Kerouac's Carefully Constructed Characters

Jack Kerouac continues to amaze me with the intriguing and unique characters that never stop appearing throughout On the Road. I am about midway through the novel and I am in awe at how many distinctive characters Mr. Kerouac constructs. All of the characters in On the Road seem to have their own distinctive qualities that make them interesting, and they become sorts of people that I would like to encounter in real life. Although some of the characters are similar to one another, I find that they all have their own unique qualities that set them apart from each other and make them all have distinctive personalities that keep me on my heels as a reader, eagerly awaiting the next encounter that Sal will have.


One of these such characters is friendly Ed Dunkel. Ed seemed to me like an affable fellow. He appeared to be somebody whom it would be nice to take a road trip with, like Sal does. I liked Ed’s indifference and passiveness toward some of life’s minor and major twists and turns. Ed seemed only to care a small bit about his ill-fated marriage, although this incident seems like it would be much more significant for the typical young adult. Ed took the approach of crossing the bridge when he got to it when it came to the marriage. I liked how he decided to continue the trip with Dean, Sal, and Marylou, and to work out things with his wife when they met in New Orleans. Ed seems to be one of those guys who is just along for the ride, a character trait that I admire.


Another new character who grabbed my attention was Old Bull Lee. Bull Lee seemed to be somewhat cynical character who was both easily excited and easily disturbed. It was interesting how Bull Lee often expressed hostility toward Dean, a character for whom Sal had the utmost admiration for. Bull Lee seems that he would be an interesting fellow to meet due to his many hobbies and talents, from writing, to traveling, to knife throwing. The incident where he and Sal go the horse races was one of the more humorous aspects of novel. It was comical how Bull Lee totally ignored Sal’s suggestion on which horse to pick, then completely changed his stance towards Sal’s inclination after Sal’s selection ended up winning the race. It is also intriguing that Bull Lee is a drug abuser. I am curious to guess what substance he was addicted to because Kerouac never mentioned an specifics, but always said Bull would go to the bathroom to get his “fix.”


The most hysterical incident in the thus far in the novel in my opinion came a bit earlier when Sal is in San Francisco staying with Remi Boncouer. I found myself laughing out loud when Remi got Sal excited to go on an adventure to the see “The Banana King.” I was as shocked as Sal to find that the hyped-up “Banana King” was merely an old man by the side of the road selling bananas. I found it humorous that Remi was so astounded by this old man and seemed to immortalize in his own mind.


Kerouac’s characters constantly have controlled my cranium thus far in my reading experience and I look forward to meeting new ones as a progress further in the novel. (565 words).


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o "Jazz America": Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" "Jazz America": Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road"


The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's On The Road




The Logic of Spontaneity: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's "Spontaneous Prose Method"

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o The American Tramp: A Version of the Picaresque The American Tramp: A Version of the Picaresque

These are four sources I plan to use in my paper.