Monday, August 31, 2009
The Neverending Search
““There ain’t no flowers there,” she said. “I want to go to New York. I’m sick and tired of this. Ain’t no place to go but Cheyenne and ain’t nothing in Cheyenne.”
“Ain’t nothin in New York.”
“Hell there ain’t,” she said with a curl of her lips.” (p.35)
After reading about the characters’ wild adventures in Cheyenne, the reader discovers that it may not be just Sal who is resorting to the road in search of happiness and “life”. Here, the pretty young blonde that he meets also seems to desire change and excitement, anything, but the life that she is currently living. Ironically, she is set on the idea that heading east is the key. From experience Sal knows that the east does not hold the answer, and that “it” is truly in the west. At this point another concept of Kerouac’s “road trip” emerges as we learn that the journey across America is in search of “it”, where “it” (as far as I can understand) is that which will subside their hunger. Correspondingly, after Sal finally reaches Denver (the destination which he had been itching for for so long), uses and abuses it, and gains nothing, he suddenly feels the urge to hurry on to San Francisco. Perhaps there he will find his answer. It seems as though Sal has a void in his life which he is trying to fill through a materialistic lifestyle (e.g., alcohol, sex, and drugs). I, however, do not believe happiness can be achieved through such a worldly lifestyle. Do you?
Kerouac's definition continued
"And here I am in Colorado! I kept thinking gleefully. Damn! damn! damn! I'm making it! And after a refreshing sleep filled with cobwebby dreams of my past life in the East I got up, washed in the station men's room, and strode off, fit and slick as a fiddle, and got me a rich thick milkshake at the roadhouse to put some freeze in my hot, tormented stomach." --Pg. 35
After being tempted several times on the road to stops other then Denver, the reader is able to grasp Sal's excitement as he finally reaches his first marked destination on the road. Sal seemed to be a character that was easily persuaded by others while on the road; rarely displaying thoughts for his own self interest. It seems as though Sal is finding himself through his journey on the road as we first come to see him displaying a sense of self confidence ("I'm making it"). There still seems to be parts of his past that he will never be able to break from as he wakes from "sleep filled with cobwebby dreams of [his] past life in the East". With the sites and sounds that Sal has seen so far on the raod, the transformation process from the feelings that everything is dead is slowly starting to become distant.
Dean seems to be a character that is very concerned with his own self interest as he lives off a schedule. We have already seen that there is a definite split up in "the gang" with two sides: Chad King, Tim Gray, and Roland Major, while on the other side Dean Moriarty and Carlo Marx. Which side do you see Sal siding with, or will he be the buffer of the gang?
After being tempted several times on the road to stops other then Denver, the reader is able to grasp Sal's excitement as he finally reaches his first marked destination on the road. Sal seemed to be a character that was easily persuaded by others while on the road; rarely displaying thoughts for his own self interest. It seems as though Sal is finding himself through his journey on the road as we first come to see him displaying a sense of self confidence ("I'm making it"). There still seems to be parts of his past that he will never be able to break from as he wakes from "sleep filled with cobwebby dreams of [his] past life in the East". With the sites and sounds that Sal has seen so far on the raod, the transformation process from the feelings that everything is dead is slowly starting to become distant.
Dean seems to be a character that is very concerned with his own self interest as he lives off a schedule. We have already seen that there is a definite split up in "the gang" with two sides: Chad King, Tim Gray, and Roland Major, while on the other side Dean Moriarty and Carlo Marx. Which side do you see Sal siding with, or will he be the buffer of the gang?
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Journeys
I chose this quotation because I feel that this passage is significant in explaining Keroac's view of the journey he is just beginning to take at this point. It seems to be a metaphor for himself as he embarks on his trip across the country into "unknown waters," if you will. He is the rose being dropped in the river, soft, fragile, and unexperienced, at the source of the water's journey, which is his home. There seems to be necessity and purpose in dropping the rose in the water and also in its subsequent journey to prepare for a rougher life in the more turbulent sea. Keroac implies that this relatively short time on the road is a pleasant yet brief gift to see a great deal of places before life will perhaps no longer allow it.
