Cultural Rebellion And Pursuit Of Spiritual Freedom Of "the Beat Generation"

"The Beat Generation" was a literary genre and cultural trend mainly composed of poets and writers, which appeared in America after World War II. It was regarded as the pioneer of "postmodern" literature, and led a series of later counter-culture movements. However, because of the deviant themes of their works and their bohemian attitude towards life, they suffered from a lot of exclusion. Jack Kerouac as the "King of the Beat Generation", his masterpiece On the Road is an autobiographical American road novel which is known as the "Bible" of the Beatniks and has strong representation in the interpretation of their various life experiences and their complex of "on the road". Michel Foucault, the French philosopher and sociologist, his theories about Madness and Civilization, Aesthetic of Existence can exactly and scientifically explain the Beatniks’ insanity and their crazy lifestyle.Therefore, this article is intended to interpret the novel On the Road based on Foucault’s theories of the two aspects and further explore the cultural significance and value behind the Beatniks’ walking. Through Foucault’s Theory of Madness and comparative analysis of the illusory material prosperity of post-war American society and the virtual spiritual wasteland of people’s minds, we can see that the so-called Beatniks’ "madness" and the "reason" of mainstream society are all constructed by the ruling class of the time. While the seemingly crazy life-style of the Beatniks and their initiative approach to the "others" is actually their rebellion against mainstream culture. In addition, their bohemian attitude towards life is the practice of Foucault’s Aesthetics of Existence. Through self-care, subversion of the tradition and self-transcendence, they aspire to achieve a state of poetic survival. Firstly, their self-care is reflected in their common complex of "on the road" and the search for spiritual father who is the symbol of freedom. Then, their subversion of the tradition manifests as Kerouac’s creation of "spontaneous writing" which is opposed to the traditional mode of writing, and as the Beatniks’ addiction to bop jazz to seek for the spiritual "IT". Lastly, their self-transcendence is displayed in the Beatniks’ later turning to embrace Buddhism for spiritual salvation and their building of sincere relations between people. This thesis concludes that the Beatniks defined as "marginal men" by the society were expressing their rebellion against the mainstream culture and their pursuit of true spiritual freedom as well.Foucaultian interpretation not only expands a new view for the study of On the Road, but also provides an opportunity to understand his theory. Thus, we can see that the Beatniks expressed their generation’s persistent spiritual exploration and criticism of American social reality at that time through their literary creation. What they have brought for us is the questioning of the history of rationality. They inspire us to treat and reflect the authority and rationality prudently, and have courage to pursue the true self and spiritual freedom. At the same time, this kind of interpretation will be of profound significance to the understanding of cultures and social lives of the contemporary America, many other regions and countries in the world.