Parallels in On the Road and Easy Rider
Released more than a decade apart, Kerouac's On the Road and Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider are replete with parallels. Both depict characters whose beliefs are not quite uniform with those of society; in both cases these characters set out in search of "kicks" but become part of something larger along the way. More importantly, these two texts each comment insightfully on the culture of their respective times. But all these similarities become superficial in the face of the inherent differences between the two.
In pre-Beat Generation America, anyone who looked could find a whole society of people who, for the most part, were afraid to do the things they dreamed, unable to break from conformity. Kerouac saw this all around him, and with On the Road, he responds. He presents a tale of those who flee conformity successfully and without any significant negative consequences. Clearly, his audience consists of members of society who remain content with conventional societal norms, who are too squeamish to do what they want. To them he argues that they ought to assert their personal identity rather than be bound by an imposed social one, that they ought to follow their own desires rather than succumb to society's.
This argument comes in multiple forms; criticisms by Dean are such a form. At one point he cries: "the moment it comes time to act, this paralysis, scared, hysterical, nothing frightens em more than what they want" (Kerouac 215). He also complains: "offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become panic- stricken" (Kerouac 209). These statements are part of Kerouac's argument in their critique of society's fearful attitude toward achieving desires.
Sal reiterates the argument to disregard social identity when he accuses a girl he meets of an "emptiness. . .that reached back generations and generations in her blood from not having done what was crying to be done. . .'What do you want out of life?' I wanted to take her and wring it out of her" (Kerouac 243).
But Kerouac's strongest argument of all for individual freedom seems to come from example. In On the Road, Sal and Dean live an amazing adventure together. Sure, they get pulled over a few times, but no real harm comes to them from any of their wild escapades. Apparently they are untouchable.
In The Dharma Bums, Kerouac strengthens his argument for the Zen ideal of poverty and freedom by this criticism of the conformity practiced by the middle-class:
Cricket in some ways was a unifying force for the various classes in India as well as the relationship between Great Britain and India. As seen in Document 2, an Indian cricketer was invited to “...join the Sussex team,” that was a team from European country. This shows some equality between n...
“Car Crash While Hitchhiking” and “Work” both follow the stream of consciousness of the narrator, which shows the influence of drug on people’s mentality. Both stories are confusing with the narrator moving around the time and place; it seems as if the narrator is talking about whatever comes into his mind without specific plot or message. In “Car Crash While Hitchhiking,” the narrator talks about the family that picked him up, and suddenly switches to the story of him and salesman by saying “…But before any of this, that afternoon, the salesman and I …” (4) In “Work,” narrator says “And then came one of those moments,” (52) when he recalls a memory about his wife while talking about Wayne. Both stories shift abruptly without proper conjunction. In everyday lives, people think of numerous things. However, what they say are limited, as they talk consistently with a specific purpose, considering factors such as time, place, and appropriateness before they speak. On the other ha...
Throughout history many great ideas have come from those who defy the boundaries set out by others. In order to achieve personal desires individuals had to think outside obvious standards. No longer do people cower in fear of their sexuality, no longer is planetary exploration impossible, this generation “marches out of step”(pg 73) defying past standards set out by previous generations. Boundaries have always been laid out by others, describing what is right and wrong, what is impossible and unrealistic. Individuals with the ability to elude conformity are able to set new standards and ditch the term impossible. In Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” characters were subjected into conformity, however those that evade submission are able to realize their personal desires and as a result set a precedent for those that come after.
A tragic hero has many definitions but Creons characteristics fit each single one. He displayed a fatal flaw that drove him mad near the end but also understood that his predicament was caused by him alone. Antigone cannot be the tragic hero because although she possesses several flaws, she experiences no true illumination. She does not met the required the traits for the tragic hero. Creon wanted to protect the state above personal cost, a task that was achieved in a way. Creon is the tragic hero in Sophocles Antigone because he can’t accept a diminished view of himself; he endures great suffering and is enlightened in the end.
In today’s world, we live in a society where we are subjected to follow rules, which are placed upon us by the society. Many people are faced with the dilemma of whether or not to follow the ideals of other people, or pursue their ideals and go against the prevailing conventions. In “Selections from Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the author talks about a man named McCandless who went into the Alaskan wilderness in order to find his true self. His journey was also to escape from the societal norms of society. A person who goes into the wilderness believes that they can live their life with brute simplicity. This gives them little to no time with the complicated problems of modern society. Likewise, in “Waiting for a Jew” by Jonathan Boyarin, the author talks about one’s aspiration to find their identity and purpose in the community. He conveys that religious places, like shul, allow an individual to develop a cross- cultural self. The desires and expectations placed upon us by the society shape our strategies of personal identity; therefore, instilling fears that cause us to identify in opposition to our prevailing conventions.
