maisiewrites247 's review for:

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

4.0

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Jack Kerouac’s On The Road follows Sal Paradise as he travels around the United States of America, mostly with his friend, Dean Moriarty. The characters Sal and Dean are based on Kerouac himself, and Neal Cassady. Other characters featured throughout the book were inspired by people such as William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. There’s a focus on writing, travelling, romance, friendship, family, freedom, crime, history, music, drugs, and alcohol. There’s some misogynistic undertones but I felt like the treatment of race was quite progressive for the time it was written. I recommend this book because I can see why it’s considered a classic, based on the unique prose and perspective of the United States in the nineteen-forties, and it’s especially interesting if you have a passion for writing and travelling. Also, are we all in agreement that Sal is in love with Dean? ‘Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.’