On the road : Review
On the road is a book that doesn’t lend itself easily to descriptions.
Is this is a travelogue? Is this a book about Sal Paradise and his friends? Is this a character study of Dean Moriarty? Is this a book about America?
Its all of them and also none of them. This book is the answer to what if drifters, crazy people, criminals and dysfunctional vagabonds were also pretty articulate writers. The narrator is Sal Paradise, a writer who is always looking for or else is caught up in a road trip across America. He chronicles his life and the antics of his colorful friends and their absurd lives. Particularly most of the book is focused on Dean Moriarty, the friend who often introduces the necessary craziness to it all.
The appeal of the book lies in the way it makes you see your life in a completely different light. All the important things are trivialized and vice versa. Things we consider necessary such as safety, security, a steady job, respect, money or stable relationships are all brushed past in a constant search for ‘kicks’ by the group. Similarly the things we think are trivial like a mundane ride down the road, a round of drinks among friends are transformed into things of profound and enormous spiritual and philosophical importance. The book makes you live in the present and appreciate each moment with a sort of strange dream like devotion to life.
Sal and Dean are brilliant contradictions in the sense that they are constantly looking for external stimulation and kicks but their perception of these is heavily internalized and cerebral. Partying wildly for spirituality and philosophical search for truth is the book’s primary exploration.
A word of warning. The content of the book and Sal’s thoughts are vastly colored by the times (1940–50) in which the book is set. There are gracious amounts of misogyny and racism on display. They do not disrespect them ( any more than they disrespect the white males. The books is irreverent throughout) but women and people of other races are seen as exotic ‘things’ that Sal and his group need to explore for kicks. There is no concrete effort to see them as people — only as tourist attractions and thrills.
In conclusion, this book is a good read if you are trying to understand the point of view of people who defy social and cultural norms and travel from place to place and live moment to moment. It can act as a fresh reminder that sometimes we can see things differently and focus only on things that make us truly happy and alive.
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