Writing Theme Analysis

Along with several other of his friends, Sal is a writer. In fact, Dean first comes to Sal to learn how to write. Part of the way in which Sal and his friends rebel against mainstream society is in dedicating themselves to modern, experimental writing and creative pursuits rather than to traditional jobs. This aspect of On The Road is often read autobiographically, so that the novel can be seen as, in some way, about Kerouac himself and other Beat writers. But while people often draw direct equations between characters and real-life people (so that Sal, for example, is really Kerouac himself), what might be more important is the general tension between writing and real-life experience. Writing requires withdrawing from social life, taking time out of the crazy course of life to pause, reflect, and write. However, at the same time, one needs something to write about. One needs to live and go out in order to have interesting experiences that may form the basis for one’s writing. This tension can be seen with Sal, who leaves his half-finished manuscript at home in order to journey west after Dean. He seeks new, interesting experiences on the road, but this means putting his writing on hold for some time. Sal prizes living with a mad enthusiasm, but also values writing, which requires some peace, quiet, stability, and discipline. Sal balances these competing impulses by alternating between going on long journeys with or in search of Dean and staying with his aunt or otherwise settling down for a period of time. This vacillation between stasis and movement, withdrawing from the madness of his friends and indulging in it, allows him to balance writing with living his life. One can also see Kerouac himself working through a similar tension through his energetic prose style, filled with run-on sentences and often heedless of proper grammar. By making his writing as exciting, meandering, and free as Dean’s journeys, he makes the solitary activity of his writing more like the mad life it depicts.