My question is, what do you think Keroac is expecting to discover about life, about himself, about others on this trip his is taking?
The Man with the Traveling Carnival
When Jack and Eddie are in Shelton, they are approached by a man who owns a carnival. The man greets them by asking, “You boys going to get somewhere, or just going?” Kerouac writes, “We didn’t understand his question, and it was a damned good question." This passage can be found on page 22. I believe that this is a very important passage in the opening of this book because it essentially breaks down those that take to the road into two classes, those that take to the road to just be somewhere different than they are now, wherever that may be, and those that are on the road solely because they have someplace they are going. But it is often that you will find people that are a mix of these two classes and I believe that Kerouac is such a person. He turns down the offer of joining the traveling carnival saying, “I don’t know, I’m going as fast as I can and I don’t think I have the time,” (page 23) showing he has a very set place as his destination, putting him in the first class. He is someone driven by certain things to accomplish definite goals, especially arriving at his destinations, Chicago, and Denver and ultimately San Francisco. But he also has a side to him that is very ‘Whitmanesque.’ Hitching rides to get to his destinations puts him in situations to meet many different types of people, and thus he has a world of experiences open to him. By hitching rides, Kerouac is also putting himself in situations to meet people who are also going somewhere. He has passion for people he meets along the way, having fond memories of Eddie, and someone he meets in a diner, someone he describes as being “the spirit of the West.” (page 21) The natural magnificence he encounters along the way, such as the Mississippi River, has a significant impact on him. I believe that through the experiences Kerouac is faced with, the open road becomes a lot more meaningful to him than it was starting out.
“You boys going to get somewhere, or just going?” I think that Kerouac believes this man’s question to be such a “damned good question” because Kerouac himself, although at one time very certain about where he was going, has now become unsure about his true destination. I believe that at this point in his journey he has become much more a part of the road. I believe that he sees the open road much more as an opportunity to meet wonderful characters and an opportunity to have great experiences wherever he may end up. These things are starting to mean something to him, maybe as much as getting to Denver or San Francisco.
How do you think the Kerouac that wrote these three chapters would have responded to this offer?
Experiences
"As we rode in the bus in the weird phosphorescent void of the Lincoln Tunnel we leaned on each other with fingers waving and yelled and talked excitedly, and I was beginning to get the bug like Dean. He was simply a youth tremendously excited with life, and though he was a con-man, he was only conning because he wanted so much to live and to get involved with people who would otherwise pay no attention to him. He was conning me and I knew it (for room and board and "how-to-write," etc.), and he knew I knew (this has been the basis of our relationship), but I didn't care and we got along fine--no pestering, no catering; we tiptoed around each other like heartbreaking new friends. I began to learn from him as much as he probably learned from me." (page 4)
I believe this quote illustrates the beginning of Kerouac's road trip concept because at this point, Kerouac feels the excitement and change in himself. As he mentioned, he was "beginning to get the bug like Dean." (page 4) And in my opinion, I think Kerouac wanted to be someone like Dean who is excited about his life! Kerouac's life compared to Dean's life is really dull because Kerouac is just a simple writer, compared to Dean who has experienced so much in his life. I think Kerouac believes that by gaining experiences with Dean, he will find himself and who he really is. After reading the first 3 chapters, it gets really interesting how Kerouac goes through so many ups and downs, but also gains new life experiences as he is on his way to Denver. As of right now, Kerouac admires Dean a lot, but in the future, will he regret knowing Dean? Because Kerouac and Dean are two different personalities and to me, it feels like Kerouac will change and regret changing.
I believe this quote illustrates the beginning of Kerouac's road trip concept because at this point, Kerouac feels the excitement and change in himself. As he mentioned, he was "beginning to get the bug like Dean." (page 4) And in my opinion, I think Kerouac wanted to be someone like Dean who is excited about his life! Kerouac's life compared to Dean's life is really dull because Kerouac is just a simple writer, compared to Dean who has experienced so much in his life. I think Kerouac believes that by gaining experiences with Dean, he will find himself and who he really is. After reading the first 3 chapters, it gets really interesting how Kerouac goes through so many ups and downs, but also gains new life experiences as he is on his way to Denver. As of right now, Kerouac admires Dean a lot, but in the future, will he regret knowing Dean? Because Kerouac and Dean are two different personalities and to me, it feels like Kerouac will change and regret changing.
