On the Road | On the Road

At a glance:

Author: Jack Kerouac
First Published: 1957
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Autobiographical
Time of Work: 1947-1950
Setting: United States
Principal Characters: Sal Paradise, Dean Moriarity, Carlo Marx, Old Bull Lee, Ed Dunkel, Galeta Dunkel, Remi Boncoeur, Marylou, Camille, Inez
Genres: Long fiction, Autobiographical fiction, Picaresque fiction
Subjects: Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Traveling or travelers, Love or romance, 1940’s, Roads, streets, or highways, Drugs, Adventure
Locales: United States, Mexico

Sal Paradise was living at his aunt’s house in New Jersey while working on his first novel. His “life on the road” began when he read letters written from reform school by Dean Moriarity. When Dean arrived in New York with his new wife Marylou, Sal was impressed with the younger man’s enthusiasm and was flattered by Dean’s desire to learn to write. He recognized that Dean was a con man who was probably conning him as well, but he enjoyed his company. Sal was sorry when Dean met Carlo Marx, a poet with a “dark mind,” for he could not keep up with Dean...

On the Road | On the Road

At a glance:

The Story:

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