On The Road: A Spiritual Journey To Literary And Cultural Liberation

After the Second World War,America stepped into a time of reason and logic.The Americans were seriously affected by the materialism and consumerism,blind to human emotions and spiritual freedom.The literary realm thus became a waste land,for lack of individuality.The publishing of On the Road in 1957 gave a violent blow to the rigid social discipline,and brought a fresh air to American literature.The novel made the country aware of the Beat Generation,and also endowed it with cultural significance and public resonance.Kerouac as the author of the novel also became a counterculture icon for the public.In the thesis the novel On the Road is interpreted as a spiritual journey to literary and cultural liberation.It is divided into five chapters.The first chapter is to introduce the cultural background of the post-war America, and the literature review of the past critics.Under the control of the mainstream culture, the people's mind was rigid and lack of individuality.Simple introductions to On the Road and its author are also made.The second chapter is to reveal the subculture in this novel.It argues from three aspects:Dean as a symbolization of the new counterculture dream,women as a force that restricts the freedom and individuality for Sal and his male.friends,and whiteness as a representation of the materialism and conformity.The third chapter first analyzes two cultural aspects exhibited in the novel: Buddhism and jazz.The mad lifestyle of the characters and their queer thoughts can be interpreted by Buddhism,and their craze for jazz can also reflect their desire for freedom.Buddhism and jazz strengthen Kerouac's spontaneous tendencies and provide a new dimension.Then the paper will focus on his spontaneous writing which matches the contents perfectly.The fourth chapter interprets the reason of Sal's going half way during the spiritual journey and reassesses that the Beat Generation is not degenerate in fact.People should not only pay attention to their behaviors and words,but also the real purpose behind the madness.Although someone fails on the road to freedom and liberation,it remains a great avant-garde literary and cultural movement.The last chapter is the conclusion,which points out its influence on the literary and cultural creation.The subculture reflected in the novel is a great challenge to the authority of the mainstream culture in America.Kerouac's using of spontaneous composition is also a great attempt in the literary creation.