On the Road Study Guide consists of approx. 80 pages of summaries and analysis on On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Browse the literature study guide below:
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. (read more)