Comment on Sharon's 11-12 reaction

            I agree with Sharon on the fact that it was refreshing to see Sal go off on his own, rather than following “the pack”. That being said, I don’t see Sal’s reaching out to Remi as him being dependent of Remi like he was with Dean in a way, I see it more as being resourceful. On everything else that Sharon says about Remi and his relationship with Sal I agree. I think that it is very intriguing how Remi is the first character that is presented to us with a true back-story, and I also agree that it plays an interesting dynamic in his relationship to Sal because it adds an element of loyalty; something that Sal’s other friends seemed to lack.

           

            Subsequently, I also agree with Sharon that the fact that Sal stayed so long with Remi seemed a bit strange, almost like Sal’s character is changing. The fact that she noted that Remi getting a job has an aspect of settling down in it is interesting to me. While I do see her point, at the same time I think one can make an argument that he was following what was Remi was doing while he also needed to make some cash so he could be independent. Whether independence reflects elements of settling down I cannot assert accurately and concisely. Additionally, I never really thought about Sal as an impulsive character because when I think about someone as impulsive I think of that person as high in energy and whimsical, while Sal has neither one of these characteristics, I find Sharon’s description of Sal as “impulsive” quite accurate.

Reaction to chapters 11-12

In this section of the book, Kerouac finally introduces background information and a back-story for one of Sal’s friends. Remi Boncoeur is the first of Sal’s friends that I actually like. I find it interesting that Kerouac chose the last name “Boncoeur” for this character because it translates in English to “good heart”. Thus far, I have found him to be a good-natured fellow. Although perhaps at times he is immoral, when he steals for example, he is truly a nice guy and he has really helped out Sal by giving him a home. Furthermore, Remi seems to take genuine interest in Sal. He often compliments him calling him the “funniest guy alive,” and because Kerouac notes that Remi and Sal go way back to college, it adds to the nature of their relationship, establishing a sort of loyalty that I just did not see or feel with Dean. Also, Remi and Sal, in a way, become a team. They help each other out, and unlike what it would be like with a friend like Dean, one of them is not taking advantage of the other. What does bother me is that Sal went and ruined his relationship with this character that I thought was a true friend, something that is incredibly scarce and hard to find, especially for Sal.

            Subsequently, I feel like in this chapter I saw some true emotion for the first time emerging from Sal. Throughout the story thus far, maybe he’s shown bits and pieces of what he feels but Kerouac made the story so monotone that it made Sal seem indifferent towards everything, almost to an inhuman and robotic point. What I saw in this chapter was fear from Sal. For what seemed to me to be the first time, Sal was watching out for himself instead of doing things according to those around him. This action backs up my previous idea that Sal is changing as a character. I’m not exactly sure how it is that he is changing, or what the cause of this change is, but I know that as a character Sal is changing.

            One detail I found to be quite interesting as well in this chapter is that Sal spoke directly to the reader for the first time. He stated, “The reason I’m going into everything that happened in San Fran is because it ties up with everything else all the way down the line.” I wonder what Sal means by this, and how the rest of the story will play out, considering the fact that the narrator has been brought into the story.

Sharon's Response to Philip's Reaction

          Like Philip, I believe that the split between Terry and Sal was inevitable -but not because they are completely different people, rather because the directions both are going towards are different. I felt that while it is true the two do not come from the same background, Terry and Sal are alike in the sense that they are both free, independent people. Both live in the moment, and are wanderers just looking for some place to be happy and support themselves. However, in the end, Sal is not looking to be tied down and Terry knows she has family to attend to; for this reason, I feel that both recognized it would not work out and agreed to separate, just as Philip said. 

          I also felt like Sal enjoys the road the most. He often bonds in the strangest of ways with the people he encounters, and I think that it is the idea that they are also wandering towards somewhere else that keeps Sal interested in meeting them. However, I do not particularly think that Sal misses Dean and Carlo until the end of Chp. 14; while he is with Terry, Sal even mentions that he completely forgot about the East and his ‘gang’. It is only at the end, when he is feeling depressed and sorry for himself as Philip said, that Sal is reminded once again of Dean. Additionally, like Philip, I also feel that once Sal gets back on his feet, he will hit the ground running and attempt to once again meet up with Dean ‘on the road’.

