Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Jack Kerouac And The Beat Movement

hu macrocosmkind War II marked a extensive dividing line between the old and the new in American society and the nations literature(The World teach elegant encyclopaedia 427) . When sphere War II reverse at that place was a pent up thirst that had been postp integrityd due to the war. space war America brought ab observe a epoch when it seemed that e truly(prenominal) young man was doing the corresponding thing, getting a job, remittal down and starting a family. America was becoming a nation of consumers. angiotensin-converting enzyme class that was against con course of actioning to this dull American purportstyle was referred to as sufferniks. The defeat or Beatniks condemned middle class American support as chastely bankrupt. They praised individualism as the highest human goal(The World parole Encyclopedia 428). This perspective was present in poetry and literature done out the beat movement. One of the most cardinal works produced during the beat mov ement was batch Kerouacs On The road. In the novel sea drop behind Kerouacs alter self Sal Paradise represents the American man who realizes he doesnt penury to conform to societies pressures but steady hasnt realized what it is honest now he wants to do. He is a man who has in truth fiddling direction and is very ofttimes lost in the world as he knows it. Kerouac seems to be constantly stressful to parry. In examining the novel genius office wonder what is Kerouac escaping and by what delegacy does he do so? Kerouac using upd two factor of escape through with(predicate) out the novel and through out his life. His first mean of escape was his constant travel. He travelled from eastern to west, redbrick York to San Francisco and stopped everywhere in between. He made this expedition over and over, constantly on the road. The bare(a) title of the novel exemplifies Kerouacs ongoing need to travel. When he and his friends got tried of traveling east to west the y traveled wedlock to south, driving ever! y last(predicate)(prenominal) the perambulator down to Mexico City. His travels gave him the opportunity to be an outsider with no worries. He was able to spectator and chance upon all that there was to scissure throughout the state of matter. While jaunt across the states, staying in dinky towns for no more than a few nights, Kerouac was able to view as a life with no commitment or responsibility. hitherto if he was to accommodate any(prenominal) sort of commitment to one of his some(prenominal) girls a persistent the way, it wasnt unlike him to just pick up and leave. After all the only thing people more or less seemed to know round him was that he liked to draw. This leads to the some other form of escape Kerouac used, the adaption of reality. Kerouac would mentally alter his perception of reality through the use of drugs and alcohol. I was getting drunk and didnt trouble; everything was fine(Kerouac 35). To him everything in life was fine as long as he was dru nk. He was outgrowth to drink heavily, and to drink whisky and gin instead of just beer (Nicosia 96). That was only the beginning of his disillusionment. red cent began taking benzedrine and smoking marijuana(Nicosia 102). Having the means by which he escapes, the question still ashes what is Kerouac assay to escape? In order to understand this we mustiness explore somewhat of jack ups in-person issues. A issue concerning Kerouac that is very a great ask eluded to but neer really spoken somewhat in On The Road is his possible homoeroticism. While gob never actually came out slightly his sexuality, his culmination friends would often witness dumps participation in fadeless rounds of sex with twain men and women(Nicosia 102). Kerouacs homosexual tendencies caused an preponderant psychological fight: Kerouac was sprightly but despised homosexuals. Jack talked incessantly about all the big old fags he knew(Nicosia 493). Even though Kerouac would have homosexual enc ounters, he mat up a private guilt over his homosexu! al feelings. In an taste to ease his guilt Jack would denounce oddity, say that gay sex is non in my line(Nicosia 142). Jack was plain shamed of his homosexual experiences and fought all his life against the pass judgment get over(Nicosia 154). In 1945, he wrote a letter to on the wholeen Ginsberg trying to resolve the issue of his possible homosexuality. He stated that the sultry aspects of gay sex were disgusting; and though the desire for it top executive exist in his subconscious, there was no way of begin that for sure(Nicosia 142). His apologetic tone in the letter showed that balance wheel though Kerouac wasnt entirely sure of his sexual identity, he still felt guilty that the mere thought of homosexuality had entered his feelings. This persistent guilt for his constant homosexual needs at long last affected his ability to sustain close relationships. Kerouacs sad ability to maintain relationships is evident through out his life as well as in On The Road. All through the novel, Kerouac along with Cassady, would always be chasing down one girl or trying to make another. This very much mirrored his real life where Kerouac get married three times. Jacks first wife, Frankie Edith Parker, ended the espouse because of jacks relentless adultery. Kerouacs next marriage ceremony was to Joan Haverty Kerouac, who eventually ended the marriage saying they had made a commitment to the marriage but not to each other(Charters 357). His third and closing wife was Stella Sampas Kerouac, who was told by Jack on his death bed, Stella, I love you for only the second time since they had been married. The fact that Jack couldnt commit himself to one cleaning woman at a time shows his insecurity and unbelief towards his sexuality. This uncertainty shows that Jack is obviously unsure about himself. It may just be that all of Kerouacs running and bingeing throughout the country was actually an dispatch to find himself. All his life he may not have been escaping but rather discovering. Kerouac inevitable ! to see the way the rest of America was in an suit to find what he was.The human experience is about self-discovery. It is a universal melodic theme which Kerouac draws upon in his classic beat work On the Road , Kerouac simply recorded this voyage at a turn of events point in America. Bibliography Nicosia, Gerald. retrospect Babe: A precise Biography of Jack Kerouac. pertly York: Grove Press Inc., 1983. Charters, Ann. Kerouac: A Biography. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books, 1973. Cassady, Carolyn. turned The Road: My Years With Cassady, Kerouac and Ginsberg. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1990. Zeleny, Robert O. The World Book Encyclopedia:Volume A. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1988 Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. New York: Viking Press, 1958. wrangle: 1015 If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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