I see what Gabe is saying about Sal being very passive, but
I do not think this excludes him from the beatniks. The beat generation was characterized as the
youth of America going against the accepted “norms” of society and doing more
of what they wanted and less of what was expected; Sal picked up and left his
whole life behind for a life on the road, getting drunk, having sex, and
hitching rides with strangers on the way there. He abandons all material items,
carrying nothing but a few dollars and shirts, and embarks on a quest to
self-actualize. He is disenchanted by
everything he left behind and he lets himself go for what seems like the first
time in his life. As for why Sal is
going to San Francisco, I am not sure if it is about Dean anymore. He seems to be realizing that Dean has no
time for him, suggested when he cites that he has only talked to Dean for 5
minutes since he arrived in Denver.
Rather than him following Dean everywhere, it is Sal who makes the first
move this time, and it seems like everyone will be following him to “Frisco” shortly.
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