Questions

Topic 1 – Throughout the book the idea that “the grass is always greener on the other side” is present. Sal constantly searches for this better future, for happiness, and forgoes looking at what he has in the present. Dean in contrast continuously lives in the now, explaining his rash and whimsical behavior. The fact that Dean, unlike Sal, lives in and takes advantage of the present explains Sal’s attraction to Dean. Dean lives with instant gratification in mind, while Sal continually searches for something better. Discuss how the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side is something that was ever present in Kerouac’s mind, in Sal’s adventures, and how it can be applied to the beat generation.

Topic 2 – Self-actualization and understanding of life is another reoccurring theme in On the Road. Sal uses his travels to try to understand life. He constantly has moments where he reflects on God among other aspects of life. In comparison to Dostoyevski’s book, which essentially discusses why we turn to a belief in a God or science, On the Road is a story about a man follows this behavioral path. Discuss this relationship.

Topic 3 – Discuss the idea of clarity in relation to each of the characters in the book. Dean, for example, behaves similar to the way a person without distortions would behave. Sal obviously has distortions affecting his life. Other characters in the story can also be discussed.

Topic 4 – Analyze how Kafka’s pillars can be applied to the story of On the Road. In On the Road, the reader is given insight on what it would be like to live as a hippie at the time. In class we discussed how hippies were essentially what drove society to change. Discuss the relationship between Kafka’s pillars and the story in On the Road.