Reaction to Chp. 13 & 14

           I was quite surprised to read that Sal was traveling with Terry; I did not think there would be any long term commitment to her by Sal, who is now accustomed to just picking up and leaving. While I did find it strange how fast Terry and Sal become a family unit with Johnny, I felt that the two were, in their own ways, a good match; Terry is just as daring and used to moving around as Sal is. They seem to just get each other and live in the moment. The fact that Sal also becomes a father figure to Johnny also shocked me as I did not see that coming in any way at all.
           It was also interesting to hear Sal decide that he would be satisfied and content to just pick grapes and stay in a tent with Johnny and Terry, respectively his “baby boy” and “baby”. To me, this is the most he has changed in any chapter so far; he seems to have settled down. Sal has always been struggling to support himself and earn money, as in Denver with Dean and in San Francisco with Remi, but in this chapter, I feel that Sal is quite content. He has not completely given up his impulsive lifestyle, as Terry wants one too, but he has become more caring. I feel that the reason for this is that Sal, for once, has responsibility. He decides to work in the fields not only to support himself, but also to support his new family. There is even a line when he flat out states that he forgot all about Dean and Carlo and being ‘on the road’.
           But I did not expect Sal to stay with Terry because Sal is Sal and he would inevitably want to travel again. Thus, I was not surprised when he moved again at the chapter’s end. I had sensed before, but not completely thought about outright, how bittersweet each chapter is in summarizing and closing up literally, a chapter of his life. Each new one starts when he goes somewhere new, meets someone else, stays for a while, then leaves again, developing his own character along the way as he encounters all these new influences.
           It was surreal to me that Sal was actually going home in Chp. 14. It seems that he has all but given up on the West; this made me think that Sal has not truly realized how much he has changed. While it may seem obvious to us how far he has progressed since the beginning, I feel that Sal does not realize it himself. It is also interesting the way Sal’s life cycles; he gets home, ready to settle in again, only to hear that Dean has been looking for him. I get the feeling that this may be the catalyst for him to venture out and be ‘on the road’ again.

Reaction to 13-14

            These next two chapters center around Sal’s want to return to New York.  Sal is trying to make it work between him and Terry.  I think he loves Terry for her beauty and resilience, but at the end of the day they are completely different people.  She is tied to her family in California, while he is a smart educated man from New York.  Plus his discontent with the LA environment makes it even more difficult for him to stay with Terry.  His split with her is inevitable, and it finally occurs in chapter 13.  Their split is mutual, and both he and Terry leave each other happily.  I think she realized that it was unfair of her to keep him working like a dog in the cotton and grape fields for her family, when his dreams lied in New York.  Sal’s original reason for going on the road was to be wild and free with his friends.  His time in California has been the opposite of that.  Sal has been working real jobs while simultaneously managing a real relationship with a woman and her child.  His home is New York, and Sal always knew he would never truly leave the city forever.  His time on the road to Pennsylvania is happy and fun.  Sal loves the road the most and he makes the most of his time on the bus trips.  Unfortunately he doesn’t have bankroll to make all the way.  Sal loses his happy spirit when he reaches Pennsylvania.  He misses Dean and Carlos, and his girlfriend back in LA.  Even though he made plans to meet her again, he knows they will never see each other again.  By the time he reaches Ohio he has already started getting with another girl from upstate New York.  His spirit slowly breaks down when he runs out of money.  Sal feels sorry for himself, and I think he has misplaced sadness.  He chose to leave Terry, and he chose to spend all of that time with her.  He could have left at any other point in time, but he chose to make a commitment.  He has created all of his own problems, and he will pay the consequences, even if that means going broke and missing out on seeing Dean and Carlos.  By chapter 14 Dean has finally made it back to New York.  His aunt takes him in, but he realizes that Dean had been waiting for him for a while at his Aunt’s house, and had left two days earlier.  Part one ends at a depressing time in the novel, but I think it will regain its positivity rather quickly.  Sal is always great at coming up with ideas, and I think once he earns enough money he will go back on the road out to San Francisco to meet up with his buddy, Dean.  

