On the Road

In the winter of 1947, Dean Moriarty comes to New York City and meets Sal Paradise, the story's main narrator, and his friend Carlo Marx. Dean is recently out of jail; not for the first time, and his reckless and rebellious ways are fascinating to Sal, who is a young writer with an intellectual, bohemian group of friends. Carlo Marx, who is a pseudonym for Alan Ginsberg, and Dean swap stories of their various adventures around the country, which further intrigues Sal, who is quite introspective, yet interested in humanity. Dean and Sal become fast friends, and begin their restless series of road trips and escapades.

Sal begins by hitchhiking and bus riding his way to the West, which he has always dreamed of visiting. He first stops in Denver to join Dean and other friends, and then continues his journey, working for a while in California. The following year Dean travels east to see Sal, who once again has adapted to a more stable life. The two men head out on the road together this time, heading west, partaking in craziness in New Orleans, and ending up in San Francisco. They continue this sort of back and forth pattern for many following seasons, traveling their way across different landscapes, eccentric characters, and even personal growth.

Jack Kerouac's On the Road was published in 1957. Widely considered to be largely autobiographical in nature the writing follows a long and sometimes confusing stream of consciousness. The book is also a defining artifact of the Beat Generation, which was heavily influenced by jazz, poetry and drug use. Kerouac's confessional prose style has inspired many writers and artists throughout the years, including Bob Dylan, Tom Robbins and Ken Kesey. It is perhaps the most famous road trip ever taken.