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The Dharma Bums (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)

As much as Kerouac admired Neal Cassady, the “greater driver” (in Allen Ginsberg's description) living in a “pious frenzy,” he knew that Cassady's high-intensity existence carried the potential for destruction and despair for himself and his friends. While not dismissing Cassady's danger-ridden enthusiasms or condemning his impulsiveness, Kerouac had begun to wonder if a life “on the road” in perpetual search for ecstasy was the only route to be followed. His interest in Buddhism, combined with his previous background in Christianity, suggested that a kind of serenity...

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