Alexa Reaction to Ciara

I don’t agree with Ciara’s stance on getting upset about Sal falling in love. I think what he was searching for when he initially went on the road was something new; something exciting. In my opinion, one of the most exciting things you can do in life is to fall in love. Falling in love across the country and meeting new people along the way is even better. Even if he did end up at home the same way he started, at least he experienced things. Falling in love is possibly the best experience and he got out of it before he fell out of love, which was even better. I don’t believe you have to stay with someone forever just because you fall in love. The best loves are sometimes fast and then they have to end.

            I think it just goes to show he can’t escape what he thought he could going into this journey. I can relate this to the lecture in class and how we always try to escape from society but end up being caught in the same vicious cycle. This vicious cycle is just the way life works and sooner or later Sal is going to accept it. What makes it all worth while, however; is the little moments. It’s following random people on the road and making friends. It’s falling madly in love for a short period of time. It’s everything he’s doing. He’s just living and doing the best he can and for him maybe that’s enough. Maybe we’re expecting too much out of him. 

Alexa Ferrer Ch 13-14

I found the way chapter 13 opened interesting. “For the next fifteen days we were together for better or worse.” That basically states the closest he can get to fulfilling a matrimonial commitment is two weeks. Two weeks is all it takes before reality set in and he realized it was not going to be perfect the entire time. However, I think they made a good couple. They seem to be in love or at least starting to fall in love with each other. They fell in lust before they built their friendship and now that they were building the friendship I thought their love would be able to grow.  I found it unfortunate that she could not go to New York with him, but I do not think it bothered him as much. Now that he had a taste of what it was like to settle down I think what he really wanted was to be on the road again. The way I see it is if a guy really wants something, he will make it happen no matter what. If Sal could absolutely not live without her, he would have made sure she got to New York also.

Sal quickly moved on from Terry on his way home. I was kind of disappointed when he made out with a random girl the whole way to Indianapolis. I guess I was waiting for some big emotional realization and I thought him falling in love with Terry would be it. On the other hand he is young and I guess it would be cool to fall for people and get over them easily and do it over and over all across the country. Even though he’s home the journey is still not over; it is only the ending of part 1. I hope part two has more interactions with people and he builds more relationships. I like to see how different people interact especially in different places in America at this time. I feel like there is a lot more of Dean to come because there is such a big emphasis on him but we really haven’t seen a whole lot of him. I think since the book is so short it would be better to read it quickly than to spread all these chapters out over a long period of time. 

Ciara's Response to Chp. 13-14

Sal starts off the chapter by stating that he's decided to hitchhike to New York with Terry, which immediately pissed me off.  The whole point of Sal going on the road in the first place was to leave New York behind, along with all his responsibilities.  Now, he is heading back to the place he spent so long running away from, all for a girl who never even ends up traveling back with him in the first place.  At the end of Chapter 14, Sal ends up right where he started in the beginning of the novel, with no money, no girl, and most importantly, no life. The situation reminds me of the well-known advice parents give their children before they go to college: never choose where you're going to go based on where your girlfriend/boyfriend iss going, just in case things don't work out.  Sal is so blinded by his love for Terry that he agrees to go back to New York even though he spent all his time and money trying to leave there.  

I am not so convinced about Sal's love for Terry.  I am not sure if they actually love each other, or if they just like the idea of loving someone.  They're in love with the idea of havign someone to sleep with every night, and someone to call "baby", but I never got the feeling that they were actually in love with the idea of each other.'

Throughout these chapters, I felt like Sal reversed right back to where he was at the beginning of the novel.  His purpose for leaving New York was to leave his wife and the rest of his responsibilities behind, but he ends up having to take on a job as a cotton-picker (and a miserly one at that) to support his new girl Terry and their son.  He has to worry about making money to buy food to prevent his new family form starving, and to pay the rent so they have a roof over their head.  All of a sudden, all this stress comes pouring into his life; stress that evokes emotions in him I haven't seen since the early chapters of the book.  Most noticeably of all, Sal ends up back east in New York after spending a third of the book trying to get as far West as possible.  I do not see Sal being content here for long, and I suspect he will be up and on the road again soon enough.

Ciara's Reaction to Phil's Response

I think Phil is right; each of Sal's visits is like watching the same movie over and over again.  Sal meets his friends, they fool around with girls, and get into trouble; however, Remi is already experiencing difficulty with his girlfriend when Sal arrives, and his presence just makes the situation worse.

