On the Road by Jack Kerouac

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a true tale of the American wanderer; drifting from town to town exploring the lives of people on the line. It just moves so quickly and you often lose the motive of where the characters actually are and why. There’s some stunning descriptions of life on the open road; but every entry into city nightlife seems to hit the same formula of finding a jazz bar, getting drunk, meeting girls, showing off and seeking a ride to their next destination. The diary-style entries just don't work as there's no comparison of the past and the characters don't seem to learn any lessons. I couldn’t see the mysticism of Dean Moriaty. He just seemed to be a character of child-like wonder who is amused by everything he sees and is happy to follow whatever carrot is dangled in front of him. Meanwhile, everyone else has follows his actions and doesn’t dare to contradict or restrain him. There isn’t much to learn of our protagonists’ history either or where they first met; there is only the friendship of the open road. Mind you, it would be great if the whole real world was as open as receptive as that.

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