On The Road

On the Road (1957) by Jack Kerouac is a timeless classic. The novel centres around a young Sal Paradise and his ventures across the continent. Dean Moriarty 'the holy con-man' is Sal's eccentric pal; he seems hopelessly bound for a life of  madness due to an endless yearning for 'kicks'. This frantic dishevelment and chaos is what attracts Sal “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”As the novel progresses we see Sal transition and mature; this is contrasted by the character Dean who on the other hand who falls into the same tiresome circles over and over. 

On The Road was revolutionary in it's prime; so much as to inspire a new generation of youth. The beat generation; post WWII writers much like Sal himself, with a healthy disregard for the establishment and materialism "rising from the underground, the sordid hipsters of America, a new beat generation that I was slowly joining."Yes this novel created a world wind in it's time, but is it still relevant today? The answer is most definitely Yes! On the Road isn't solely applicable to the beat generation, but anyone who has ever yearned to leave everything behind and go on an adventure. It's about people experiencing life, self discovery, love, drugs and sex. All things still relevant in society today. It's no wonder this novel has stood the test of time. A message readers should take from On The Road is Carpe Diem! As Sal and his gang prove, life has so many adventures to offer. Leave all your woes behind, don't dwell on the past and simply take to the Road because there's so much to experience “But why think about that when all the golden lands ahead of you and all kinds of unforseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see?” 

This novel holds certain similarities to another coming major coming of age novel published only a few years earlier, J.D. Salinger's Catcher In The Rye (1951). Both these novel's are set during the same time frame (late 40's/early 50's). They feature young male protagonists travelling around on journey's of self discovery. Coincidentally they also share a common setting at some points i.e. New york and both novels feature some common situations/characters e.g. prostitutes, breaking the law, musicians, underground New York, clubs/bars etc...

What makes On The Road so great is it's a true icon of the underground. It dives beneath the surface of mainstream America and introduces readers to a lifestyle away from all things corporate. We see the rise of a new era of liberal free thinkers who tug against societies norms and tight constraints. Kerouac's authenticity really resonates true the pages due to the fact that a lot of what happened in the Novel is heavily based on his own experiences on the road and many of the characters in the novel represent Kerouac's real life acquaintances. 

So there you have it. On The Road is a timeless masterpiece that will resonate through generation after generation because it deals with themes forever prevalent in society. It captures readers; teaching of a new generation of raw savvy youth and the illicit situations they weave in and out of. However, beneath it all Kerouac is still is able to teach readers important life lessons through the non-preachy authentic narration of protagonist Sal Paradise.