Spring Cleaning
"Then came spring, the great time of traveling..." pg 6
My interpretation of a road trip is a time for cleansing the soul. I believe people embark on road trips to clear away the clutter in their minds and discover what has been hidden by that clutter and to lighten their minds so that they may be more free to explore. The main character in this novel is attempting to cleanse himself of the clutter in his life. He is weighed down by the memory of his wife and his depression. By taking to the road he is throwing off all of his connections to the petty rules of the city and rather taking to the purity and freedom of open air. He is heading west, to a place stereotipically known for its kind people and raunchy good times. He is intriued by all things uncivilized and animalistic because he has been trapped in an unnatural state of civilization for too long. He pines for excitement because his life has been dreary and dull lately. In taking to the road he is freeing himself of mental clutter much the same way many people clean their homes in the spring to make way for the new life and the warm comfort of summer (by "comfort of summer" I am refering to places where summer is not a new type of hell with pavement and bazillion degree weather. The main character's summer is an actual pleasant time with little likelyhood of heat stroke or melanoma). I would like to know what other people expect to gain from a road trip. A new crop of memories? A new perspective on life? Or some combination of the two or something else entirely?
My interpretation of a road trip is a time for cleansing the soul. I believe people embark on road trips to clear away the clutter in their minds and discover what has been hidden by that clutter and to lighten their minds so that they may be more free to explore. The main character in this novel is attempting to cleanse himself of the clutter in his life. He is weighed down by the memory of his wife and his depression. By taking to the road he is throwing off all of his connections to the petty rules of the city and rather taking to the purity and freedom of open air. He is heading west, to a place stereotipically known for its kind people and raunchy good times. He is intriued by all things uncivilized and animalistic because he has been trapped in an unnatural state of civilization for too long. He pines for excitement because his life has been dreary and dull lately. In taking to the road he is freeing himself of mental clutter much the same way many people clean their homes in the spring to make way for the new life and the warm comfort of summer (by "comfort of summer" I am refering to places where summer is not a new type of hell with pavement and bazillion degree weather. The main character's summer is an actual pleasant time with little likelyhood of heat stroke or melanoma). I would like to know what other people expect to gain from a road trip. A new crop of memories? A new perspective on life? Or some combination of the two or something else entirely?
Madness of the Road
"I shambled...after people that interest me, because the only people that interest me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that...burn, burn, burn like roman candles across the night." (113) *My version is a little different.
Walt Whitmans' "Song of the Open Road" depicts the road as a dusty but welcoming entity upon where people come and go, his verbiage is so that travel almost seems tranquil. However the excerpt from Keroucs' novel allows a more modern view of the open road. Kerouac is a self described follower of what some would call madness, others would simply call it a lust for life. So then, if Kerouac follows madness and roads lead him places then is it not logical to think that there is at least some madness in the road? Do roads not lead to as many dark places as they do wonderful ones?
Walt Whitmans' "Song of the Open Road" depicts the road as a dusty but welcoming entity upon where people come and go, his verbiage is so that travel almost seems tranquil. However the excerpt from Keroucs' novel allows a more modern view of the open road. Kerouac is a self described follower of what some would call madness, others would simply call it a lust for life. So then, if Kerouac follows madness and roads lead him places then is it not logical to think that there is at least some madness in the road? Do roads not lead to as many dark places as they do wonderful ones?
From Point A to B
The title above more or less describes the way that I conduct a road trip. This is very different than the way Sal sets out on his road trip. The idea of hitch-hiking my way out West seem to me like a way to waste a lot of time for very minimal gain. I do understand the idea of enjoying you time on the road and the process of getting the your destination is suppose to be half the fun, but for me I just want to get to where I'm going. I share the same sentiment of Sal when he says " ...didn't give a damn, just as long as I'd be in Chicago tomorrow."--pg. 11
Motion
"But I had to get going and stop moaning, so I picked up my bag, said so long to the old hotelkeeper sitting by his spittoon, and went to eat. I ate apple pie and ice cream- it was getting better as I got deeper into Iowa, the pie bigger, the ice cream richer."--page 15
As Sal sets off, he is in constant motion. From point to point, always racing to his next destination, and he stops only when he cannot help but to. At this point the ultimate destination feels so close, yet just out of reach. There is a sense of urgency in the tone; the desire to get to Denver is palpable, and it seems one of the reasons Sal feels the need to get there so quickly is because he feels alone, as solitary travelers often do.
