On the road final post

                On the Road was a novel that I didn’t really enjoy.  Much of the plotline seemed to repeat, and after the first half of the story, I felt that I already knew the book completely.  No matter how many more of Sal’s adventures with Dean I read about, I always felt that the story never progressed, and there weren’t any attitude/lifestyle changes for Sal that I had hoped for.  Sal was in live with Dean’s spirit and energetic lifestyle, and I don’t think Sal could ever change his opinion of Dean.  His wild quest to understand the meaning of living on the road became his quest for sharing adventures with a wild and crazy boy named Dean.  I think what Sal found so interesting in Dean, was that despite the fact he had a terrible upbringing, he didn’t let that affect his positive mental attitude and the desire to do something just for entertainment purposes.  The ability to let the past stay behind you, the future in front, and focus just in the moment is what I believe Sal found so intriguing about Dean.  I do admit that it is hard to find someone who can follow this lifestyle unwaveringly.  Almost everyone I know (including myself) thinks about past events or focus on trying to predict future events at times.  Dean, while crazy and unpredictable, showed Sal a completely different way of living life during a time when Sal was struggling to put together an identity. 

                The end of the novel was a very nice change of pace when compared to the majority of the story.  By the time I reached the end of the novel, I was sick of reading about adventures.  The adventures began to pile up in my mind, and I had a hard time reading about events that seemed so similar to me.  It was rewarding to see Sal finally break away from Dean for good.  He realizes the implications of having a bad friend mooch off of you forever.  But Sal still understood the good (mentioned above) that Dean gave to Sal.  Dean finally realizes that his family in San Francisco is more important than doing things just for the kicks, and Sal realizes that the road is unable to be categorized into one emotion, thought, or feeling.  This discovery led me to believe that Sal is more complete than the Sal at the beginning of the novel, and can head back to writing with a complete mind, free from the stresses he experienced before.  Why he may never see Dean again, he realizes that he is ready to move on with his life.