Alexa Ferrer 2nd 500 post

This rejection of the law ties into the rejection of the fundamental pillar of society, further proving the beat movement’s rebellious generation shift. In addition to negative light casted upon law enforcements, the actual characters from On The Road do their best to avoid run-ins with the law at all costs. Their paranoia is evident in several scenes in the book and can be analyzed as more than just anxiety towards police. “A tall, lanky fellow in a gallon hat stopped his car on the wrong side of the road and came over to us; he looked like a sheriff. We prepared our stories secretly. He took his time coming over. "You boys going to get somewhere, or just going?" We didn’t understand his question, and it was a damned good question.” (I.3.18) In this scene it becomes clear that although they dislike authority, their paranoia comes from something else. The fact that they do not have an answer to where they are going shows that it gives them anxiety to be confronted by an authoritative figure that represents society because they are trying to escape society all together. 

The characters seem almost incapable of functioning in society. There is no sense of stability in terms of settling down and getting a job. Throughout the majority of the book the characters are unemployed and live off of the money they borrow or beg for. Although Remy gets Sal a job for a brief period of time, it proves to be a waste of time and adds on to the negative light casted on any type of authority. Remy and Sal were constantly drunk on the job as security guards, which invalidated the legitimacy of authoritative figures. There is no respect for the law, as Remy would steal food and justify it by saying, “You know what President Truman said, “We must cut down the cost of living.” (I.11.62) The state is constantly mocked and rejected as a means of pushing away that part of society and avoiding any sense of order or continuity.

The second part of society rejected by the characters of On The Road is family. Family is a vital part of society because family is what provides shelter and safety until one is able to work on his or her own in society and then form his or her own family to restart the cycle. Family and state go hand in hand and it is evident that by rejecting one, the other will also be rejected. Because Dean is always on the road, it is nearly impossible for him to maintain a relationship. There is a focus on Dean’s relationships in the book and how he always goes back and forth between marriages. Although it is true that divorce is a common and accepted part of society, what is not as common and as accepted is going back and forth between people one has been married to, which is exactly what Dean does. Dean is the most interesting character when it comes to dealing with a family because he is completely incapable with following the accepted norms of having a family and treating a family.