Death

Throughout Desolation Angels, Kerouac's main obsession is suffering and death. The author examines death from many perspectives.

There is the death of the human body and how that death can affect the lives of those around the deceased. The main reference to this type of death regards Kerouac's father, who died at the family home in Brooklyn. Kerouac had returned home from his travels to help during his father's final days. Seeing his father had a severe impact on Kerouac, especially since the man who lay dying in the living room became repentant in the end. Before he died, Mr. Kerouac finally realized what he had missed out on in all the years he was away from home and how the poor treatment he heaped on Mrs. Kerouac was unjust.

Other references to death come from a more spiritual point of view. Many cultures believe that once one...