" 'Now you got to make up your mind one way or the other, or you'll never get anywhere'...I didn't know what to say; he was right; but all I wanted to do was sneak out into the night and disappear somewhere, and go and find out what everybody was doing all over the country" (Kerouac 67)
Shortly after his arrival in San Francisco, Sal begins to feel weary of the bland working world. His high expectations of the adventure lying in wait in San Francisco are quickly contradicted by reality. Sal's life in San Francisco is the antithesis of his life in Denver. He longed for a change in scenery from Denver, and yet his unhappiness is apparent throughout the entire chapter. He seems to be thrilled by the adventures of others more so than by his personal adventures (probably due to the fact that they tend to end in disappointment). So, Sal achieves his desired happiness by living vicariously through the seemingly adventurous lives of his friends. At the end of the chapter, he finally admits to himself that his initial perception of California and the grandeur of the West may have been slightly jaded by his dissatisfaction with his life in New York.
Why does Sal automatically assume that if someone he meets seems mildly shady, then they must be "running from the law"?
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I view this quote as an example of the juxtaposition of the blue collar workers holding up the law verses the not so simple minded new culture that wants to buck the system. The cops all "sat around on their asses" and "were proud of their jobs" because they kept the peace and saw themselves as the impassive force of what is right beating down that which is unstable and wild. It is ironic that Sal finds himself in this position as one of the cops because they are averything he is trying to get away from. The cops can tell that Sal and Remi are not one of them, "They were itching to shoot someone. Remi and me." The cops hate Remi and Sal on a base level because they are threatening to their positions. People like Sal and Remi make them get up off their asses and the cops don't like that. The fact that they have infilitrated their ranks with their gypsy ways is insulting and nerve wracking for the cops. Sal feels uncomfortable in a position of authority because he does not like authority or rules or ties or meanness or anything that the cops and most authority figures stand for. I believe this job adds to some of Sal's discontentment because not only does it hinder his physical journey but it hinders his hedonism as well. Consequences are being applied when he messes up, rather than him just leaving when things get bad.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that all throughout this chapter Sal is constantly overcome by disappointment and unsatisfied with everything around him. Sal has come to "the end of America" and has yet to find whatever it is that he's searching for. He's on the road trip continuing to San Francisco, where he's expecting to find more opportunity and excitement. However, all that he's done and experienced has brought anything but true happiness and contentment. There always seems to be something more than what he has at the moment, though he doesn't exactly know what that is. Even his relationships seem to be disappointing. He and Remi were close, and part of the reason he came to San Francisco, and at the end of the chapter the relationship crumbles. When he finally decides to leave, the promise to himself of climbing the mountain keeps him one more day. This part interested me. Although everything that happened so far was what he was essentially running from, something as simple as the experience of climbing a mountain kept him where he no longer wanted to be.
ReplyDeleteIs there a greater significance to the mountain climb than just an opportunity to sight-see?
This quote also stood out to me the most because Sal reemphasized once again his seemingly desperate need to go or travel to, as he puts it, "somewhere." This further convinces one that when he travels west, his goal is to make money and see his friends only on the outside but in reality, he has a burning desire to just be out there, where he could "find out what everybody was doing all over the country." All the different jobs that were offered to Sal were all rejected or quit. It is certainly true that he seems to never really be very interested in these jobs that requires him to be "strapped down" and worked for hours. First, he does not take the circus job because he "didn't have the time" and he does not take the job at the market that Dean introduces because there were "many other interesting things to do." He quit the police job too because he even says he is not cut out to be a guard. What Sal wants just seems to be something new-constantly. One thing might seem awesome at the time but later on, he feels tired of it and quickly wants to leave. First he wants to go to Denvor, then he left for Frisco. Now, Frisco is not good enough! Moreover, even though Sal at first did not seem to think stealing is any good and did not want to cause any trouble, in the end, he does it too. His actual motive for doing this actually seems to be his expression for wanting more than his mundane and usual life before. (again, trying new things)
ReplyDeleteAt times Sal seems to not want any trouble but at other times, he seems to forget his responsibilities. For instance, he gets drunk when he was supposed to be on guard. What are Sal's morals anyways?