Part 2, Chp 1 & 2 Reaction

           I found it extremely telling that in the year that Sal hadn’t seen Dean, he managed to complete his book, go to school and find the girl he wants to marry. While I initially thought maybe he’d finally decided to settle down, I realized that Sal was just taking a break and still wanted the impulsive lifestyle; he had written letters to ask Dean to get him, and had no hesitations about leaving the moment Dean arrived on his doorsteps. I thought the juxtaposition between his current and past life was particularly interesting -Sal had been talking about the weather in ‘low, whining voices’ with his family when Dean and his flashy car whisk him away. Sal seemed to feel that Dean was rescuing him from his tedious life, and the fact that his relatives were surprised of Sal’s ‘type’ of friends prove that when he’s not with Dean’s group, Sal’s true nature is that of a reserved guy.
           What stood out to me the most was Sal’s remark that “this was the new and complete Dean, grown to maturity.” In my opinion, Dean hasn’t changed at all, and if anything, he’s more wild and crazily weird with no hint of maturity. He even tried settling down to the point of becoming a father with a stable job, but just blew it off one day for another try of life on the road. I do not really like the way Dean drags Sal into everything as a means of support, pulling Sal away from his structured life as a result. For example, the incident in the fast food restaurant –Sal, Dean, Marylou and Ed had to help clean the dishes, but in the end, Ed and Sal were the responsible ones to earn all their free hamburgers while Marylou and Dean just played around in the back.
           Yet I feel that if anyone is to blame, it is Sal for letting himself get used. He mentions to Dean that he wants to settle down but can’t because they’re constantly jumping around and that “we’ve got to go someplace, find something”. He knows he can’t always be wild if he wants a stable life, yet sees this problem as something he and Dean have to solve as a team and settle down together. In reality, Sal could just separate from the group, and live his own peaceful life as he wants it. The problem, however, is that Sal seems to internally yearn for the on-the-road experience with Dean no matter how much he decides it’s not for him.