Alexa Ferrer first 500 words

On The Road presents its reader with a detailed account of a generation shift known as the beat movement. The beat movement can be characterized by a generation trying to detach themselves from the constructed norms of society and free themselves from responsibility. Their desire to stray away from society can be compared to Kafka’s work where there is a constant reoccurrence of characters trying to move away from society but always getting pulled back by the three pillars that make up society: state, church, and family. In an attempt to escape the reality of society, the Beat Generation found it most effective to reject Kafka's 3 institutions by staying on the road. The only worries the characters of On the Road faced went back to one or more of the institutions, and their solution was always to run away and keep running.

Generation shifts occur when a large enough part of society, typically the young and upcoming generation, rejects certain standards of society and starts creating new accepted standards. Once enough people join the new movement, it becomes an accepted part of society and the norms of society typically shift. For this reason, it is impossible to ever fully escape society, which is evident in On The Road because even though the characters keep running, they are never free. Even while traveling cross-country, there are constant run ins with the law and constant family drama. The beat generation, kids who just want to run and be care free, are the perfect example of how trapped people are in society because of how impossible it is to fully escape.

The most prominent example of the characters of On The Road rejecting Kafka’s pillars of society is seen through the rejection of the State. A reoccurring theme throughout the novel is how the police are constantly brought up in a negative light. The main character to go off on a tangent about how much he detests the law is Dean, considering he had spent time in jail and was on a mission to never settle down and surrender to a typical life under the eyes of the law. However, even other people Sal and Dean met on the road had similar feelings towards law enforcement and one man told them “Them goddamn cops can’t put no flies on my ass!” (1.3.5) In addition to characters on the road bad mouthing the police, there are several situations that prove some of the corruption. At one point Remy gets Sal a job as a security job only to further ruin the reputation of law enforcers. He never stayed sober on the job and spoke about the police’s interests as only being to meet quota to avoid being fired. The old cop that Sal spoke to on the job even reminisced in his old days where all the cops used to abuse the prisoners and take advantage of their power. This rejection of the law ties into the rejection of the fundamental pillar of society, further proving the beat movement’s rebellious generation shift.