Book #1 On the Road by Jack Kerouac

What a perfect metaphor to begin my journey of reading with Rory Gilmore. Although this was not my favorite read, it does justly symbolize the beginning of a long road ahead of me as it is the first book referenced in Gilmore Girls. I have many issues with this novel and Jack Kerouac, including his writing style and the message this book presents. I do understand why this novel speaks to many people; particularly those who are struggling to find their place in life. In this way, despite my opinions, I can appreciate this novel for its literary significance.

Always Running

            Sal, Dean, Carlo, and Ed spend the majority of the novel hitchhiking, slumming it, and generally roaming the United States; moving between New York and San Francisco whenever they become bored or their lover becomes angry with them. This idea of roaming completely frustrated me for many reasons. Perhaps I am the type of person who likes to have a set path and a goal in mind, and the idea of complete freedom scares the beejesus out of me. Sal has no plan and no goal. More so, he has no control or agency over his life. Not only does he roam the country for years hoping the next place is better than the last, he relies on other people to make the decisions of where he is going. Dean, Marylou, and the other cast of characters are his main source of happiness. Without them, Sal would have not gone on the road at all. But because the road is never ending and does not lead anywhere, it becomes the question of going somewhere versus "just going". It seems to me that Sal prefers the just going rather than going towards something. This idea is appealing to many young people today because it keeps them from responsibilities and growing up. If one place doesn’t work out, just move to the next. Personally, I think something is said for trying. I’m not saying that you should stay somewhere if you are unhappy, but, rather, to give it an adequate shot and time for adjustment. Sal and Dean believe that nothing is ever good enough for them or will make them happy so they keep searching. They don’t realize that in order to be happy, you have to be the one that makes you happy, not other people, places, or things.

“He was only conning because he wanted so much to live.”

            This quote, which appears pretty early on in the novel, struck a chord with me. In this instance, Sal is referring to Dean who cons not only other people, but himself. It made me think about myself and the way many young people live today. We spend so much time pretending that we are happy and that everything is okay; pushing our feelings below the surface so that we don’t get hurt. In this way, we are not only conning others, but conning ourselves. We say that things are going to get better later or so in so didn’t hurt us just to protect ourselves. Is this the right thing to do? Or should we face it head on? I’m not sure if I’m one to answer that question. All I can say is we should make an honest effort to be honest with ourselves and accept how we feel each and every day. If we push these feelings away, are we even living? Living encompasses experiencing the good and the bad; the happy and the sad. Therefore, conning ourselves is not the answer.

When is my story going to start?

            When we read a book or watch a movie, we never read or see the characters do the boring, everyday things like go to the bathroom, get ready for work, or spend hours writing a paper (well, maybe in some instances). Because we only read or see the relatively exciting things in their lives or the snippets that make up an interesting story, we don’t realize that there are boring parts too. Sal and Dean run around thinking that the interesting part of their lives has not happened yet. They ask themselves “when is my story going to start?” What they don’t realize is that it is already happening. Many of us feel the same way. We feel that our lives are boring, that nothing happens, and that the exciting part is just around the corner. We are wrong; our story is happening right now and it is up to us to create it, make it exciting, and enjoy it. Stories don’t just happen. Writers have to spend hours writing them, editing them, and publishing them. In the same way, our personal stories and advntures don’t just happen to us. We have to be the ones to make changes in our lives and to make the decisions to have agency in our lives.

We got the beat

            Jack Kerouac is well known for being one of the major writers of the Beat Generation in the 1940s and 1950s. Basically, they are a slightly younger version of the Lost Generation of the 1920s. They spend life roaming around and partying, looking for excitement in life without the extravagance of the 1920s (we already know how I feel about that). Personally, I prefer the Lost Generation of writers better. Kerouac had a disdain for this generation, specifically Hemingway (whom I love). Maybe he was subconsciously jealous of Hemingway because he did the lost soul thing better, but I’m not really one to say.

Show, Don’t Tell

            The major problem I have with Kerouac’s writing style is that he tells what is happening, rather than shows it. He has a very straightforward writing style which I found boring. It jumped around a bit and didn’t always flow cohesively. This may be because he claimed to have written it in three weeks, purging the ideas out of him. However, we can’t even say this is true because there are reports that he worked on this novel for years before it was published. I also felt that the plot ran in circles which you can figure out from what I discussed above. Maybe this is because he took inspiration from his own life and modeled just about every character off of someone he knew. It makes me wonder how this novel impacted his relationships and if the people knew they were the basis for some characters.

Rory and Lorelei are just beginning their journey when this book is referenced within the first five minutes of the pilot. They don’t know where they are going just yet and they do not realize that their story is just beginning. Rory and Lorelei are opposites of Sal and Dean in almost every way as both characters are hard-working, goal oriented, and enjoy life. I enjoy life through books and coffee like a Gilmore girl.

***I do have to say that Kerouac is quite dreamy even though I don't love his writing.

Images
Book Cover:   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgaPYO_1KKQ4_e0ciX2ifX1k_5Kmi3r8pFZNEKy9P-YJuAayIXyunyjSCrteqaM0Je93K07dzgIV8wTVvlPg-CcSMP31DwAXUGptPu8PZxrpW7tOodPLChqHzq1cKV54XnqAguBoezXVP/s1600/OTR+Penguin+90+cover.jpg

Kerouac: http://67.media.tumblr.com/46408edc09c94eb17534bbf154b6317c/tumblr_nj6ce1G4pf1ti65sjo2_1280.jpg