Understanding Kerouac's on the Road

Jack Kerouac's ON THE ROAD endures as a benchmark in postwar American Letters and an eternal rite of passage for youth. But how many of these young readers actually "get" Kerouac's theme of individual redemption? How many, instead of encountering themselves in the novel as Kerouac intended, encounter only the ghosts of others: the "Beats" of Kerouac's era and imagination? In this penetrating consideration, Ed Renehan reveals Kerouac's main inspirations (and process) in creating ON THE ROAD, and considers the impact the book had on both the author and his times. Most importantly, he examines why the novel Kerouac meant as a banshee cry against orthodoxy has too often been misconstrued as a promotional brochure for mock-rebellion: mere imitation of what others have done before, mere mimicking of the novel's "Beat" characters.