I am not so sure if I agree with Phil about the reason for the San Francisco trip ending so badly.  I think it is partly true that his extended stay had something to do with it; the reason Sal went on the road was so he would not have to have responsibilities and have fun.  I think he feels thrust into the police job that he never wanted in the first place.  Nevertheless, I think the real reason the San Francisco trip ended so badly was because Sal was so used to being able to mess around, getting wasted and doing whatever he wanted, and now he has responsibility which he has consistently been avoiding.  Remi has a job, a girl, and aspirations, and Sal has none of these.  Furthermore, Sal sees that Remi is not doing well in any of those categories, which I think further convinced Sal that he needed to leave.  I think Sal is trying to avoid all the responsibilities that left him so disenchanted with New York, and San Fran is looking too similar.

Alexa Reaction to Sharon

I found it interesting how Sharon focused on the history Sal and Remi had and I agree with her points on it. After reading her reaction now I believe that because they do have so much history together that is why Sal finds it okay to take complete advantage of him. To Sal, Remi is not exciting like Dean and maybe Sal believes Remi has no adventure to offer him, so he just takes what he can get and leaves Remi like it’s nothing. Remi actually values Sal and appreciates him as a person, while Sal treats Remi just like Dean treated him. However, I don’t really see his getting a job as settling down. His drunken behavior reflects how unsatisfied he is which forces him to get on the road again. I feel like if he were to actually settle down he would try to make things work instead of just trying to find better luck in a different location.

I agree with Sharon’s point on his personality change. I think the Sal we met at the beginning of his journey is already a different man. He is much less timid as we saw with his relationship with Terry occurring so quickly. In addition he has stopped chasing Dean but hasn’t stopped chasing. Exactly what he is chasing I am not completely sure. I feel like he is waiting to feel something different and thinks the only way to get there is by traveling until he finds it. I wonder how long him and Terry will last because of how restless he 

Alexa Ferrer

I think it is starting to hit Sal that it is not about where you go, but who you’re with and what memories you can make there. He has traveled across the country and has not reached what he was looking for. Whatever feeling he was trying to escape in New York he just encountered again in San Francisco. What he hasn’t realized is that he wasn’t trying to escape New York, he was trying to escape something within himself.  I think Sal has some deeper-rooted issues he needs to figure out with himself because he thinks he needs to find a specific place, but maybe he needs to learn how to be comfortable with the idea of settling down. I think he has commitment issues because of how badly he feels he needs to move around from place to place. He does not give things a chance to settle in and get better. Because San Francisco was immediately not amazing, he felt the need to leave right away. He also struggles with keeping relationships with people and hops around from person to person. I can barely keep track of all the relationships he has had and lost thus far. This is again seen in his relationship with Terry and how he struggles trusting her.

In these two chapters we were also introduced to a different side of Sal. I always had this idea of Sal as a nice, people pleasing, self conflicted guy looking for a little fun. The way he treated Remi showed his negative side. Remi gave him so much and Sal respected him so little. I think Sal is a perfect representation of how many people act with other people. When it comes to Dean, who pays so little attention to Sal, Sal is always there for him and admires him. When it comes to Remi, who is nice enough to give Sal everything he needs, Sal treats him like sh*t. I think this is a reoccurring problem in society. We always take for granted the people who actually care and we spend too much time chasing after people who don’t give a damn about us. I can relate and think I too have this flaw of not appreciating the people that truly care.

Juan's comment on Sharon's Reaction to chapters 9-10

            I like the fact that Sharon pointed out that Central City gives some insight on the 1950’s, I did not really think about that as I was reading. I was completely oblivious to the fact that opera houses were a big deal back in the 50’s. Subsequently, I agree with the fact that Sharon mentioned Dean was enjoying his time in Denver. I think a lot of this in these two chapters had to do with the fact that he was not worrying about Dean and whatever he was doing; it was more about him and what he enjoyed. On another note, now that I look back on it, what Sharon mentioned about the descriptions is fairly accurate. They do capture and characterize the freedom and uncharted territory. Also, I agree that he is restricted by always wanting to do the popular thing that his friends are doing.

