Research on Jack Kerouac

Alex Gilkerson

ENG 1510

September 12, 2012

I did my research on Jack Kerouac because I was a bit stumped with the assignment.  After reading different articles, it was very clear that one thing that influenced him was definitely music.  Mostly jazz music though.  Some people call him the “father of the Beat movement”.  He says he doesn’t like to be labeled as that, which to me symbolizes that he is humble and doesn’t like a lot of attention.  Another thing that seemed to influence him greatly was his experiences and the people around him.  He would write autobiographies about his friends and family and the experiences they took on together.  

Jack Kerouac is a very interesting person.  I really got a lot out of one of his quotes.  “I want to work in revelations, not just spin silly tales for money. I want to fish as deep down as possible into my own subconscious in the belief that once that far down, everyone will understand because they are the same that far down.” — Jack Kerouac.  To me, this tells that he wanted to write different then all the other people.  He didn’t want to make up silly stories, he wanted to tell real life events that he or someone around him had experienced.  It is said that he was known for keeping tons of little notebooks that he would take little notes, write little stories, and also draw.  

Not only was Kerouac influenced by the people that surrounded him, but he also influenced great writers.  Two writers liked his free style writing so much that they mocked his style.  They were also all friends.  Their names are William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.

On the Road, is said to be Jack’s most famous novel.  It has two characters, Sal and Dean who travel across the world doing drugs and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.  Amongst their journey they met lots of people.  From famous jazz musicians, to drug addicts and hitchhikers.  The funny thing is, the two main characters; Sal and Dean, were actually based on Jack and his close friend Neal Cassady.  This is a perfect example of how he incorporates his own experiences into his writings.  

After doing this research, I am going to go to the library when I have time to see if they have the novel On the Road.  It seems like an exciting read nd would be very interesting.