Title, Author & Publication
On the Road was written by Jack Kerouac. The novel was published in 1957 by The Viking Press of New York.
Setting
On the Road is set in the late 1940s. The action of the novel occurs on a series of road trips across America.
Main Characters
- Sal Paradise – the narrator of the story, Sal is a curious young man eager to see and experience the world.
- Dean Moriarty - the catalyst to Sal’s journey, Dean is everything that Sal is not but wants to be.
- Carlo Marx – the philosopher poet who drives Sal and Dean to see beyond the obvious.
Plot:
On the Road is a traditional journey story told with mid-20th century sensibility. The story traces the wanderings of the narrator as he crosses America several times. He is met with new ideas and philosophies as he is introduced to a variety of characters.
Questions to Ponder:
Consider the following while reading the novel.
1. Questions about character:
- What is the Beat Generation and what are its ideals?
- In what ways can Dean be considered a foil to Sal?
- How does Sal change through the course of his travels?
2. Questions about theme:
- What do the marriages and sexual relationships in the novel reveal to the reader about this generation’s morality?
- What opinions about America are revealed through the characters in On the Road?
- What philosophies emerge as significant to the characters in the novel?
Possible First Sentences
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac is a classic example of Beat Generation literature.
- Through his autobiographical work, Jack Kerouac makes astute commentary about being American after World War II.
- The drive to continue moving back and forth across country is symbolic of the aimlessness of the post-war generation.
