Scott Donaldson. New York: Penguin, 1979. 367-79. Kerouac, Jack. On the road.
Ed.Scott Donaldson. New York: Penguin, 1979. 397-411.
Philadelphia: Running Press, 1978. Dodsworth, Martin. The Penguin History of Literature. England: Penguin Books, 1994. Isaacs, Neil David.
Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Group, 1979. Print. Fagles, Robert and W. B. Stanford.
Trask, David F. "The End of the American Dream," Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: The Novel, The Critics, The Background. Ed. Henry D. Piper. Charles Schribner's Sons, New York: 1970. Trilling, Lionel.
The Treatment of Women in On The Road The women in Jack Kerouac's On The Road were, it seems, not afforded the same depth in character which the author gave the men. The treatment of the women characters in both word and action by Sal and Dean seems to show that women could only be a virgin/mother figure or a whore. Throughout the novel there are many instances in which women and their feelings or actions are either referred to flippantly or blatantly degraded. It can be said, however, that Sal (Kerouac) did not necessarily agree with this narrow female identity, and there is evidence to support this claim. The novel also shows though that Sal did participate in this male forced female stereotyping whether he wanted to or not.
The Identity of Women in On The Road The women in Jack Kerouac's work, On The Road, are portrayed as superficial and shallow, while the men display depth in character. Women are stereotyped as falling into one of three categories; virginal, maternal or promiscuous, and, throughout the novel, are referred to in a facetious, derogatory manner. ‘Sal’, the protagonist, expresses sexist attitudes, which are a result of both his upbringing and societal attitudes of the time. Although the novel does highlight the problem of sexism, ultimately it does nothing to criticise it, but in fact projects it. In On The Road, there are many instances in which female identity is diminished.
8. Timothy Findley "The Wars". Published by Penguin books and Copyright 1977. Pg 96. 9.
Schopenhauer, Arthur. Essays and Aphorisms. Trans. R. J. Hollingdale. New York, Penguin Books, 1970.
New York: Norton, 1998. 1072-1101 & 1126-43. Hunt, Tim. Kerouac's Crooked Road: Development of a Fiction. Hamden, Conn.: Archon, 1981.