Identity of Women in Jack Kerouac’s On The Road Essay

The Identity of Women in On The Road The women in Jack Kerouacs work, On The Road, are portrayed as superficial and shallow, while the men display depth in character. Women are stereotyped as falling into one of three categories; virginal, maternal or promiscuous, and, throughout the novel, are referred to in a facetious, derogatory manner. ‘Sal’, the protagonist, expresses sexist attitudes, which are a result of both his upbringing and societal attitudes of the time. Although the novel does highlight the problem of sexism, ultimately it does nothing to criticise it, but in fact projects it. In On The Road, there are many instances in which female identity is diminished. These arise in the novel’s treatment of†¦show more content†¦In the novel, women have little dialogue. Their speech consists of phrases such as go ahead and do me or oh, poor baby. A slight twist on this is the character of Terry. Though only in the book briefly, she has lengthy dialogue (in comparison with the other female characters), and a relatively significant role. She is perceived by Sal as fulfilling his sexual desires and his desire for a maternal figure. He does not credit her character with much more than this. Then, Sal decides to leave Terry. This is something that should not have been as easy as it was for Sal. He is leaving his little family and he seems not to care too much. This may not be extremely severe but it does call into question his opinion of Terry and of women in general. Did he really care so much for her? Does he possibly feel that she is nothing he can not fi nd anywhere else? He relies on his Aunt to provide money for his departure, possibly substituting one mother figure for another. A notable aspect in dealing with Terrys identity, is that, after Sal leaves, she is again categorized as promiscuous. This can be seen in Sal’s conversation with the farmer in whose barn he has been sleeping. The farmer says You going with that Mexican floozy? and Sal only says Shes a very nice girl. There is no contradiction on his part. He does not say Shes no floozy. I love her. He says she is ‘nice’, as if justifying his being with a floozy. The essenceShow MoreRelatedLost Generation vs Beat Generation2771 Words   |  12 PagesA Comparison between Ernest Hemingway and Jack Kerouac in Context of their Corresponding Literary Periods Introduction While reading Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road I have noticed that the author Ernest Hemingway is mentioned quite often in the book. This has raised my interest to focus my research on the following. For the purpose of this paper I would like to take a closer look at Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, in context of the Beat Generation, in comparison to Ernest Hemingway, the leaderRead More Degradation of Women in Jack Kerouac’s On The Road Essay2309 Words   |  10 PagesThe Degradation of Women in On The Road An argument can be made that the women in Jack Kerouacs On The Road are not as characteristically well developed as the men. Through Sal and Deans interactions with women, the reader sees that there exist two types of females in this novel - the benevolent virgin/mother figure or the whore. Women are constantly referred to in a negative way or blatantly degraded and insulted by numerous characters. However, Kerouac (through the character of Sal) exhibitsRead MoreEssay on Treatment of Women in Jack Kerouac’s On The Road2336 Words   |  10 PagesThe Treatment of Women in On The Road  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The women in Jack Kerouacs On The Road were, it seems, not afforded the same depth in character which the author gave the men. The treatment of the women characters in both word and action by Sal and Dean seems to show that women could only be a virgin/mother figure or a whore. Throughout the novel there are many instances in which women and their feelings or actions are either referred to flippantly or blatantly degraded. It can beRead MoreJack Kerouac s On The Road1793 Words   |  8 PagesPublished in 1957, several years after it was written, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is lauded as one of the most important literary works of the twentieth century. 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The fifties Beat Generation, notably through Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and Allen Ginsberg’s Howl#61482; as will here be discussed, fought to revitalise individuality and revolutionise their censored society which seemed toRead MoreOn the Road Essay2385 Words   |  10 Pagesthat look down upon them. Jack Kerouac plays a major role in this time period pertaining to this lifestyle, authoring many works about it, one being On the Road. He uses the characters in this story to depict the diverse views on the Beatniks. This strong interpretation used throughout the novel sets the stage for many other authors writing on behalf of the Beat Generation. The characters he uses in this novel are the representation of the view which looks upon the Beats. Jack Kerouac portrays the negativeRead MoreA Brief Analysis Of the Counterculture Movement of the 1960s2857 Words   |  12 Pagesyoung. The far-reaching changes that developed in the late 1960s affected many aspects of society. Many college-age men and women became the major force of the civil rights movements. Other young people simply separated themselves from mainstream culture through their appearance and lifestyle and joined the group of hippies. Attitudes toward sexuality appeared to loosen, and women began to openly protest the traditional roles of housewife and mother that society had assigned to them. With the nationRead More Art, Literature And Society From 1955-1970 Essay examples5829 Words   |  24 Pages Fear and Loathing in a Clockwork AgeAh! The noble search for identity. That intangible achievement that all artists lust after and lay in torment over. And during the post war era that struggle reached incredible magnitudes. The world cried out for legio ns of anti-heroes, who were only virtuous in their unapologetic and brutally honest lack of virtue. And the art world provided as many counter culture messiahs as was needed to quot;Damn the Manquot;. The Beats, hippies, and punks are evidence

