On the Road Reaction to chapters 7-8

Chapters 7-8 of on the road were a bit strange for me. As the story progresses, rather than relating more and more to the protagonist of the story, I am losing some respect for him. Sal is trying to be someone he is not by travelling across the country and chasing Dean Moriarty, the person he wants to be like. I dislike the fact that Sal has put forth so much effort simply to follow a person like Dean. I understand that Sal looks up to Dean, but the fact that he does so also bothers me. Sure, Dean gets the ladies and is adventurous, but aside from that, he is not successful in any respect. What I think may be the reason Sal is following Dean is that Sal is unhappy with himself. Then again though, the story is narrated with no emotion, and so the reader is left to wonder what exactly Sal is thinking. As the story goes along, things just happen, and because of this we are continuously left unaware of what goes through the character’s minds. Furthermore, I am wondering right now whether or not Sal will continue to follow Dean on his adventures, as Dean wants to leave for San Francisco. If Sal does go ahead and follow Dean on this journey, I think I will rename the book “On the Road: The Story of How Sal Follows Dean.” The only point where I saw that Sal was slightly off put by Dean and Carlo’s strange behaviors was when Dean and Carlo are having their strange “heart-to-hearts” and I feel like he questioned what Dean was doing, if even for a moment. I am curious to find out how Kerouac will develop his story further and in which direction he will take his story.