On the Road Essay

Words: 2371
Pages: 10
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Nicholas J Cheaney
Dineen
AP-Lit Man City
10 Dec 12 Beating the Beat In the 1940s the Beat Generation sprung up and took the nation by storm. Many people in their later teenage years started to become “rebels” to what society thinks. This rebellious lifestyle sparked various different views; those that look up to them, and those that look down upon them. Jack Kerouac plays a major role in this time period pertaining to this lifestyle, authoring many works about it, one being On the Road. He uses the characters in this story to depict the diverse views on the Beatniks. This strong interpretation used throughout the novel sets the stage for many other authors writing on behalf of the Beat Generation. The characters he uses in this …show more content…
A hint towards optimistic opportunities is shown when Sal arrives in San Francisco to live with Remi, because they both find work as police officers, which contrasts the life he lived in Denver. In Denver, Sal lived a very rambunctious life where he had no cares about anything and was always out with friends having a grand time. While in San Francisco with Remi however, he becomes a police officer as a job to get some money, which depicts that he really does not care to enforce the law, but rather get money and sustain their immediate personal needs. Sal and Remi rebel against the pressures of consumerism by taking advantage of their positions and stealing groceries from the barracks cafeteria in order to cut down the costs of living.
The true separation from the life that he lived in New York is marked by Sal’s relationship and life with Terry. During his stay with Terry he becomes more accustomed to what is going on now rather than focusing on the future. The sense of now is mainly presented by the word “mañana”, which means “tomorrow” in Spanish. Terry’s brother, Rickey, is the one who brings Sal to believing in this word mañana as to when there is work present him simply says that everything will be alright and they will do it tomorrow. “Today we drink, tomorrow we work. Dah you go, man – take a shot!” (Kerouac 93). During Sal’s time with Terry, he leaves his youthful, adventuring self behind and starts to begin to become more responsible in a sense. Sal’s
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