His all-rounder abilities, playing as both a batsman and a leg-spin bowler, were influential in many significant victories for Australia. Benaud’s average of 24.45 as a batsman and 27.03 as a bowler are considered excellent, but still do not fully represent the extent of his skill. In the 18 tests Benaud played following Australia’s 1957-58 tour of South Africa he averaged 31.80 as a batsman and 20.27 as a bowler, indicating that he fared considerably better with both bat and ball as his career progressed. Benaud’s bowling prowess won Australia its first ever Test series on Indian soil in 1957, a match in which he finished with match figures of 11-105. His all-rounder credentials were unveiled in the fourth match of the five-match tour of South Africa in 1957-58, in which he scored 100 and took a five-wicket haul to clinch the series for Australia – becoming only the fourth Australian to score a century and take five wickets in a single match. Benaud’s skill as an all-rounder and subsequent influence in significant results for the Australian national cricket team place him in the history books of Australian
Society often pressures individuals within it to conform to different ideals and norms. This stems from the fact that individuals in a society are expected to act in a certain way. If a person or group of people do not satisfy society’s expectations, they are looked down upon by others. This can lead to individuals isolating themselves from others, or being isolated from others, because they are considered as outcasts. The emotional turmoil that can result from this, as well as the internal conflict of whether or not to conform, can transform an individual into a completely different person. This transformation can either be beneficial or harmful to the individual as well as those around them. The individual can become an improved version of himself or herself but conversely, they can become violent, rebellious and destructive. The novels Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess both explore the negative effects experienced by individuals living within the confines of society’s narrow-mindedness. In A Clockwork Orange, protagonist Alex was the leader of a small group of teenage criminals. He did not have a healthy relationship with either one of his parents or with others around him. Instead he spent most of his time alone during the day and at night roamed the streets in search of victims he could mug or rape. In Fight Club the unnamed protagonist was an outcast in his community. He chose to distance and isolate himself from others and as a result had no friends, with the exception of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer. Due to his isolation, he often participated in nightly fights that took place in Fight Club so that he could relieve his anxiety and stress. In this way, Alex and the unnamed protagoni...
Society has always functioned on the premise that a person must adjust their behaviour in accordance with what is deemed socially acceptable at that time. If administrated to the fullest extent, the theme of conformity can be detrimental to the stability and growth of a community. Through analyzing the dystopian narrative elements of Sherri Jacksons’ works, readers are able to distinguish how the theme of conformity is still prevalent to humans today as it expresses the need for order and organization, eliminates fear of the unknown, and promotes society functioning as a whole with limited individuation. The author depicts this reoccurring normative event, to stress the notion that there is something fundamentally wrong with society.
Citizens of today’s society have to comprehend that by conforming to the pressures of others and imitating everyone else, they will get nowhere in life. First of all, a teenage boy attends his first big high school party at a friend’s house one weekend and he is pressured into drinking beer and smoking marijuana so he will seem cool in front of the popular jocks and cheerleaders. Since many teens are so terrified of ridicule and downright embarrassment in front of fellow students, they decide to give in to their peers even though their actions may go against their beliefs. Emerson believed that by being an individual “you shall have the suffrage of the world.” Furthermore, an innocent sixteen year old girl’s parents go out of town for the weekend and she invites her cute, popular, senior star quarterback boyfriend over, but he pressures her into having sex when she i...
Additionally, Emerson and Thoreau both warn the reader of the dangers when individuality is marginalized. Emerson views society as a “conspiracy against the manhood of every one of...
Social immobility has been a problem for many people, whether they are citizens of United States of America or immigrants from another country, this is something people confront from time to time in their lives. Janie from Under the Feet of Jesus by Zora Neale Hurston, and Estrella from Their Eyes were Watching God by Helena Maria Viramontes are both examples of characters restricted by the intersectionalism of their gender or social and racial class. Through the two class texts mentioned above, social immobility will be further expounded in the context of characters such as Estella and Janie, and it will also be explored as a force that leads to the restriction and/or the loss of innocence for the characters.
Throughout literary history, tragic heroes have been defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. However, philosophers such as Aristotle tried to find connections between tragic heroes in Greek plays. This in-depth analysis of tragic heroes lead Aristotle to create six criteria for a true tragic hero: He or she has to be a Noble figure of royalty and noble in character, has to be imperfect by design, has a flaw or error that is a choice, is punished excessively for this choice flaw, has to undergo a downfall that leads to a realization, and the story of this tragic hero has to make the audience reach a moment of catharsis or purging of emotions. A prime example of a tragic hero that fits all of these criteria is Creon from the play Antigone, written by Sophocles in 441 BC. The story of Antigone is a tragedy that describes a stubborn and proud king named Creon who refuses to allow a burial for the brother of Antigone. Creon’s excessive pride leads to a series of unfortunate events resulting in the death of Antigone, his son Haemon, and his wife Eurydice. Throughout the course of the play, Creon undergoes each standard that is required by Aristotle’s terms to be a tragic hero.
Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” encompasses ideas of the beat generation, takes you along, and allows you to see the people and the situations of America at a time immediately following World War II; how people lived, and how, at least in Sal’s case, people changed. Kerouac exemplifies one’s dissatisfaction with the responsibilities that the society ties an individual down with, opting to always be on the road avoiding commitment, therefore antagonizing themselves from the mainstream views of the post-world war II American society.
Jack Kerouac does not fit stereotypical aspects that one might think a normal author might have. To most an author is a calm person who works on his or her book, developing new ideas and puts time and passion into writing their novel. To put it in perspective our idea of insanity is Jack Kerouac’s idea of normal. Throughout Kerouac’s many adventures across America he finds out what type of person he is shaping himself into. The person that he becomes as he has these experiences and adventures is one who is a very independent thinker, a Buddhist, and an alcohol/drug abuser. As said by Jack Hicks “Their experiments in sexuality, with drugs, with the many and often frightening potentialities of psychic and social order and disorder, their bold and often naive desires to re-awaken dormant chords in American life and writing—these have rarely been met with balanced opinions.”(2). Everything that Hicks has analyzed about Kerouac is apparent through his writing today. Kerouac’s novels, such as On the Road and The Dharma Bums, contain individualistic themes, which question American literature and the cultural norms that are found in such writing.