In Pursuit Of Authentic Existence

Jack Kerouac is a famous American novelist, whose admission to the Columbia University was a key event in his life, for it was at Columbia that Kerouac was exposed to the excitement and lure of the New York City. Departing from Columbia, Kerouac read voraciously and wrote continuously. He published numerous works, including novels, poems, prose, letters as well as unpublished fictions in French. Kerouac is well-known on the stage of literature in the world. He is generally considered to be the father of the Beat Generation, though he was deeply uncomfortable with such label. His novel On the Road hit the best-seller lists in 1957. Gilbert Millstein, the New York Times writer, predicted that On the Road would be for the Beat Generation what The Sun Also Rises was for the Lost Generation. Kerouac is an important and influential writer, who has exerted profound influence not only on other writers but also on many musicians, such as the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and so on.On the Road brought Kerouac great reputation as well as severe criticism. Many scholars in China and abroad have carried research on Kerouac's works, especially on his masterpiece On the Road. Their research is extensive, covering themes, writing technique, characters, influence, and so on. Besides, many critics mention the impact of the existentialism on the Beat Generation.Under the rational of existentialist thoughts, the present author attempts to reinterpret Kerouac's On the Road. The thesis consists of three chapters in addition to an introduction and a conclusion. Introduction presents a brief account of Kerouac and his novel On the Road, a review of the criticism on the novel, an explanation of the theoretical foundation and an outline of the thesis. Chapter One gives an introduction to existentialism, emphasizing the main existential thinkers and terms to be used in the thesis, and analyzes the relationship between Jack Kerouac and existential tendency. Chapter Two analyzes Sal's experience in the absurd world, including Sal's anxiety, alienation and free choice. Confronted with an absurd world, Sal feels anxious and alienated. He attempts to change his situation by embarking on the road. Chapter Three discusses Sal's quest for authentic existence, which involves Sal's quest for identity and responsibility. Sal makes great efforts to know himself and he is willing to shoulder the responsibility for himself and others for authentic existence. The thesis ends with a conclusion that the existential analysis of On the Road helps readers further apprehend Kerouac's subtle exploration in human existence.The existential analysis of On the Road fully presents Jack Kerouac's great interest in exploring the existence of the human beings of his period. With the absurd world and people's anxiety as the starting point of this novel, Kerouac ultimately illustrates that the only way to authentic existence is to discover self and shoulder the responsibility both for self and others.