spontaneity. They were, ultimately, protesting what they considered a bland lifestyle. This generation was synonymous with jazz and drug use, and was a monumental period of creative discovery. In On the Road, Sal (Kerouac’s character) states, “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn burn burn like fabulous yellow roman candles.”
This work is certainly a "writerly text" in that one can find their own meanings through Sal's thoughts and actions. One can interpret rebellion on whichever level they choose to, whether it is simply a product of his youth, or the result of a larger pattern of post-war disillusionment, or simply an internalized aspect of his character. In the same way that Forrest Gump inspired people to follow him in his run across the country, Jack Kerouac inspired others to follow him in his new way of thinking. Largely historical, both works challenge the ideals of american culture. But while Forrest is somewhat cohesive with the American dream, Jack Kerouac seems to combat it with his spontaneous actions. Forrest represented a kind of youth that moved with the current of American politics; he was a devoted soldier. Kerouac, on the other hand, inspired youth the question patriotic ideals and voyage forth in the name of self discovery.
A frequent aspect of Kerouac’s On the Road is the act of breaching the norms that confine the middle-class lifestyle he loathed so much. His company ranges from old African–American men to Mexican prostitutues. His character, Sal, explores Mexican bordellos full of marijuana and underage prostitutes. Sal falls in love with a beautiful Mexican runaway, and takes odd jobs. He becomes a night watchman and later explores the agricultural lifestyle. Through his many trials and tribulations, he truly comes to know himself and the vast country to which he migrated (he was a French speaking Candian; English was his second language).
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road has influenced my life in many ways. Hunter S. Thompson, Jim Morrison, and Bob Dylan all have claimed to be tremendously influenced by him; these are some of my favorite artists of all time. He truly inspired people to think for themselves in ways that they never had before, and this is what I hope to accomplish in my writing. Through Jack Kerouac, I have come to see writing as a way of channeling one’s conscious, and ultimately, his or her soul. I wish to write on the same personal level as his. The reader of his work cannot help but feel connected to him as a person, and I think this is the most wonderful aspect of his writing. To truly be consistent with my thoughts in my writing is what I hope to accomplish as a writer, in order to form the same reaction in my readers as I have formed with Kerouac.
