Pt2 Ch 3&4

After a two month long hiatus from reading the book, it was fun to dive right back into it.  It isn’t very hard to pick right back up considering Sal’s normal course of events.  He is usually with Dean, Carlo, Marylou, and some other guys and gals partying it up.  There is no lack of a huge party in these two chapters, because Sal and the gang head to New York for a New Year ’s Eve party.  The gang party hops until the sun rises, and there is no lack of fun and excitement in the text, which is something I have learned to really enjoy from this novel.  No matter what, there will always be a happy moment, or a moment of pure excitement that will get me actively engaged in the text.  I was also amazed at Sal’s double hookup with Marylou and Lucille.  Considering how close Marylou was to Dean, I totally didn’t expect Sal to betray his friend like that.  But considering how relaxed they are with each other, I’m sure it wasn’t a very big deal.  I loved how he just mentioned it in one sentence too.  He didn’t even mention his thoughts about maybe hurting his friend down the line.  The only thing he admitted was that Marylou was trying to get Lucille jealous of her relationship with Dean.  After the party, the go to a place in Long Island for another party.  Like most of the book, life seems to be one huge, never-ending party for Sal and his friends.  Although there are small jobs along the way, there is no emphasis on them in the story.  The majority of our time spent with Sal is him interacting with many people for short periods of time at gigantic parties.  Sal also seems to be a lot less depressed than I remember him being in the past.  He seems to be enjoying the moment with his friends more, and isn’t so focused on trying to force a relationship or set his life up in an instant.  He going with the flow more, and allowing himself to enjoy his experiences more fully.  But this may be due to the fact that he is with Dean.  Whenever Dean is around, Sal seems to be happier and a little more carefree than he already naturally is.       

Ciara's Reaction to Part II Chapters 3 and 4

Just like that, Sal is wrapped up in Dean’s vortex.  The pair are back at it, living without rules, going out on the town every night, and acting without thinking.  Their behavior reminds me a bit of Freudian psychology and the idea of free association; not only do they say whatever comes to mind, they do whatever comes to mind as well.

We finally get to see Sal, Dean, and the rest of the boys hit up a huge party for the first time, and they experience it just the way I expected.  The only thing that slightly surprised me was how Sal hooked up with Marylou, and without any regrets either.  He knows that Marylou has been on and off with Dean forever, and in modern times we would consider this a betrayal, but Sal gets with Marylou without even a hesitation, even though she is only trying to make Dean jealous.  Sal only mentions this occurrence in one line, even though the reader realizes the magnanimity of what he has done in terms of his relationship with Dean.  We do not know what Dean thinks about this yet but I have a feeling it will not me such a big deal.  The beat generation is characterized by action, and mindless, impulsive action at that.  The beats did what they wanted, not thinking about the past or future.  I almost envy the life they live because it seems so much less stressful than the life we live now.  I feel like we spend so much time planning for a better future that we compromise the life we live in the present.  Dean and Sal live, on the other hand, live day by day; though this lifestyle is risky, I feel like it is so much more exciting to never know what the future will hold.

The transition from the Huge New Years eve party to the piano recital was ironically funny.  One night, Dean and Sal are out on the town, drinking, dancing, hooking up, and party hopping; the next night, they are at a piano recital.  The piano recital scene made me anxious; Dean was sweating, Sal has no idea what is going on, and the syntax and diction made me feel the same distress that Sal was feeling in the moment.  I am not sure what Sal is referring to at the end when he says, “everything is decided forever”, but I hope he does not mean this life of hopelessness and recklessness.  I would like to think that there is a decent, comfortable life waiting for Sal at the end of all this; a reason and purpose for life that all the beats were looking for.

Alexa Ferrer ch 3 and4 part 2

Long Island seems to have the best parties. Gatsby, Wolf of Wall street, On the Road…  I was very excited to get to chapter 4 of part two because we finally got to read about a large, crazy party. I think this party was the perfect description to describe the feeling and atmosphere of the era. People were crazy. I feel like Dean and Sal basically started YOLO. One minute Sal is sleeping with Dean’s girl the next he is at a party with some other girl and everyone knows that everyone is cheating and crazy and it just is the way it is. I love it. I feel like nothing has changed except now all the promiscuous things are done in someone secret and everyone just talks shit about it afterwards. Not here. Everything is out in the open and if the wrong person finds out, oh well…they’re just living. I wish we could live like that in our generation. I think we’re too busy worrying about what everyone is going to think about every decision we make that it stops us from living. All the fighting is done in front of everyone and everyone just accepts it because people make mistakes and people are crazy.

I found it interesting how Damian and Dean didn’t like each other. They’re too similar so they feel threatened by the other’s presence. I could say the same about so many girls I know. Often times the girls we “hate” are the ones we’re most like and I think the real issue lies in competing for the same validation. It’s all a big contradiction (like Notes from the Underground).

The last page of the chapter was quite interesting. Dean is sweating and just going insane but Sal mentions he bought some tea in the city so it makes me wonder if they are on drugs. Do people have to be on drugs to act that crazy or do they just not give a f*ck about anyone around them? I love how the chapter ends because I don’t really understand what he means by, “the moment when you know all and everything is decided forever” but I love the sound of it and I think it is a very scary yet comforting feeling to have. 

P2 Chp. 3 & 4 Reaction

        It’s been almost two months since the last reaction, but if there’s one thing I haven’t forgotten about the book, it is Sal’s obsession with Dean, a relationship again outlined in this week’s reading. From the start of Chp. 3 of Part 2, it’s obvious that Dean is similar to the leader of the wolf pack; he catalyzes all the activity in the group and gives the orders. In fact, even though he and his gang, including Sal, traveled to Sal’s house, Dean was the one sleeping in Sal’s bed, leading Sal around his own house and inviting all the other group members over. I also found it extremely telling how, during their car ride to Virginia, all Dean would talk about was his own life and how changed he is. Yet the most interesting aspect of this situation was that Sal enjoyed listening; instead of feeling ignored, Sal seemed even more fascinated with Dean and his turn towards mysticism. In my opinion, this is all the more representative of why Sal is infatuated with Dean; no matter how impulsive and crazy Sal expects Dean to be, Dean always manages to surpass those expectations completely with even more surprises.
        Another thing that I thought stood out during this week’s reading was the way Sal’s family and friends reacted to his new behavior. During the police incident, Sal’s aunt even supposes that Sal’s friendship with Dean means Sal has something to be ashamed of, suggesting that she does not view Dean to be a good influence. Yet the fact that Sal and Dean ‘accepted this sadly’ just further outlines Sal’s changed attitude; he doesn’t even care that others think Dean is the reason for his bad behavior. This is further reinforced by Lucille’s displeased when she finally meets Dean and Marylou; Sal just reacts by saying that everything is only for ‘kicks’ and the whole point is to have a good time.
        Aside from the characters’ interactions, I liked the piano scene at the end of Chp. 4. Shearing’s scene is the first in-depth bit of musical concert mentioned from the Beat generation, and I thought it portrayed the incredible passion and excitement very well. I’m quite curious and looking forward to reading what the closing lines of the chapter, in which Sal mentions that he felt like ‘everything is decided forever’, mean.