            Like Sharon, I also wrote about how I thought Sal had changed after these chapters. I also spoke about how Sal realized that he had spent hardly any time with Dean, and I found it ironic as well how the reason he went to Denver was to hang out with Dean and he ended up not spending much time with Dean. Although Sharon is unsure whether or not Sal wants to go to San Francisco because of Dean or of his own accord, I am almost positive that he wanted to go before Dean mentioned the idea of going. The fact that Dean is going as well annoys me, but we shall see where the story is headed.

Juan's Reaction to chapters 9-10

            In this section of “On the Road,” I became a bit confused with what was going on. Kerouac has a unique style of writing where he just states things as they happen, but they he does not discriminate against what he is speaking about, thus it evokes a monotone feeling in the story. Because I was not used to this style of writing I had some trouble at times following what was going on. To top that, the story not only has a monotone feel to it, but Kerouac also switches topics randomly. One paragraph Sal will be reflecting on his situation in Denver and what he will do next and the next paragraph he will return to reality and randomly have an incomplete conversation with one of his friends. The fact that so many characters have been introduced is something that bothers me as well. Without enough background for any of the characters, it is difficult to keep track of who is who and who is doing what, adding to the difficulty of understanding what is happening overall.

            What I got from these two chapters was a change in Sal’s behavior. I noticed that he was no longer entirely obsessed with whatever Dean was doing. Instead, it seemed that Sal was simply going with the flow by hanging out with his other friends. For example, Sal went to Central City and had a night out thinking about Dean and Carlo only once, and that thought was that they would not like the Central City scene. At the end of chapter ten, Sal reflects on the fact that he barely saw Dean through his whole time spent in Denver. I hope that this will affect Sal in a positive manner and that he won’t follow Dean around as much as he did before. I am expecting Sal to recognize that he can in fact have fun with out Dean, and it bothers me that he felt so dependent of Dean in the first place. Also, I find it ironic how Sal specifically went to Denver to seek out Dean and his adventures and then ended up hardly spending time with Dean.

            In conclusion, I hope that Kerouac will change his style at least for the climax of the story. I find it quite perplexing truthfully that you can write a story in a monotone fashion. I don’t think I could ever do this, and it makes me ponder if perhaps this is why this book is revered so much.

Sharon's Response to Ciara's Reaction

         Like Ciara, I see how Sal is growing increasingly restless. I had thought that the length of his stay with Remi and getting a new job as a policeman, no matter how much it didn’t fit him, would signal that he was getting ready to settle down. Yet like Ciara said, Sal ends up getting tired of one place and wants to keep traveling, certain he will be satisfied at the next location –then, the cycle starts all over again. 

         While I do think Remi is a mess at the moment, I feel that he is more of a caring ‘gentleman’ that Sal’s other friends. This is probably because Remi is someone from Sal’s actual past, from before the two even got married. In addition, it is interesting because it marks the first time that Sal and one of his friends actually have genuine affection for each other.

         I like how Ciara mentions that Sal may not know what he is looking for himself, and that Denver was never his final destination as he just keeps heading West to search for the false promises. Like she said, he is already in California, the farthest West, yet he is still unsatisfied. I feel that he has gotten used to the idea of moving out when things aren’t to his liking; it seems that he’s chasing someplace where he can have fun, be daring and support himself, yet he may never find it. There are times when he stops to stare at the vast land in front of him, leading me to think that maybe he is just on the road for the sake of being on the road.

Chp. 11 and 12 Reaction

           It is refreshing to see Sal finally step out and travel somewhere without following Dean and his pack of ‘friends’. That being said however, Sal still manages to go and reunite with his old friend Remi. At first, it seemed to me that Remi was just another Dean that Sal heads towards to find impulsive excitement. While this ends up being true, I found it intriguing how Remi is one of the few that Sal had known before circumstances caused him to change into the man he is now. In fact, they have gone back so far that Sal’s ex-wife had been Remi’s girl first! This history together makes it interesting to observe an interaction in which someone actually has true affection for Sal; unlike Dean, Remi is genuinely happy that Sal has come to join him. A sharper version of Dean, Remi also struck me as less coarse, and more responsible and caring; he brings half the stolen groceries to give to a widow who needs it more, and even acts as if she shouldn’t worry about him because he is well-off. It also seems to me that Remi wants to better his condition while Dean just lives for the moment; while he does have a gambling issue that constantly takes him in a cycle of saving up then wasting, Remi understands the value of dignity and attempts to embody elegance on weekends because he truly does want to get there someday. 

