The Excitement of Night

I chose the following quote for my latest blog:

"It was a wonderful night. Central City is two miles high; at first you get drunk on the altitude, then you get tired, and there's a fever in your soul. We approached the lights around the opera house down the narrow dark street; then we took a sharp right and hit some old saloons with swinging doors. Most of the tourists were in the opera. We started off with a few extra-size beers. There was a player piano. Beyond the back door was a view of mountainsides in the moonlight. I let out a yahoo. The night was on."

Kerouac went on this roadtrip to find something exciting in his life, and this passage perfectly captures this essence. There's something magical and lively about venturing out in a new town or city, especially at night. Humans can't see as well at night as they can during the day, so humans then tend to notice more details at night. Not small details, of course; but the eyes of humans at night are always alert, always seeking something that stands out from the enveloping darkness. I can only imagine how enticing the lights of the opera must have seemed to Jack Kerouac, especially considering the fact that said opera was located in a contrasting dark alley. And all of these feelings are only magnified with friends, as Kerouac was.

When I read this excerpt, I couldn't help but be reminded of Grad Night. When I was a Senior in high school, our class took a week-long trip to Disney World, and one of these nights was called Grad Night, a night where the Magic Kingdom is open to only Seniors until the wee hours of the morning. I've been to Disney World many, many times in my lifetime, but this trip was especially memorable to me because I got to experience the Magic Kingdom at night with my best friends. The whole park was lit in purple, pink, yellow, and green lights; and pop music played throughout the park instead of the usual Disney World tunes. I felt like that night lasted forever. While I was there, anything was possible. It reminded me of the love I have for my friends and just how blessed I've been to lead such an enjoyable life. This is the feeling I believe that Jack Kerouac felt in the excerpt I selected: His roadtrip led to the excitement of life itself.