Combat HIV / AIDS And Sub-Saharan Africa - 1363 Words

achieve, with numbers remaining fairly similar over the last couple of decades and growth as small as 2 percent in poorer regions such as sub-Saharan Africa (The Millennium, 2015). For a developed nation, the idea of giving birth to a child without a skilled physician nearby monitoring the situation, or clinician of some degree not assisting with the birthing process is unfathomable. Yet, this is a reality in many developing nations across the world, especially the rural communities such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa. The numbers indicate maternal death due to complications during child birth at being almost 14 times higher in these developing nations compared to their developed counterparts (The Millennium, 2015). The reality of the†¦show more content†¦Overall, the crisis of HIV/AIDS, especially in sub-Saharan Africa is still a major issue. Perhaps the biggest factor is that developed nations have become fairly complacent when considering the disease, as not only has its prevalence dropped significantly in most areas, but treatment through anti-retroviral regimens has managed to increase an infected person’s lifespan to a level almost matchin g an uninfected person’s average lifespan. Those in sub-Saharan Africa face several key issues with this disease. A lack of education regarding HIV/AIDS and a lack of health care facilities and medication to combat HIV/AIDS are perhaps two of the largest. The country unfortunately faces an upcoming crisis, with the youngest generation’s parents and caregivers becoming too sick or succumbing to the disease before vital education, such as the ability to farm a landscape suffering from desertification, is passed on (Sowing Seeds of Hunger). Ensure Environmental Sustainability Ensuring environmental sustainability was created with a focus more on the creation of programs and initiatives, than actual hard target points. With that in mind, the data has unfortunately shown an increase of over 50% in carbon dioxide emissions, a major contributor to global warming, and perhaps an indicator of global reliance on fossil fuels.Show MoreRelatedThe Environment Where Public Administration Is Being Implemented1490 Words   |  6 Pagesreduce socio-economic inequality, combat poverty, and support both social and private sector development, among others. The only way governments can accomplish this is to strengthen the public administrators in order to fulfill these need and ensure that expectations are met. An example of an environment this essay will delve into will be the sub-Saharan African environment. This environment in particular is affected by massive amounts of debt, poverty, HIV/AIDS, other diseases, famine, corruptionRead MoreHiv / Aids : A Virus That Attac ks One s Immune System989 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction HIV/AIDS is a virus that attacks one’s immune system, leading to one being immunocompromised and vulnerable to infections (Skolnik, 2012). According to Skolnik (2012), HIV is mainly spread through unprotected sex, through bodily fluids such as blood and can also be transmitted from mother to child through childbirth. HIV/AIDS remains one of the most highly known communicable diseases in South Africa (Avert, 2015). In addition to the 6.2 million people currently living with HIV, World HealthRead MoreThe Presence And Outbreak Of An Infectious Disease1176 Words   |  5 Pagespandemic that has had far reaching consequences is that of HIV (human immunodeficiency)/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency symptoms), which officially began in 1981 and since has taken the lives of over 39 million people worldwide (PBS). The HIV virus attacks one’s â€Å"T-cells,† which are vital to one’s immune system. Someone infected with the virus becomes increasingly susceptible to contracting infections (Immune System 101). People can contract the HIV virus through the following ways: in their mother’s wombRead MoreHiv Is A Disease?1574 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction HIV is a disease which eventually kills ones immune system, and as time progresses it leads to AIDS. When the HIV enters a human, it attaches itself to a CD4 receptor and continues to enter the T-Cell. It then reprograms the cell to produce more HIV using the enzyme, reverse transcriptase. The HIV then leaves the host cell, but kills it before it leaves. Then, the HIV cells attach their selves to new T cells, and infect those as well. After about 12 weeks, the HIV antibodies appear inRead MorePublic Health Problem Of The United States1677 Words   |  7 Pagesthe United States today is the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, among the American population. Beginning in the 1980s, the U.S. public health system has been working vigorously to come up with effective methods for preventing the spread of this debilitating virus. HIV has persistently stayed within the human population due to the continual transmission of the disease. 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When looking at the class sizes, i t can be observed that most countries with medical school in South Africa do not produce more than 100 doctors a year. This leaves an extreme need for more doctors in the area because their ratio of doctors to patients is so minute. In comparisonRead MoreThe United Nation s Millennium Development Goals1021 Words   |  5 Pagesparticular goal of the UK’s Millennium Development, goal number six, is the combat of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria in all countries. There are many countries that have made significant progress in the combat of disease; Nigeria is no exception. This is due to Nigeria exponentially increasing there treatment and counseling facilities for HIV/AIDS, along with the distribution of millions of insecticide-treated products to combat malaria. 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Though all of these can seem daunting and hard to combat, none of them can be accomplished if the world’s population is not healthy. If people do not have the physical strength to think of new and innovative ways to take on these issues, then no progress

Establishing Character free essay sample

Breathing life into simple names, I became a writer. Exhaling carbon dioxide into them, my newborn characters reveal traits and backgrounds to amuse me. I watch carefully chosen words on paper become my marionettes, dancing in my notebook whenever I ask them to. I spend countless days scripting their every dialogue, laying down their foundation, lighting the flame to spark their thoughts. They become a part of meaˆâ€ tender children I have created, who suddenly have minds of their own. Lately they’ve caught me by surprise. Rather, their rebellion against my ideas has taken me by surprise. I brought them into this world; they weren’t supposed to defy their creator! But they didn’t approve of my smooth, unoriginal pathsaˆâ€ they sauntered through wild grasses like the anti-conformists I wrote them to be. They did what they wanted based on their beliefs and values I instilled on them on page one. We will write a custom essay sample on Establishing Character or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The characters, the storiesaˆâ€ they were all so radically different. But somehow I kept noticing something familiar reflected in all of my creations, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Then it hit me. Me. I was Amy, I was Judeaˆâ€ Freya, Lily, Mark, Roger, Ellieaˆâ€ they were all in me. I realized how much Jude’s hatred for society was driven by my own independent, spiteful spirit. I learned how withdrawn I once was, due to having self-esteem as low at Amy’s. I became aware of how my self-reliant nature is only a misleading disguise to mask my need for companionship, as Freya discovered through meeting Jude. My constantly fluctuating morals have always made it difficult for me to define myself. Now I don’t need toaˆâ€ my characters have done it for me. By crafting them, I’ve let out pieces of me that have never been expressed before. In creating them, I’ve discovered myself.