Imagery and Symbols in On the Road essays

Imagery and Symbols in On the Road essays The Imagery and Symbols in Jack Kerouacs On the Road On the Road tells the story of a cross-country trip with a reckless group of characters that keep finding themselves in interesting situations. The characters are faced with several adventures that work at unraveling the story. The author, Jack Kerouac, uses imagery and symbols in On the Road to develop the theme. Kerouac wrote about his cross-country trips exactly as they occurred. The novel deals with the frenetic travels around the country of young people who, though poor, were in love with life, love, sex, drugs, jazz, and mysticism, and completely rejected the standard values of the time, (Vopat 387). The book immediately struck controversy in Americas society after its publication because of its content. Dean Moriarty, the main character in the novel is a young jail kid who is wholly emancipated from normalcy. His speech itself is a delirium of words, (Soitos 184). The problem became evident. Kerouac had created a fad. Bruce Cook, writer of the Beat Generation, describes it as, there was a sort of instantaneous flash of recognition that seemed to send thousand of teenagers out into the streets, proclaiming that Kerouac had written their story, (Cook 171). Kerouac and his Beat Generation created a movement of teenagers that parents and literary critics despised (Akers 1). Because of this, drugs and alcohol became a huge part of this generation and Kerouacs life (4). His fans followed his lead. Although On the Road is a well-known, well-written novel, a majority of the literary critics didnt think highly of Kerouacs novel. The consensus was that Kerouacs new literature would corrupt the young audience that Kerouac was bringing in (5). It was argued that Kerouacs first movement was full of love and tenderness and the in the next instance he becomes the quintessential A...