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Definitely feel that this is a classic that hasn't aged well. I can see its appeal to some with the very descriptive and often beautiful prose, and can see how some people would connect with the main character in some ways - he's a self-proclaimed misfit and doesn't know what he wants to do with his life - he just wants freedom to do his own thing and see his friends.
I, however, couldn't get into it. I found the writing dry and the pace of Sals' adventures to be too fast with too little meaning behind them. I just don't understand what the point or the message of this book was. Not only that, but I found the characters completely unappealing - not just in terms of their views (which were racist and sexist) but also just the fact Dean is reckless and selfish and Sal just follows him around.
Really I don't think I'm the target audience for this book as a woman - in the book people of my demographic were overly sexualised and objectified, which in reading made me feel very uncomfortable.
On the topic of uncomfortable - the amount of paedophillic comments made in this book - something I could not get past and eventually made me put down this book before finishing it.
I, however, couldn't get into it. I found the writing dry and the pace of Sals' adventures to be too fast with too little meaning behind them. I just don't understand what the point or the message of this book was. Not only that, but I found the characters completely unappealing - not just in terms of their views (which were racist and sexist) but also just the fact Dean is reckless and selfish and Sal just follows him around.
Really I don't think I'm the target audience for this book as a woman - in the book people of my demographic were overly sexualised and objectified, which in reading made me feel very uncomfortable.
On the topic of uncomfortable - the amount of paedophillic comments made in this book - something I could not get past and eventually made me put down this book before finishing it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I went into this book with the curiosity of the 'Beat Generation.' Counterculture movements have been a fascinating topic to me and so to read a book that 'captures the beat generation,' I was quite eager to dig into this book. However, what I got out of this was pure disappointment and just a poorly-aged book that contains questionable characters and ideas. While the writing style of Kerouac can be interesting at some points, I feel the book is entirely bogged down by the characters who are probably the most unlikable characters that I've seen in a book. How they describe people of color is just baffling especially from Sal, who has some of the most baffling descriptions and observations of African Americans, and Mexican Americans. The main characters also sexualize underage women a lot and get extremely bad by the end of the book, when they are in Mexico. Also, the manner in which women are presented in this book is just terrible as well, as the main characters often exploit women either for sex or for money and make comments on how women are objects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual content
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Pedophilia
adventurous
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
couldn't get past the racism, pedophilia and misogyny (unfortunately?).
Selfish and self-destructive characters like Dean Moriarty can only be romanticised as 'angel(s) of terror' and prophets from the safe distance of a reader ...or a protagonist who's in a permanent state of intoxication.
I'm sure it was groundbreaking at the time, but the lifestyle described doesn't appeal to me, even though i do give into 'madness' at times and love 'kicks'. Maybe I'd get it if i had a real connection to american culture and jazz, or if i had a driver's license lol. Maybe I'm too stuck in my middle-class ways to see it, but i didn't get the point of all these roadtrips just to do the same thing with the same people all over again.
Selfish and self-destructive characters like Dean Moriarty can only be romanticised as 'angel(s) of terror' and prophets from the safe distance of a reader ...or a protagonist who's in a permanent state of intoxication.
I'm sure it was groundbreaking at the time, but the lifestyle described doesn't appeal to me, even though i do give into 'madness' at times and love 'kicks'. Maybe I'd get it if i had a real connection to american culture and jazz, or if i had a driver's license lol. Maybe I'm too stuck in my middle-class ways to see it, but i didn't get the point of all these roadtrips just to do the same thing with the same people all over again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism
Moderate: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
90% of this book is Dean having a manic episode and dragging Sal along with him
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Pedophilia
Minor: Car accident
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The main takeaway for this book for me was something I already knew: straight men are more in love with each other than they could ever love any woman. It was quite obvious to me that Sal and Dean love one another and this is to an extent a love story. Hence why Sal overlooks how bloody annoying Dean is which we as the readers have to suffer through, whilst Sal gushes about how great he is. Cognitive dissonance much? Other readers have commented ( and I agree) that although this book has beautiful prose it is plot deficient and there are precious few actually likeable characters. To me this didn't detract from the book though as it helped develop the sense of loneliness and isolation that an itinerant lifestyle engenders no matter how freeing it might be. People who aspire to this kind of lifestyle should look at the endings of the protagonist and deuteragonist to find the moral of the story: Sal makes his way off the road and finds his happiness. Dean never does and seems unable to do either. We leave him to an uncertain fate, having lost all the friends and lovers of his journey and also Sal, his probable soulmate. A cautionary tale about the dangers of a lifestyle many idealise even if its simultaneously a love story, both to the road itself and between its main characters. Best enjoyed if you yourself are actually on a roadtrip! At times I could practically see and feel the emotioms and scenery described. Beware of the content warnings though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual violence
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As much as this is a classic, it was actually really hard to read it and there are a few reasons for that:
1) All characters, especially Dean, do not seem like genuinely good people. (cheating, racism, r*pe, and at some point even pe*ophi*ia)
2) Plot is basically non-existent
3) You need to have extremely good knowledge about America in the 1940s and 1950s to understand how some things might have worked or are possible; the same goes for knowledge on certain American cities where they travel a few times (i.e. Denver, San Francisco, New York...), so you can understand which parts of those cities were poor, industrial, fancy, etc.
4) Writing was lazy at some point, so it seems like you can never finish reading one page even tho it says basically nothing
1) All characters, especially Dean, do not seem like genuinely good people. (cheating, racism, r*pe, and at some point even pe*ophi*ia)
2) Plot is basically non-existent
3) You need to have extremely good knowledge about America in the 1940s and 1950s to understand how some things might have worked or are possible; the same goes for knowledge on certain American cities where they travel a few times (i.e. Denver, San Francisco, New York...), so you can understand which parts of those cities were poor, industrial, fancy, etc.
4) Writing was lazy at some point, so it seems like you can never finish reading one page even tho it says basically nothing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment