On The Road, But To Where?

The emergence of the Beat Generation in the late 1940s and early 1950s can be regarded as a furious reaction to American society after the Second World War. The social background of America following the Second World War was a peculiar mixture. On the one hand, the rapid development of since and technology, especially electronic technology brought the country material prosperity; on the other hand, the disaster brought by the world war, Cold War mentality, "Red Scare", and America's hegemony generated a depressing political atmosphere which led to people's dissatisfaction with the existing values and attitudes. Under such circumstances, the Beat Generation grew up as the vanguard of an anti-conventional movement. They desert the traditional values and lifestyles. They indulge themselves in wine, drugs, sex and jazz music; at the same time, they read Nietzsche, practice Zen Buddhism, attend anti-war protest, advocate environmental protect and support the Civil Rights Movement. The Beat Movement exerts great influence on the counterculture movement in the 1960s.The beat culture has been classified into youth subculture. Youth subculture includes the psychological characteristics and lifestyles of the young people whose ages are approximately from sixteen to thirty-five. They are almost mature physically and psychologically but not completely independent in economy or in social status. Thus, they tend to be dissatisfiedand even rebellious. The Beat Movement in the 1950s and the counterculture movement in the 1960s can be counted as typical examples of youth subculture which rebel against the dominant culture.The masterpiece of Jack Kerouac, On the Road, is glorified as the bible of the Beats. This picaresque novel is based on the personal experiences of the writer and his fiends. It is a story of many journeys, back and forth across America, filled with romantic and darkly humorous adventures. This brilliant mixture of fiction and autobiography vividly reveals the visions and lifestyles of the Beats.This thesis takes a cultural analysis on On the Road, trying to interpret the Beats' visions and lifestyles from the book and then summarizes some of the common characteristics of the youth. The thesis includes six parts. The introduction part deals with some related information of the Beat Generation and introduces youth subculture in brief. It also introduces the purpose as well as the method of this research. The first chapter gives a brief introduction of the book On the Road and the writer Jack Kerouac. The second chapter gives an overall picture of the American social background after the Second World War which is the main reason for the Beat Movement. Chapter Three analyzes some of the common characteristics of the youth and points out that it is these characteristics of the youth that have triggered the Beat Movement against the American social background after the global war. Both the Beat Movement and the counterculture movement have shaken the foundation of the traditional values. They are even influencing the contemporary American society. The last chapter, Chapter Four concerns the radical words and deeds of the Beats and hippies. Itpoints out that their radial lifestyle is actually an escaping rather than an approach to seek a way out. Finally, the chapter also gives some rational afterthoughts. Conclusion part restates the thesis and contains some reflections on youth culture in modern China.