On the Road: Analysis of Major Characters
"On the Road" is a seminal work in American literature that follows the journeys of Sal Paradise, a young aspiring writer, and his charismatic friend Dean Moriarty. Sal serves as the novel's narrator and embodies the archetype of the innocent seeker, exploring life and meaning through his experiences with Dean, who represents the vibrant spirit of the Beat movement. Dean is a drifter and a catalyst for adventure, characterized by his relentless pursuit of life's experiences, including relationships, music, and the thrill of the open road. His magnetic personality contrasts with the eventual disillusionment Sal faces, particularly when Dean abandons him during a difficult time in Mexico.
Supporting characters like Carlo Marx, a poet, and Teresa, a young woman with whom Sal shares a transient life, illustrate the diverse encounters and philosophies that enrich Sal's journey. Each character, including the women in Dean's life—Camille, Inez, and Marylou—adds depth to the exploration of love, friendship, and the quest for identity. The novel captures the essence of post-war American culture, reflecting the complexities of relationships and the pursuit of fulfillment against a backdrop of restlessness and adventure. The dynamic interactions among these characters underscore the themes of connection, aspiration, and the often tumultuous search for meaning in life.
On the Road: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Jack Kerouac
First published: 1957
Genre: Novel
Locale: The United States
Plot: Autobiographical
Time: The late 1940's
Sal Paradise, the narrator, a young and aspiring writer. Sal is the prototypical innocent, the romantic naïf who learns about life through his associations with Dean Moriarty and other friends. After Sal meets Dean in the winter of 1947, they begin a series of cross-country journeys, by bus and by car, that make up whatever plot the novel can be said to have. Sal is searching for life, and he admires Dean Moriarty, the man who has found “it,” some special spiritual connection to life. Sal briefly rests in Dean's energetic, almost frantic glow.
Dean Moriarty, a drifter, Sal's friend, traveling companion, and inspiration. Dean represents the center of the Beat movement to Sal. He is a young man who has lived a full life for his few years: He has been through numerous jobs, women, prisons, and travels, and his adventures continue after he begins the cross-country trips with Sal. He is like a burning comet, seeking the ultimate experiences of life—through drugs, sex, music (jazz), or whatever else is at hand. Based on the real-life Neal Cassady (as Sal Paradise is a thinly veiled Jack Kerouac), Dean seems destined to burn himself out. He also figures in the great American tradition of the hustler or flim-flam man. In the end, he deceives and disappoints Sal, as all heroes ultimately must, by abandoning him when Sal is sick in Mexico. Dean nevertheless remains Sal's brother, the lost father figure, the hip, cool, mad saint in search of some spiritual and joyous center of life. His frantic, almost boundless energy sparks anyone close to him and gives a certain electric momentum to the novel's prose. Dean is an original in American fiction, although it would be difficult to live with him (as various women in the novel discover).
Carlo Marx, a friend of Sal and Dean, a poet (based on Beat poet Allen Ginsberg) who holds marathon discussion sessions with Dean and shares with him the frenetic search for life's meaning.
Teresa (Terry), a young Mexican woman whom Sal meets on a bus to Los Angeles and with whom he lives for a few months as they toil as migrant workers in California.
Remi Boncoeur, a friend, living near San Francisco, with whom Sal briefly lives and works.
Bull Lee, a mutual friend with whom they stay in Louisiana, a kind of guru figure who is a heavy user of drugs. He is based on novelist William Burroughs.
Camille, Inez, and Marylou, women in Dean's life; at one time he lives with, loves, or marries each of them.
Ed Dunkel and Galatea Dunkel, who are among the people that Sal, Dean, and the rest meet in their endless transcontinental trips.