For your next blog assignment, I'd like you to "dig" through the text, especially this past weekend's reading assignment, and find a passage that you'd like to respond to, mull over, think about, uncover, discover, interpret, and write about! You might consider one of the passages we discussed in class--e.g. Carlo Marx's curious question to Sal Paradise: "What is the meaning of this trip to New York? What kind of sordid business are you on now? I mean, man, whither goest thou? Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car at night? (119)--or you can find one on your own. This is your journey, this is your experience. I want to hear from you. I want to read your words.
Your response to the passage that you choose (one paragraph in length) is due Wednesday, September 26, by the start of class.
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On pages 120-121 Dean seems to have transformed into a more mature and mystic person. While driving with Sal, he vigorously explaines how God exists. On page 120 he says, "Since Denver, Sal, a lot of things-Oh, the things-I've thought and thought. I used to be in reform school all the time, I was a young punk, asserting myself-stealing cars psychological expression of my position, hincty to show." His discussion carries on into page 121. He goes on to say, "God exists without qualms. As we roll along this way I am positive beyond doubt that everything will be taken care of for us." Sal says he has never dreamed of Dean becoming a mystic.
The passage I selected from the novel was when Dean got a ticket while returning to Sal’s house with Sal’s mom. “I told him to search the car if he wanted. I‘ve nothing to be ashamed of.’ She knew Dean had something to be ashamed of, and me too, by virtue of my being with Dean, and Dean and I accepted this sadly” (122). This passage for me illustrates the past generation literally the one that gave birth to the Beat generation examining and knowing much of it. For the mother in this passage had nothing to hide from the cop hiding behind a tree, yet she knew Dean and Sal did. But what is it that Dean and Sal have to be ashamed of, Dean especially, the wild men who parade around the country searching for the madness. What is it that makes them so ashamed?
In the passage “God was gone; it was the silence of his departure. It was a rainy night. It was the myth of the rainy night. Dean was popeyed with awe. This madness would lead nowhere. I didn’t know what was happening to me, and I suddenly realized it was only the tea that we were smoking; Dean had bought some in New York. It made me think that everything was about to arrive—the moment when you know all and everything is decided forever” (128), Sal implies God is hope in my opinion. Since “God was gone”, hope was also disappeared. Sal feels the confusion and the craziness, indicating “the madness would lead nowhere”. He knows the consequence of the continuing madness. However, Dean was still immersed in Shearing’s ecstatic performance, “popeyed with awe”. Sal then realizes it is the “tea”, which is actually marijuana, taking effect. Reading “the moment when you know all and everything is decided forever”, I can imagine Sal starts to believe everything is destined. We cannot do anything about it, but only accept our fates. The marijuana makes Sal to omen the future, predicting “everything was about to arrive”. The “hero” knows his journey is going to start. He is called to adventure again.
The passage I chose is on page 120 when Dean, Carlo and Sal are driving from New York City to Virginia in under 10 hours. I was particularly interested in this passage because according to Sal "Dean was tremendously excited about everything he saw, everything he talked about, every detail of every moment that passes." Why all the sudden is Dean tremendously excited about this particular road trip especially after pretty much exploring the entire United States on the open road. Was there something particular on the road trip to Virginia that he hadn't seen yet.
I selected the passage from the novel when Dean states “I went to visit my uncle; he said he’d have a job for me in a lumber mill. The job fell through, so I’m comin back home” (pg. 164) Dean heads from Oregon to Alabama, to his home where he hopes to find a new job. this quote exemplifies the agony of dean’s life and all of the disappointment he encounters on his journey.
I selected the passage from the novel when Dean states “I went to visit my uncle; he said he’d have a job for me in a lumber mill. The job fell through, so I’m comin back home” (pg. 164) Dean heads from Oregon to Alabama, to his home where he hopes to find a new job. this quote exemplifies the agony of dean’s life and all of the disappointment he encounters on his journey.
I selected the passage from the novel when Dean states “I went to visit my uncle; he said he’d have a job for me in a lumber mill. The job fell through, so I’m comin back home” (pg. 164) Dean heads from Oregon to Alabama, to his home where he hopes to find a new job. this quote exemplifies the agony of dean’s life and all of the disappointment he encounters on his journey.
I selected the passage on page 147 when Bull Lee talks about Dean, "He seems to me to be headed for his ideal fate, which is compulsive psychosis dashed with a jigger of psychopathic irresponsibility and violence." Then when he says to Sal, "If you go to California with this madman you'll never makie it." I chose these passages because I believe that Bull Lee is simply saying Sal is too wise and resposible to be as wild as Dean, and I agree with him. I believe that Sal will not be able to keep up with Dean in this next journey out West because he has travelled out West alone in the beginning of the novel and tried to live a life like Dean but he ended up going back East, where he came from. I say this because on page 90 when Sal is involved with Terry he says, "I finally decided to hide from the world one more night with her, and the morning be damned." He then goes on to say, "Something was being proved, I was convincing her of something, which she accepted, and we concluded the pact in the dark, breathless, then pleased, like little lambs." In these passages I think Sal is hiding from Dean in a way because he is not living wildly or irresposibly; he is hiding a responsible relationship that he has developed with Terry. This is why I believe he is not capable of living the same life as Dean, as Bull Lee suspects.
The passage I selected was on page 119 when Deal and Sal are heading to New York. "What is the meaning of this trip to New York? What kind of sordid business are you on now? I mean, man, whither goest thou? Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car at night? (119). Carlo is jealous of Dean and Sal's relationship now that it has strengthened. Carlo used to have the same relation with Dean and now remembers what it was like when he was on the road and now wants to go back to it.
Dean seems to be reborn into a more mature, and thankful person. "Dean was tremendously excited about everything he saw, everything he talked about, every detail of every moment that passed" (pg.120). Dean is living more from the moment then ever, and with great faith which he never seemed to show before. '"He was out of his mind with real belief. "And of course now no one can tell us that there is no God"'(pg.120).
I chose the passage, "And I couldn't even tell if it was a real decision anymore or just a thought I had fogotten" (124). this to me shows the path in which Sal is heading. Where he no longer can tell the difference betwwen what is reality and what is not. These trips across the country have taken away from from his thoughts about what he wants out of life. He is living through Dean and his adventures, instead of getting that family that he wants to settle down with. This passage was a perfect example of how he is getting away from reality and need to maybe get back on track. The decisions that he makes are very important and if he is forgeting those decesions, then maybe he is forgeting what he wants.
In the passage on page 128, Dean realizes the piano chair symbolizes God, and "Gods empty chair." The departure of God brought madness to Dean and Sal, both realizing that without God, they wouldn't be able to carry on with their journey. At this particular moment, Sal goes into a realization "when you know all and everything is decided forever." This moment led him to self awareness, and is excited for the many adventures that are coming his way.
In this passage we see a more matured Dean. He is on his way to New York with Carlo and Sal. He seems graceful when he is talking about what has happened over the past couple years."Dean was tremendously excited about everything he saw, everything he talked about, every detail of every moment that passed" (pg.120). He talks about God and his life. He has traveled around the U.S. And says he has seen God everywhere. "And of course now no one can tell us(them) that there is no god." (p.120)His life has changed over the past couple years along with himself
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