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?
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