Final Paper

            On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, is a novel that tells the story of aimless teenagers who choose to live in the moment rather than focus on the future.  In today’s society we are all focused on the future and the past, whether we are stressing about that future test that is upcoming, or a past mistake that may come and bite us in the butt.  While living like this can help keep us on top of our daily struggles, it can also cause unnecessary stress, which can lead to more severe health problems.  This novel features a group of young adults and teenagers who have thrown aside society’s norms, and are focused on solely living in the moment in order to evade the stresses of their former lives and find a new way to enjoy life carefree.

            While reading through Dostoyevsky’s, Notes from the Underground, there were some noticeably interesting parallels between the themes and ideas expressed in Notes, and the actions and thought processes behind the characters featured in On the Road.  A major theme that was clearly exemplified in On the Road is the belief that human decisions cannot be mathematically calculated.  This is evident in Sal’s lack of regard for personal safety and care while on his journey around the country.  While travelling, people look out for themselves and make sure that money isn’t an issue.  There isn’t anything much worse than being stuck in a foreign area without the means to food and clothe oneself.  Sal runs into this problem more than once.  If humans were calculable, this wouldn’t be an issue.  “Mañana, said Rickey.  Mañana, man, we make it; have another beer, man, dah you go, dah you go!” (Kerouac 93.6).  In this line, Sal’s lack of interest in earning money for himself shows a blatant disregard for himself, which goes against the notion of humans acting rationally and predictably.  “None of us knew what was going on, or what the Good Lord appointed.” (93.36-37).  Sal has no plan in his life, and to act rationally a plan is needed in order to accomplish tasks.  This constant predicament of running out of money, gas, food, and shelter follows Sal and his gang of friends throughout the entire novel.  Dostoyevsky argues against the scientists of his day who argued that there is some sort of formula or algorithm that can predict how humans behave.  Kerouac agreed with Dostoyevsky in the idea that humans act in whichever way they want, and in many cases this ends up being illogical and irrational.  Just like when humans are tired or emotional, logical reasoning flies right out the window.  The entire idea of riding around with an ex-con lunatic, doing drugs, getting into fights, sleeping in parked cars, and living life on the edge isn’t logical or rational.  Another interesting point that is noticeable in On the Road, and is mentioned in Notes from the Underground is a subtle wish to return to normalcy, or society’s view of normalcy after a crazy adventure.  Every once in a while, after weeks of acting crazy, Sal will attempt to try and live normally, he will retain a job try and get a steady girlfriend and care for himself, but his plans fail because he is always drawn to the craziness of being on the road.  Everyone has an innate sense to be wild and irrational, some are better at hiding those desires than others.                  

            A constant theory that is referenced throughout the entire story of Notes from the Underground is the concept that there are these great “walls” that exist in our, and most likely every society that exists in this universe.  These walls stem from the fact that humans as a species do not have all the answers to the big questions.  Where we came from, how the universe came into existence, is there life beyond the stars, does a god exist, is life after death real; these are all questions we cannot answer.  To dwell on these thoughts can be terrifying, so in order to avoid trying to answer the impossible walls are drawn up to secure our thoughts and provide a feeling of warmth and comfort where there is none.  Walls can be anything from the idea of religion and life after death, to the ideas of societal norms.  Nobody knows the truth, so in order to provide a sense of the truth, walls are created.  Sal has lived his entire life in mainstream society.  He has put up with society’s wishes and desires and has confined himself to the customs that go along with living among others.  In On the Road, Sal repents society and wishes to follow his own path.  He destroys the walls of maintaining regular church attendance and family to enjoy himself and live life in the moment free from responsibility.

            Sal mentions at the very beginning “that everything is dead” (1.4).  He starts off the novel by acknowledging the fact that his life in mainstream society was getting to the point where he developed serious depression.  His solution is to try and remove himself from society and take his chances on the road.  He teams up with Dean, probably one of the most unlikeable characters considering his indifferent attitude towards Sal throughout the story.  Dean is always leaving Sal behind, never waiting for him to catch up.  According to most people, friends must be chosen wisely because they define who you are as a person.  Who you associate with often displays your interests and tendencies as a human being.  Sal backs away from this idea or wall, and recreates what societal norms and shapes them to his liking.  Rather than be caught up trying to make a way in a career or build up a contact network to support his family, he chooses to befriend a crazy, juvenile delinquent who will offer him a crazy experience over a safe lifestyle.  “This is all far back, when Dean was not the way he is today, when he was a young jail kid shrouded in mystery” (1.17-18).  Dean is not your typical friend.  By throwing away his old life with his wife and a steady job, and embracing new, crazy friends with a hippie like lifestyle, he demonstrates his frustrations with society’s walls.  Sal has created for himself his own wall, a life on the road with no responsibilities or worries.  