Even though he makes a friend in Eddie, the desire for familiarity is strong. In Denver, he will have Carlo Marx, Dean Moriarty, Chad King, Tim Gray and other friends. Until then, the comfort of apple pie and ice cream seem to be the only constant he has.
I wonder though, will Sal really be content when he does eventually reach his final destination? Is his goal really just to make enough money to support himself while he finnishes his book as he claims it is?
As Sal sets off, he is in constant motion. From point to point, always racing to his next destination, and he stops only when he cannot help but to. At this point the ultimate destination feels so close, yet just out of reach. There is a sense of urgency in the tone; the desire to get to Denver is palpable, and it seems one of the reasons Sal feels the need to get there so quickly is because he feels alone, as solitary travelers often do.
Even though he makes a friend in Eddie, the desire for familiarity is strong. In Denver, he will have Carlo Marx, Dean Moriarty, Chad King, Tim Gray and other friends. Until then, the comfort of apple pie and ice cream seem to be the only constant he has.
I wonder though, will Sal really be content when he does eventually reach his final destination? Is his goal really just to make enough money to support himself while he finnishes his book as he claims it is?
Cowboy of the road
I've lived in Louisiana for most of my life, so I've heard my fair share of stereotypes about being a Southerner: We all eat alligators like Bobby Boucher of "The Water Boy," and we have some hick accent filled with "y'all"s left and right. Well, I will openly admit that I say "y'all" here and there, but I promise I don't eat alligators on the grill. I'd say Jack Kerouac met a man during his journeys who has a much thicker accent than anyone I've ever met in Louisiana:
"I heard a great laugh, the greatest laugh in the world, and here came this rawhide oldtimer Nebraska farmer with a bunch of other boys into the diner; you could hear his raspy cries clear across the plains, across the whole gray world of them that day. Everybody else laughed at him. He didn't have a care in the world and had the hugest regard for everybody. I said to myself, Wham, listen to that man. That's the West, here I am in the West. He came booming into the diner, calling Maw's name, and she made the sweetest cherry pie in Nebraska, and I had some with a mountainous scoop of ice cream on top. 'Maw, rustle me up some grub afore I have to start eatin myself raw or some damn silly idea like that.' And he threw himself on a stool and went hyaw hyaw hyaw hyaw. 'And throw some beans in it.' It was the spirit of the West sitting right next to me. I wished I had known his whole raw life and what the hell he'd been doing all these years besides laughing and yelling like that. Whooee, I told my soul, and the cowboy came back and off we went to Grand Island." -Chapter 3, pages 18-19
This exerpt emphasizes what Kerouac literally coins "the spirit of the West." There's a certain amount of optimism out West that dates back to when US citizens journeyed into the unknown for riches and land. Nowadays the West is the home of Hollywood...and of course, Texas. There's also a degree of optimism out West, that anyone can make it big if they just work towards their dreams. This man Kerouac encounters seems to embody the spirit that leads to this kind of optimism, and hopefully of success: Not worrying what others think and leading life the way he personally feels he should live it.
It's very interesting to me that Kerouac felt such a strong connection to this man that he was truly interested in knowing everything about this man's past. I can probably count on my two hands the number of people I've met that I've wanted to learn as much about their pasts as I could, and I most of those are now best friends of mine. To be able to feel something like that for a random stranger is very rare indeed.
So my question is this (Well, it's really three questions, but they more or less ask the same thing.): What happened to this spirit of self-expressionism, of self-individuality? Why do so many people seem to be indifferent to those around them? Why aren't there more people like the "rawhide oldtimer" who just live according to their own rules, free of the so-called pressures of others?
