A Probe Into The Beat Generation's Rebelliousness

The Beat Generation is a loosely affiliated group of American writers and poets led by Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg who came to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s. They are known especially for their rebelliousness—their use of non-traditional forms and their rejection of conventional social values. Thematically and stylistically, the Beat Generation's literary works are rebellious creation against convention. By choosing two Beats' classic works, On the Road and Howl, this thesis tries to carry out a survey of the rebelliousness manifested in the Beats'works as well as their literary style and make a probe into the sources of the Beat Generation's rebelliousness.The Beat Generation's rebelliousness in literature is reflected in two aspects: themes and style. The literary works of the Beat Generation embody tree rebellious themes:First, the theme of unbridled freedom, which is a rebellious eruption against the repressive milieu. By seeking for freedom, the Beat Generation tried to break themselves completely from the mainstream bourgeois culture and traditional conventions. Second, the theme of sex. America is a country with a long tradition of Puritanism.One of its main codes of behavior is restraint of affection and abstinence. Against this background, sex, for the Beat Generation, became the right tool to rebel against society. Third, the theme of alienation. Alienation represents the most immediate divorce from the mainstream bourgeois convention. In their works, the Beat writers expressed their alienation from conventional, or "square" society, their heroes are all marginal people estranging from the mainstream culture. The Beat Generations'rebelliousness is also manifested in their literary style which again includes three aspects:firstly, the spontaneous writing style. It is a unique style of the Beats'literature which rebels against the rigidity of traditional literary conventions. Secondly, the "naked" way of expression, which puts the artistic standard of "trueness" before the standards of "beauty" and "goodness". It is a negative of "fine literature" that gives lopsided stress on form to the neglect of content and separates literary works from social reality. Thirdly, anti-hero characters. The Beat writers do not follow a conventional way of creation which aims at fashioning traditional perfect heroes, instead, they create in their works characters that can be called anti-heroes who deviate from traditional rational people. Compared with traditional noble-minded and gracious heroes, they are insignificant, weak, and weird, having lots of shortcomings and bad habits. However, it is these anti-heroes who often commit themselves to chivalrous deeds, it is they who are compassionate towards the disadvantaged lower-class people, ready to help them, identify with them and unite them to form a big warm family.The sources of the Beat Generation's rebelliousness can be boiled down to five aspects:First, The social and historical background. Economically, under the surface of prosperity, the American society in the 1950's was dominated by materialism, money worship and cultural conformity which alienated interpersonal relations and stifled personality; politically, the American society in the 1950s was totally enveloped in the tension of Cold War and smothered by the pressure of McCarthyism characterized by anti-communism, thought-control and persecution of progressive intellectuals. As a result, a widespread dullness held sway in American literary world, most of the writers lost their courage, their personality and their voice; Second, The ideological sources of Transcendentalism and Existentialism. Transcendentalism lays emphasis on individualism, self-reliance, a harmonious relationship with nature and rejection of materialism and traditional authority. All these are rebellious factors contradicting with the mainstream culture of the 1950's, nevertheless, these rebellious elements resonated with the Beat Generation. The literary movement of the Beat Generation bears quite a few transcendentalist features. Existentialism is a philosophical movement which emphasizes on individual existence, freedom, and choice. Existentialism laid a philosophical basis for the Beats' rebellion. According to Existentialism, the world is absurd, irrational and cold, and there is not a predetermined essence that defines what it is to be a human, man as an individual of life, has the complete freedom to choose the form of his existence. Therefore, like existentialists, the Beat Generation called on people to live for real existence, to oppose authority and obedience. Third, the youth sub-culture circle. The precondition of counterculture movement is the rebellious youth sub-culture circle which constitutes the prime mover of the later counterculture movement. Due to its huge number, its independence brought about by economical prosperity and better education, the youth sub-culture circle came into being in the 1950's and formed an influential social force with strong rebellious mood, greatly influencing the Beat Generation. Fourth, inspiration from jazz culture. Evolved from a special historical background and with a development of 100 years, jazz music contains unique rebellious cultural connotations such as innovation, improvisation, freedom, wildness and revelry which serve as the source of inspiration for the rebelliousness in the Beat's literature. Jazz music not only inspired their literary ideas but also influenced their literary style. Last but not least, the personal experiences and personality of Korouac and Ginsberg---- the leading roles of the Beat Generation, play a crucial role in the Beats'rebelliousness. It can be said that these two writers' literary talent was sparked by a collision between their personal aggressiveness and social solidity. Although brought up in different background, both of the two writers developed a common cynical personality and experienced identity crisis to some extent, which inevitably led to their rebelliousness.In conclusion, the Beat Generation's literary movement characterized by rebelliousness was not an accident. It was a product of special historical period and special social background which bred various sources of the movement.