My recent decision to switch novels and embark on a journey On the Road appears to be a beneficial choice thus far in my reading expericence. I have enjoyed the first fifty or so pages of this novel because of the connection I feel towards the characters and because of Jack Kerouac’s unique and intriguing writing style.
My favorite part about Keruoac’s writing thus far is his seemingly random observations that are kind of like side notes to the story going on in the novel. The narrarating character, Sal Paradise, always notices little details that he discusses out of the context of the main story. His little observances, such as “the nights in the Denver are cool. I slept like a log,” make the novel interesting for me because I, like Sal, enjoy paying attention to the unimportant details going on around me. I like how Sal tells the reader the about the little things he notices, even if it has no significance to anything going on. Sal also notifies the reader about minor details regarding his observances about other characters. This allows the reader to get a good impression about the personalities of the other characters.
This brings me to the next reason I have enjoyed reading On the Road thus far: the characters. The main focus of this novel does not appear to be the plot. It appears that Kerouac’s main focus was creating an interesting and insightful group of characters. And he did this very well. As I am reading On the Road, I am itching to know more and more about the intriguing characters that Kerouac depicts. I find myself feeling a connection to Sal, a character who is bored with the everday scenery of his hometown and wants to venture somewhere far away to experience the unkown. I, like Sal, would enjoy living life in constant motion in order to experience something new, at least for a short period of life. Dean, is also a curious character. I admire his wide-eyed and liberated approach to life. I like how Dean is passionate about his life goals. I am interested to learn more about Dean’s troubled childhood and why he went to jail. However, it is a little alarming that Dean, the most admirable charavter so far, appears to be somewhat of a womanizer. I am interested to learn more about this problem.
My favorite part of On of Road thus far is the scene when Sal describes Dean and Carlo’s ritual of sitting down and telling each other exactly what they are thinking with blatant honesty. I find this exercise really awesome and I am surpirsed that it is not more common. Throughout a significant part of every day, we as humans restrain what we are really thinking and are not honest with each other. We say and do things that we think will appeal to other people for their approval. Sitting and talking with somebody with complete honesty would bring out a certain type of freedom of thought that I think can teach us a lot, and it would be beneficial for us to get out our honest thoughts. Dean and Carlo’s ritual of speaking to each other with total honesty for an entire night is a really cool and innovative idea that Keruouac has tied into his novel.
I am excited to continue reading On the Road to learn more about the interesting characters and to see how they develop with one another. 580 words
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Gary--the scene where Dean and Carlo stay up all night talking is, for me, a metaphor of the novel. I think Sal and the others' goal is to find a way to escape the conventional ways of thinking and acting, and to find a truer, more honest, more deeply felt response to other people and to life. (Of course, life itself keeps getting in the way).
Anyway, good start--reading your blog takes me back to my own college years when Kerouac was, for a time, my favorite writer.
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