"I heard a great laugh, the greatest laugh in the world, and here came this rawhide oldtimer Nebraska farmer with a bunch of other boys into the diner; you could hear his raspy cries clear across the plains, across the whole gray world of them that day. Everybody else laughed at him. He didn't have a care in the world and had the hugest regard for everybody. I said to myself, Wham, listen to that man. That's the West, here I am in the West. He came booming into the diner, calling Maw's name, and she made the sweetest cherry pie in Nebraska, and I had some with a mountainous scoop of ice cream on top. 'Maw, rustle me up some grub afore I have to start eatin myself raw or some damn silly idea like that.' And he threw himself on a stool and went hyaw hyaw hyaw hyaw. 'And throw some beans in it.' It was the spirit of the West sitting right next to me. I wished I had known his whole raw life and what the hell he'd been doing all these years besides laughing and yelling like that. Whooee, I told my soul, and the cowboy came back and off we went to Grand Island." -Chapter 3, pages 18-19
This exerpt emphasizes what Kerouac literally coins "the spirit of the West." There's a certain amount of optimism out West that dates back to when US citizens journeyed into the unknown for riches and land. Nowadays the West is the home of Hollywood...and of course, Texas. There's also a degree of optimism out West, that anyone can make it big if they just work towards their dreams. This man Kerouac encounters seems to embody the spirit that leads to this kind of optimism, and hopefully of success: Not worrying what others think and leading life the way he personally feels he should live it.
It's very interesting to me that Kerouac felt such a strong connection to this man that he was truly interested in knowing everything about this man's past. I can probably count on my two hands the number of people I've met that I've wanted to learn as much about their pasts as I could, and I most of those are now best friends of mine. To be able to feel something like that for a random stranger is very rare indeed.
So my question is this (Well, it's really three questions, but they more or less ask the same thing.): What happened to this spirit of self-expressionism, of self-individuality? Why do so many people seem to be indifferent to those around them? Why aren't there more people like the "rawhide oldtimer" who just live according to their own rules, free of the so-called pressures of others?
"Lost"
"...and me swearing for all the time and the money I'd wasted, and telling myself, I wanted to go west and here I've been all day and into the night going up and down, north and south, like something that can't get started. And I swore I'd be in Chicago tomorrow, and made sure of that...and didn't give a damn, just as long as I'd be in Chicago tomorrow."--pg. 11
For those of us who've experienced a road trip knows that it is highly possible to get lost along the way. Even if we've meticulously planned our journey somehow we still stray away from the path. Whatever the reason may be, misread the directions or mistakably held the map upside down, Kerouac returned to where he came from in order to restart his journey.
Being on the road is difficult. Being lost is even more frustrating. This journey comes with a price. You lose and personally I hate losing. Yes there are beautiful moments, but these moments stem from consequences. We can prepare all we want to, but understand once we're on the unrelenting road anything can happen (not to mention once we arrive to our destination things aren't what we expected them to be). Nonetheless, I feel Kerouac needed to return to his origin, gathered his bearings, and felt this journey is still worth trying again.
So is this road trip even worth it? If so, why?
For those of us who've experienced a road trip knows that it is highly possible to get lost along the way. Even if we've meticulously planned our journey somehow we still stray away from the path. Whatever the reason may be, misread the directions or mistakably held the map upside down, Kerouac returned to where he came from in order to restart his journey.
Being on the road is difficult. Being lost is even more frustrating. This journey comes with a price. You lose and personally I hate losing. Yes there are beautiful moments, but these moments stem from consequences. We can prepare all we want to, but understand once we're on the unrelenting road anything can happen (not to mention once we arrive to our destination things aren't what we expected them to be). Nonetheless, I feel Kerouac needed to return to his origin, gathered his bearings, and felt this journey is still worth trying again.
So is this road trip even worth it? If so, why?