           I was also surprised that Sal ends up spending quite some time with Remi and Lee Ann –over ten weeks in their home. The fact that he also gets a job seemed to signal a settling down aspect in his behavior. I thought his descriptions as a policeman were highly amusing; it was incredibly ironic when he and Remi, both policemen, end up stealing themselves and justify it by referring to a president’s quote. In addition, the chapter also demonstrates Sal’s ever-increasing impulsiveness; his first shift alone as policeman had him drinking with the patrons he was supposed to arrest. In addition, he starts getting used to the idea of pulling out a gun. 

           But just like always, Sal gets restless and eventually packs up to leave. However, while he once did this to chase after Dean, I now feel that he leaves because it has become a permanent part of his personality now. He is genuinely restless and just looking to travel and be on the road again.

Chapter 11-12

            The next part in the story takes place in San Francisco.  Sal meets up with his old friend, Remi, and they stay together throughout Sal’s entire stay in the city.  The difference in his stay in San Fran, is the fact that this time, he actually needs to retain a job in order to pay for living with Remi.  Remi is poor, and can’t afford to have Sal stay at his house for a few months without extra pay.  Sal gets a job as a policeman, and he works with Remi.  The two do not work together well, because they spend most of the time goofing off and messing around.  His stay in San Francisco is pretty much the same as it has been with every other major stay for Sal.  He messes around with his buddies, fantasizes about girls, and gets into trouble.  What’s funny about his stay with Remi, is that Sal causes so many problems for his friend, that he leaves on extremely bad terms with him.  Sal’s antics and jokes aren’t normally a problem, but because Remi is married to such an annoying brat, Sal makes their relationship worse, which in turn hurts his own with Remi.  His trip in San Francisco ends in shambles, which is too bad considering that it started off so well.  I think the major reason for this was his prolonged stay.  He stayed in San Fran longer than any other city (besides New York), and as the time dragged on, eventually the fun ran out.  Eventually jokes and antics become boring, and you become tired of seeing the one same friend every single day.  If Sal had left a month earlier, I think he could have avoided the problem.  On his way south, he meets a beautiful Mexican lady.  Unfortunately, at the time he meets her, he doesn’t realize that she is a mere simpleton, who doesn’t understand Sal’s conversations.  Since Sal lives for these conversations with his friends, I assume his relationship with her will end soon.  He stays with her only because he feels sorry for her, and not because he actually enjoys her company.  She might look good, but her inability to excite Sal mentally will play into their relationship (I believe) later in the book.  

Ciara's Reaction to Chs. 11 and 12

I am getting tired of Sal's same sh*t...the perfect way to describe him: restless.  No matter where he goes, he wants to leave within a matter of a few weeks.  He gets tired of one place and decides to move somewhere else, so sure that he will be happy in his next destination.  In this segment of the book, he moves to San Francisco to stay with his friend Remi.  Just like the rest of Sal's "friends" right now, Remi is a mess.  He is trying to live a life in which he does not belong, and Sal becomes disenchanted with living this fake life.  In the beginning of the book, Gabe mentioned in a blog post that he wasn't sure why it was called On the Road because Sal reaches Denver within the first 40 pages; however, now I see that Denver never really was his final destination.  Sal just keeps heading more and more West searching for all the false promises that come with living in the West, but there is only so far West one can go.  He is already in California, the far West Coast.  He decides to go South to L.A, his next place where he hopes to find fun and purpose.  As usual, Sal finds a woman who he wants to have sex with, and as always, it is meaningless sex with a random woman Sal meets at the bus stop.  

I am not sure what Sal is looking for, and I'm not sure if he knows himself.  The fact that he keeps moving on, unsatisfied, makes me think that he is looking for something that it is impossible to find.  I guess if even he does not know what he is looking for, he would not know when to stop.  I am interested in finding out when Sal will eventually stop, and what causes him to end his adventure on the road.