            In Notes from the Underground, the Underground Man makes references to the concept that humans feel the need to be validated.  People will do whatever it takes to be validated whether it is by demanding attention, bragging about oneself, or picking fights with everyone, they are all intended to bring upon the same goal.  The Underground Man feels compelled to validate himself when he has the multiple confrontations with the officer.  “ I was standing by the billiard-table and in my ignorance blocking up the way, and he wanted to pass; he took me by the shoulders and without a word-without a warning or explanation-moved me from where I was standing to another spot and passed by as though he had not noticed me.  I could have forgiven blows, but I could not forgive his having moved me without noticing me.” (34.1-6).  This anger he feels is towards the fact his existence hadn’t been validated.  He was treated like he didn’t even exist, denying validity to his presence in the world.  His anger is expressed in the next line, “Devil knows what I would have given for a real regular quarrel-a more decent, a more literary one…” (34.7-8).

 Sal has a similar struggle within his plotline in On the Road, although his validity crisis is less about being angry and more about living his life to the fullest.  In the beginning of the novel, Sal remarks about his old life in New York City with his ex-wife was so horrible, it wasn’t even worth mentioning to the reader.  He had felt dead inside, and needed to escape from that lifestyle and try something new.  His friends seemed dull and boring, and the thought of his wife and their apartment bogged him down every day.  These feelings stem from the fact that he was not validated.  Nobody cared about what he thought or felt, it seems as though his wife saw him as a means to money and not much else.  By simply viewing Sal as an object in her way, she was treating him very similarly to the way the officer saw the Underground Man.  Sal needing to validate himself and live his life, teamed up with a man who actually appreciated Sal’s smarts and enjoyed his presence.  Dean fills that void in his life, and makes Sal feel alive and actually happy for the first time in years.  People who are different and exciting make life interesting and more fulfilling.  Sal’s view of Dean is definitely positive, as it is evident in this quote, “My first impression of Dean was of a young Gene Autry-trim, thin-hipped, Blue-eyed, with a real Oklahoma accent-a sideburned hero of the snowy West.” (2.25-28).  Dean reinvigorates Sal’s life, and validates his existence by including him on a great journey around the country.

            The Underground Man in Notes from the Underground takes notice of the idea that the journey in life is more important and cherished or appreciated than the destination.  Often people already know or have experienced the destination and it is the way in which they get there that they experience exciting and trying times.  “But the reason why he wants sometimes to go off at a tangent may just be that he is predestined to make the road, and perhaps, too, that however stupid the “direct” practical man may be, the thought sometimes will occur to him that the road does seem to lead somewhere, and that the destination it leads to is less important than the process of making it…” (22.18-22).  Dostoyevsky mentions that it is not always the destination that matters most for an individual.  It is the path taken to reach that destination, the decisions, friends, and knowledge gained along the way that overshadows the end of the journey.  On the Road seems to be a novel that is written around this entire idea, that the road contains all the happiness and fun of a lifetime, while the destinations are only a means to get back on the road again and again.      

The main theme that is presented in On the Road is the idea that the journey is more important than the destination of that journey.  This concept confused me at first because with modern technology, planes in particular, the journey aren’t really all that important or exciting.  The clearest connection to this theme is the idea of hiking.  The fact that one will end up back at base camp isn’t really the point of the trek, it is the views, the emotions, and exciting moments that are experienced along the way that make hiking such a wonderful activity.  In On the Road, the journey is what matters most to Sal.  He often makes it to his destination and becomes bored, desperate to get back “on the road” again.  The reason his trip lasts so long is his love of the journey, not his love for reaching destination he has already been to five times in a row.  The first time that the journey is evidently more important than the destination is when he goes to San Francisco.  On his way there he loves everything about his trip, the hitchhiking, the people he meets, and the idea of meeting his friend in a city he has never seen before.  His imagination of the future experience with Remi runs wilder than his actual brief stay with Remi.  He realizes that staying in a city requires him to work odd jobs, and ultimately tears apart his relationship with Remi by getting in-between his friend and his wife.  Also, why would Sal have missed the fact that his trip was over.  

At the end, he finally gets back to New York City after having travelled on the road for over a year.  Yet he misses Dean and the road mentality associated with him.  Dean represents the unknown and curiosity that is brought upon by travelling across foreign fields with no real end in sight.  This journey helped put Sal’s life back together and helped him to learn to live a life of happiness filled with desire, curiosity, and love.  Sal's experiences while on the road, and the decisions that led him to giving up his former life and moving on go hand in hand with many of the ideas behind human behavior and the human conscious that the Underground Man presents.  Whether it is the idea of needing to be validated, or enjoying the journey more than the destination, similarities exist between the two in almost every chapter of both stories.  

Works Cited

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Notes from the Underground. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print.

Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. New York, NY, U.S.A.: Penguin, 1991. Print.