Jack Kerouac is one of the pioneering founders of the beatnik movement along with Allen Ginsberg. The beatnik movement is confusing as it involved a combination of Paschal mysticism, drugs and free sex. It may be that it grew out of the depression of American involvement in Vietnam and the Cold War. I read Kerouac’s On the Road, but I wasn’t very impressed by his language. There are very few figures of speech and the description is simple.
The meanderings of Kerouac’s mind and his hitchhiking journeys across America are poignantly portrayed. It is said that the book is written in the language of Jazz with its syncopated rhythms but I don’t think so. Kerouac has a friend Dean with whom he talks. Kerouac deals with extreme boredom and nausea. There is an outpouring of existential guilt.
I am baffled to the depths of the ocean by Kerouac’s ignorance of the Philosophers. He goes on muttering about Nietzsche but doesn’t talk about his philosophy like the ‘Death of God’, the Apollonian and Dionysian elements, the melody of Apollo and the rhythm and beat of Dionysus which contribute to the making of drama, especially tragedy. . I am very disappointed in Kerouac’s lack of knowledge and feel that the entire Beatnik movement was one of adult petulance. The beatniks were interested in Eastern mysticism, especially the theory of karma and reincarnation. I would like to present a Christian perspective on Karma. For Christ Karma (works) alone will not make one attain salvation. Salvation comes only through being born again in Christ. The doctrine of reincarnation is absurd. How can an ant be born in the afterlife? The Beatniks were fond of weed.
The book rambles from page to page about Kerouac’s travels, all of them meaningless, like Camus’ myth of Sisyphus. Kerouac is known for being a womanizer. Women are dehumanized and treated like whores and doormats. Kerouac’s novel lacks character depth and psychological insight. There is no hint of irony. The prose is boring and messy. There is no catharsis. Reading the entire novel, I did not come across a single figure of speech. Kerouac’s trips are lackadaisical and sterile monotony. Kerouac is self-indulgent with drunkenness and doping. There is no tone in the novel and it is the result of a mediocre mind. At first he was fascinated with the Beatnik movement. But I am disappointed with the writing of it. After reading the novel: I felt a blanket of sadness.