Definition of "road trip"
"Although my aunt warned me that he would get me in trouble, I could hear a new call and see a new horizon, and believe it at my young age; and a little bit of trouble or even Dean's eventual rejection of me as a buddy, putting me down, as he would later, on starving sidewalks and sickbeds-what did it matter? I was a young writer and i wanted to take off. Somewhere along the line I knew there'd be girls, visions, everything; somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me." --Pg. 8
Kerouac depicts the "road trip" through the personification of Dean. The narrator has never set foot in the West, and through Dean a "vision" has been created. The West being a "new horizon" in which entails a journey of growth; new experiences of defining oneself from their past ways, while taking those old experiences with them. Youth is a very important component to the road trip symbolizing time to allow the experiences "on the road" to mold the character of oneself. The narrator's dream of the West represented mostly through the spark of Dean, illustrates that there are no limits in his new journey as there is "everything".
Kerouac seems to portray "On The Road" in an optimistic manner with subtle remarks that are pessimistic. What effect does this carry over to the road trip?
Kerouac depicts the "road trip" through the personification of Dean. The narrator has never set foot in the West, and through Dean a "vision" has been created. The West being a "new horizon" in which entails a journey of growth; new experiences of defining oneself from their past ways, while taking those old experiences with them. Youth is a very important component to the road trip symbolizing time to allow the experiences "on the road" to mold the character of oneself. The narrator's dream of the West represented mostly through the spark of Dean, illustrates that there are no limits in his new journey as there is "everything".
Kerouac seems to portray "On The Road" in an optimistic manner with subtle remarks that are pessimistic. What effect does this carry over to the road trip?
Kerouac's Road
“…because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!”” – Pg 8
This quote stuck out the most to me after reading the first three chapters of Kerouac’s On The Road. In it, the character of Dean Moriarty (the man who initiated Sal’s desire to take to the road) is being described. Dean obviously lives a life on the edge. (Indeed, we find that he was just released from reform school before he meets Sal.) He is impulsive, passionate, and constantly on the go. In short, he is a man who thrives on self-gratification. Sal is instantly captivated by him, and in his search for an escape from his dull life he chooses to follow him west and experience adventures of his own. With the help of Dean’s “mad” character, Jack Kerouac’s definition of the “road trip” comes to light; the search for ecstasy and adventure through spontaneity and constant movement across the vast land of America.
Question: Why do you think the Beat Generation felt the need to live their lives this way?
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Kerouac Defines Road Trip
Kerouac writes, "...I looked at the cracked high ceiling and really didn't know who I was for about fifteen strange seconds. I wasn't scared; I was just somebody else, some stranger, and my whole life was a haunted life, the life of a ghost. I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future..." (page 15).
Not only does Kerouac define the road trip as an opportunity for self-discovery, but suggests it to be a catalyst for transformation. Kerouac recalls being unsure of his identity for "about fifteen strange seconds." It seems as though finding himself in a strange, foreign environment has allowed Kerouac to look within himself and to truly question who he is. Although he claims to be unsure of himself for a mere fifteen seconds, clearly he will never return to his former self; the fifteen seconds mark the beginning of his journey toward self-realization. Instead of continuing to live a "haunted...life of a ghost", as he did in the past, Kerouac suggests that his future holds a changed mode of living, especially in his metaphorical description of a "divided line between the East of [his] youth" and his future. In essence, Kerouac's being on a road trip and out of his comfort zone forces him to actually face the prospect of genuine experience as opposed to a life of perpetual unfulfilled intent.
Kerouac frequently uses the word "mad" to describe his friends such as Dean and Remi Boncoeur. What is Kerouac's interpretation of the word, and what is its significance, if any, to the concept of "road trip?"
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Let's Go
Welcome, friends, to the class blog for RHE 309K: The Rhetoric Of The Road Trip, a second-year rhetoric class at the University of Texas at Austin. Here, we'll be posting our responses to readings, our comments on one anothers' posts, and our thoughts about what we'd like to bring up in further class discussions. It's possible to post images, videos, music files, and text here, and I'll be adding all of the members of the class to the blog as posters shortly.
For now, here's a youtube video I found of someone reciting a portion of Walt Whitman's "Song Of The Open Road," along with music and psychedelic effects. It goes on a little too long, if you ask me, but the first half of it is worth a look.
For now, here's a youtube video I found of someone reciting a portion of Walt Whitman's "Song Of The Open Road," along with music and psychedelic effects. It goes on a little too long, if you ask me, but the first half of it is worth a look.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)