Jack Kerouac's "On The Road."

Essay by nessa514High School, 11th gradeA+, December 2005

download word file, 7 pages 4.7

It was considered sinful and morally wrong to do anything in the 50's that didn't fit into the mold of a typical American family. The media condemned people who spoke up against the government, the people who didn't have typical jobs, the people who experimented with drugs, the people who had different sexual orientation, the people who questioned social standards, and the people who lived day by day without any long term plan. Throughout this decade, there was much conformity and social stability in America. However, author Jack Kerouac inspired many to stand up for themselves, as he wrote about his rebellious adventures across the US in his controversial book "On The Road."

Jack Kerouac, the acclaimed father of the Beat Movement, is probably the most predominant figure in beat literature. Born in 1922, in Massachusetts, Kerouac grew up in a middle class, French-Canadian environment. While his parents were struggling financially to make ends-meat, Jack was struggling to learn english and make friends at an early age.

When he became fluent in english, he quickly became fascinated with the literary world and would read anything he could get his hands on. In high school, Kerouac became a high school football star, and eventually it got him a scholarship to Columbia University. After the constant disagreements with his coach and a broken leg, Kerouac quit football as well as Columbia University, and moved back to Lowell. Drifting from occupation to occupation, Jack traveled around Boston and Washington DC, ignoring the face of consistency and stability. He eventually found his way back to Columbia where he would befriend a few people whom he would later meet up with again. He dropped out of Columbia again and enlisted in the Navy where he was eventually honorably discharged on psychological grounds. He re-joined...