Hey, I usually wouldn't make a thread about something like this, but I'm looking for a bit of help when it comes to Jack Kerouac's "On The Road". I need to write an essay comparing the alienation in both Frankenstein and On The Road. I've got Frankenstein down, but does anyone who has read On The Road know any instances of alienation in the novel? For example, who is responsible for the alienation? What does the alienated character do to try and rid himself of the alienation? And what are the effects of the alienation on that character? I don't need long paragraphs, perhaps just an event to get me started. Any help is highly appreciated.
Go to google, and search SparkNotes. Then, type in this book and it should come up with some stuff about it. That site can help you big time with stuff like that.
I'm currently in the process of doing that, but the book analysis seems sub-standard compared to other works on the site.
"On The Road" is one of my favorite books, but I don't recall too much alienation. Maybe you could somehow tie in the part where Sal is growing away from Remi? Or maybe the very end of the book when Sal leaves Dean behind. I suppose the whole beatnik movement thing was based off of alienation, though. I can't figure out how to phrase what I'm tyring to say, so I'll take a quote from a website. "After Kerouac's On the Road appeared in 1950, he became a Beat icon whose rambling lifestyle symbolized the alienation and rebelliousness of the generation." Yeah, I wish I could help you out a little more. Sorry. Seems like a difficult project, comparing Frankenstien to On The Road.
Yeah, I think I may have found it. Project? I wish! Try 50% final exam tomorrow. I'm kinda twisting everything around and saying (taken from my study guide i just typed out); - His actions and his expectations are the cause. He has set himself up for disappointment. - His expectations of the places he travels are reveries, dreams, and he is shocked by reality when his expectations are not fulfilled. - He becomes increasingly depressed and alienated by reality. - This is not reality’s fault, but rather his fault for underestimating it. - He is dissatisfied with what he encounters upon his travels. (Ex: Carlos’ view of the Rockies as paper maché: a sham. Not everything it’s cracked up to be.) - Sal’s view of the west is one of escapism, freedom, passion, wild, vibrant. - San Francisco is a disappointment. Instead of being vibrant and lively, it makes him lonely and distant. Sal finds himself in a dead-end job as a night watchman for a boarding camp of sailors. The reason he can’t hold down a job is a fear of commitment. He “wasn’t cut out to be a cop”. - He moves around to try and search for things to fill the void in his life. - Another example of a fear of commitment: His reluctance to discuss serious topics and give his own opinion. This is in fear of having to back up his opinion or receive backlash. He just wants to be “along for the ride”, and not in the way. - Thus, he is fulfilling the role of an observer, a passive bystander. - Another example of this is shown by his inability to stay in one place for a sustained amount of time. He shelters himself from seeing deeper into the reality he does not wish to confront. He fears conclusion. He likes things open-ended. - The effect of this alienation is that Sal feels compelled to move away from his anxieties instead of confronting them.