Analyzing Themes of Escapism in Kerouac’s On the Road

  Analyzing Themes of Escapism in Kerouac’s On the Road

A common mantra in literary circles is “write what you know.” For Jack Kerouac, what he knew best was the dichotomous potential of drugs and alcohol. His writing regiment was fueled by speed-driven burst of creativity. With the majority of his work being autobiographic excursions, alcohol abuse often comprised a central theme. Unfortunately, years of substance abuse took his life early. In 1969 while sitting in his favorite chair drinking whiskey and malt liquor the author finally succumbed to the damage. He began bleeding very badly and died the next morning following emergency surgery at only age 47 (Wikipedia).  As a cultural narrative, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road features the reoccurring theme that escapism and creative enhancement through drugs and alcohol was a prevalent feature within the discontented Beat generation.

            The Beats purposefully sought out a new definition of the American dream unfettered by convention. As such, artistic endeavors were the mechanism to flesh out what they hoped to discover…….an authenticity that eluded them within the sober conformity of the postwar era. "Dean and I are embarked on a tremendous season together. We’re trying to communicate with absolute honesty and absolute completeness everything on our minds. We’ve had to take Benzedrine. We sit on the bed, cross-legged, facing each other” (Kerouac, 37). Benzedrine fuels the creative spirit, if only for a while. The use of mind-altering substances (particularly LSD) was to be fully realized by the hippies; the natural fruition of their Beat forefathers. It is interesting that the characters are facing each other when seeking insights and truth. They have literally turned their backs on the society outside and look only to each other for it.

            However they wish to distinguish themselves apart from the contemporary society they loathe, the tendency to find solace within an alcoholic haze is really something that the characters in the novel share in common with it.  While Sal, Terry and Ricky contemplate tomorrow’s promised work they visit a crossroads saloon. Kerouac takes advantage of this bar to metaphorically comment on the national propensity to escape through alcohol.  Off they go with the often repeated “What we need is a drink.” When they arrive they find the saloon crowded with indulging parents and their children playing in the back. The only difference is that the perpetual wanderers are not tethered by parental obligations or Monday jobs. Living in the moment, they drank and escaped (if only momentarily) as did the whole of American society represented at the crossroads. Both nomads and the families of the San Joaquin Valley they visit share one Sunday evening pushing back “Mañana’s” responsibilities until tomorrow with each and every sip (85).

            Sal and Dean are radically indifferent to responsibility. They desire a certain amount of risks, a certain amount of spontaneity and danger. The tendency to continuously alter their mental state is a reflection of that rejection of the status quo. They see no excitement, find no creative muse, nor do they enjoy mere sobriety. The novel is rife with references to drugs and alcohol and represents a symbolic statement against the mundane society they feel the need to escape. It’s as if living alone is not enough. The conservative nuclear family is lacking, and the 9 to 5 job is for suckers. By revealing to his audience an authentic personal battle with substance abuse through his characterizations, Kerouac prophetically warned his audience of the dangers associated with uninhibited risk.

Works Cited

Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. New York: Viking, 1997. Print.

Wikipedia contributors. "Jack Kerouac." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The      Free Encyclopedia, 1 Sep. 2016. Web. 21 Sep. 2016.