On the Road

On the Road Summary | Part 1, Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

On the Road is the story of the travels of two young men who crisscross the United States in search of excitement and adventure. The story of Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise parallels Jack Kerouac's own life when he partnered with a young man named Neal Cassaday, who is portrayed by Moriarty in the novel. The bohemian lifestyle and free spirited adventures of Moriarty and Paradise were magnetic for American readers in the repressed era of the 1950s. Kerouac's book gave rise to the Beat generation, which symbolized rebellion and self absorbed pursuits of pleasure and exploration.

It is 1947 and Sal Paradise is living with his aunt in New Jersey and attending college in New York City. Recently divorced, Sal is lonely, depressed, and in sore need of some excitement in his life. Sal's friend, Chad King, tells Sal about a friend of his named Dean Moriarty who will soon be released from a reformatory in New Mexico and who plans to come to New York. Sal is anxious to meet Dean and when Dean does finally arrive, he has brought along his girlfriend named Marylou. Dean shares with the others about his yearning to learn to write and hopes that some of his new friends will help him.

Dean finds employment as a parking lot attendant and spends time with Sal and some others, but soon meets Carlo Marx to whom Dean is instantly attracted. Dean and Carlo seem to have the same rebellious personalities and zest for life and Sal feels left out, although Sal acknowledges the great minds of Dean and Carlo and knows that nothing can stop this partnership or the energy forged from it.

Before long, Dean breaks up with Marylou and moves in with Sal for a while but ultimately leaves for Denver. A prep school friend of Sal's, Remi Boncoeur, has written to tell Sal about the possibility of hopping an ocean liner in San Francisco from which point they would sail the world. Sal is buoyed by this news, too, and vows to follow Dean out west. Despite his aunt's warnings, Sal leaves New Jersey with fifty dollars and the dream of finding knowledge and adventure.