On the Road

by Jack Kerouac

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On the Road Questions and Answers

What are some major themes of Jack Kerouac's work On the Road?

What is the rising action of On the Road?

How does Jack Kerouac's On the Road affirm or reject conformity of the 1950s?

What is the falling action of the book On the Road?

What is the exposition in On the Road?

What is the climax of the book On the Road?

What is the resolution of the book On the Road?

What figurative language devices were used in On the Road by Jack Kerouac? How were they used in the text? Provide examples.

What are the main tones that Jack Kerouac uses in this book On the Road?

What is Jack Kerouac's narrative style in his book On the Road?

How does Jack Kerouac use diction and literary devices in On the Road?

Comment on the role of social norms in On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

At the beginning of the novel, Sal Paradise admits to having ambivalent feelings about Dean, at first thinking him to be a little too tough, a real streetkid. Later, his feelings toward his friend change, though still mixed, as he calls him an "idiot," and an "imbecile," but also a "saint," and finally "the HOLY GOOF." Do you think Sal's opinion about Dean's character and intelligence is ever completely resolved? Add details from the story to support your answer.

The climax of a story is the most exciting or intense point in the story. What is the climax of On the Road?

What causes Sal Paradise to give up life on the road?

Behind us lay the whole of America and everything Dean and I had previously known about life and life on the road. We had finally found the magic land at the end of the road and we never dreamed the extent of the magic. Why is this quote meaningful and representational of On the Road?

Identify a rhetorical message intrinsic to On the Road by Jack Kerouac. The message should be examined through the lenses of theme, character, and stylistic elements.

What is Jack Kerouac's vision of individuality?

In On the Road, in what ways does alcohol represent Sal's need for new experiences?

Explain the theme of On the Road, and relate the theme to postmodernism.

Jack Kerouac said he wanted to capture the image and intensity of feeling in On the Road. Does he accomplish this? How is his writing style different from other modernist works?

Compare the book On The Road by Kerouac and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Baum. Both books talked about a journey.

What is it about Dean that Sal is so attracted to?

What are some differences in style and context between Burroughs' Naked Lunch and Kerouac's On the Road?

Did the use of pseudonyms for Jack Kerouac's friends and censorship of the "unsavory" parts of On the Road speak volumes about American society?

What does On the Road say about belonging?

Explain Dean and Sal's relationship with women in On the Road.

Identify how the rhetorical message of freedom to find oneself is inherent in the employed conventions of On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

What would be a good thesis for an argumentative paper on this book?

How does the first person narration in On the Road affect the novel?

Audio book I have actually never read on the road however, I have listened to it about 8 times. I am absolutely obsessed with this book, it has changed my life and my mind. I have listened to 3 different narrators. I have one other to listen to but for me the one read by Frank Muller is absolute perfection he nails Dean and the fast, open, jazzy, and melancholic feel of the book. After hearing this one I'm spoiled. I recently listened to the 50th Anniversary edition read by Will Patton he's an actor I've seen before. He did a really good job however his Dean is a little to sinister and snarly, but it works. Then there is the one by Matt Dillion, it is a train wreck, it sounds like he is just reading a list no life, no jazz, no Dean. I can't listen to it. If any of you have listened to these or others lets chat about it. Anyway I'm new to this group and would love to hear from you all I really love this book and would like to discuss it with others. My email address is zabari@charter.netmy IM is zabari39z see you on the boards.

In the book On the Road, while picking grapes who does Sal compare himself to?

In On The Road, what key events led to Sal growing up?

Could it be said that On the Road is countercultural without pretense?

In Jack Kerouac's On the Road, what might be some good analytical questions to ask about chapters 9-11 of Part Three?

Discuss the following statement:  "Sal's shared values of rejecting mainstream, White, middle class culture creates a sense of kinsship with Dean."

Why did Jack Kerouac chose the topic and themes of the novel given the Zeitgeist in which the work was created?

What part of the reading shows exemplified personal freedom representing a break from tradition?

About Dean Moriarty's portrait, what was the role in the novel and Sal's life?

Do you think that Sal Paradise was successful in finding spiritual and emotional healing and salvation by the end of the book?

In On the Road, what does "the road" itself stand for?

The concept of "it" is prevalent in the novel.  What is "it" for Sal and Dean?