I was able to finish “On The Road” in my last reading and was not surprised of the ending. After briefly commenting generally on the ending, I wanted to readdress the main character’s relationship to the street and one of the novel’s best quotes. The ending did not differ to what I expected. The novel’s close was very predictable and a realistic conclusion to the entire plot. I was merely surprised by the fact that Sal does, actually, find a person to love and engages himself in a relationship. Additionally, the last two parts were very dynamic. The abrupt changes in setting and time and the almost incoherent flow of events made the ending very quick. For instance, as Sal Paradise walks Manhattan’s streets at night, he suddenly passes a friend’s apartment, is invited by a beautiful girl and bluntly falls in love with her. Without proper introduction, the narrator instantly declares his love for the girl and her mutual feelings. Although these plot-jumps make the hindmost parts somewhat confusing, this does not make the author less effective. Furthermore, the narrator’s evasive descriptions of the group’s drug use through Victor also make the movement between reality and hallucination very unclear. A white horse, for example, feels the urge to trample Dean in his car, before Sal protects his friend. Being excessively “high,” after consuming large amounts of natural marijuana, Paradise imagines to be the entire landscape’s protector. I feel, nonetheless, that the author creates unclear transitions between fantasy and reality deliberately. With his style, the author brings the main character’s emotions a lot closer to the reader. These strange, yet cleverly put transitions let the reader know how it feels for the character to gradually become “high.”
Sal’s relationship to the road changes dramatically throughout part 5, part 4 and even part 3. As described in an earlier blog entry, the narrator describes the road as “holy” or “home.” The characters seem to have a romantic or affectionate relationship with the road itself. The road is not personified, but especially Sal and Dean feeling constantly attracted to it and strive to get back to the road. It seems their only relief, their only sanctuary. However, in the last parts, the main character resents the life on the road gradually more. As Sal returns from Mexico or thinks back to his days in Denver he mentions that he feels the road is “awful.” The narrator also begins to resent and itinerant life, wandering around the country. He feels a fairly strong connection to New York City and seems somewhat disgusted by Dean’s constant traveling of the “awful” country. Environments, like the road, the prairie and bus stops, that once formed Sal’s life structure and motivation, are in the end foolish acts. Sal builds an arguably stable social structure in New York, by earning money on his book and finding a girl, and “the road” becomes insignificant.
After little thought, Remi’s statement, “You can’t teach the old maestro a new tune,” was included into my favorite literature quotes, along “Big Brother is watching you” and “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Remi speaks full truth. He, arguably, implies that humans do not change. Dean himself, will never abandon his reckless, wicked and itinerant ways. Sal cannot expect or influence Moriarty to independently change his entire lifestyle. Dean’s behavior defines him since birth, and will undoubtedly not alter. The quote’s simplicity demonstrates its genius as it finds another way to say that the human being’s instincts do not change throughout life.
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