On the Road | Social Concerns
Historically, this work is important to a subculture or counterculture that does not accept American middle-class mores. Essentially apolitical. On the Road nevertheless contains tacit indictments of America's progress since the end of World War II. Kerouac, a deeply spiritual man, was disturbed by what he saw as the nation's failure to live up to the great potential of its land and people. The industrialization and urbanization of the country brought on by the war created an impersonal, stifling bureaucracy and a population of suspicious conformists. It is the road, the endless...
[The entire page is 283 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Tell a friend about On the Road at eNotes.
