On the Road by Jack Kerouac Essay

this instant considered not just now a leg turn backary devise at bottom the hi spirit take aim of Ameri rat literature, Jack Kerouacs On the route is as well regarded as the glacial work of an entire generation of young Americans looking for for purpose and direction in a domain not far removed from world war, and fitting increasingly complicated and fast paced. In the thick of the sweeping societal mixed bags depicted through Kerouacs characters in On the Road, the protagonist of the story, dean Moriarty, stands as an iconic, enigmatic figure.In this essay, the dynamics and complexities of Moriartys fictitious characterlity, as well as the forms that this personality undergoes as On the Road unfolds will be discussed in order to better understand not only Moriarty as a character, exclusively also what he represents. doyen Moriartys Changes Within the Plot of On the Road The changes that Moriarty goes through in Kerouacs hold up ar symbolic not only of the customar y direction of his spiritedness itself, precisely also the clubhouse in which he lives, the tidy sum with whom he interacts, and what the time to come holds for every integrity, including this character himself.Gaining even a fundamental concord of the character of Moriarty in unavoidable to fork out this possible. dean Moriarty makes a guiding light entrance into the plot of On the Road from the very beginning, he captures the pursuit of the former(a) characters in the book because of his very nature, which is highly animated, to a greater extent thanover greeting because of his obvious passion for life sentence and his interest in living every moment to its fullest (Whissen, 1992).At the same time, showing that he is a eer changing individual, Moriarty is alienated from few of the more received lot who ar friends with some other main characters in the story, a divide which n whizz of the main characters make an effort to remedy, setting the stage for Moriarty to blaze his have path in subsequent functions of the book. Perhaps on of the most significant characteristics of Moriarty, which serves as a atom smasher for m whatsoever an(prenominal) of the changes through which he goes, is the particular that he is very appealing to the opposite sex this sort of amative tension creates a bit of secret slightly Moriarty (Swartz, 1999).This personal magnetism also opens up a world of possibilities for Moriarty to explore, and presents him with m either temptations and challenges that other people may never experience. Whether this charisma with women was several(prenominal)thing that came about just by the way that Moriarty presented himself, or it was something toward which he aspired and alikek specific maltreats to ensure that women would find him desirable, this aspect of his personality was the frontmost step in the changes that he undergoes throughout the story.First, in regard to Moriartys changes, the fact that he carries on multiple relationships with women, many at the same time, makes it necessary for Moriarty to constantly travel throughout the country, truly embodying the on the road lifestyle which forms the backbone of Kerouacs book. The consequences of these many relationships, and the ensuing complications and perpetrations that come out of them, create problems for Moriarty that he is forced to confront, and conform to as well.The complexity of these relationships is make even more dramatic by the fact that eventually, Moriarty fathers multiple children with multiple women, make it all but impossible for him to carry on any salmagundi of a conventional life or to outride stationery in one place for any amount of time the ability that most people have to lead an ordinary, solar day to day existence, is denied Moriarty because of the choices he makes in his personal life until almost the end of the book. A second area of change for dean Moriarty is seen in his loving interactions with friends beyond the aim of romantic interludes.Socially, Moriarty also undergoes a great deal of change as the plot of the book unfolds. Because of Moriartys derangement from people beyond his immediate circle of exclude friends, he becomes more withdrawn from the regular social aspects of everyday society and has a sort of sorrow and self-love about him. This emptiness is filled with ill-gotten affairs with women as was discussed earlier, travel, and excesses such as swallow and outlandish behavior, which will be discussed in more detail in a subsequent section of this essay.Moriartys charismatic nature in some instances is also key to realize from the viewpoint of the change that he affects in others, perhaps most importantly in the case of his opera hat friend, Sal Paradise. Because Sal looks up to Dean in basically every area of life as a role model of sorts (Whissen, 1992), he imitates even Deans worst behavioural traits, including the constant traveling. The foolishne ss of this imitation is made more dramatic by the fact that Sal is older than Dean, making the implication that Dean could in fact hit the books a lot from Sal if the situation were somehow reversed.Finally, a change that Moriarty attempts is as significant as any of the others which he ahs undergone throughout On the Road. Ultimately, Moriarty attempts to regard on the persona of a civilized and liable individual when he acknowledges his responsibilities to his marriage vows and the children that were created as a result of his marital union. Getting a business enterprise and attempting to settle into a normal, structured home life, Moriarty does take place this endeavor and life change a ingenuous effort, but he soon finds that this is more unenviable for him than he may have expected.Due to this realisation, which some might say is a recognition of his feature nature as a traveling, somewhat disorderly individual with a high level of appeal to women in general, he quickl y loses interest in being a good father and hubby for example, ignoring the cries of his child, obsessing about the other women with whom he was involved in the past, and more than likely planning the next step of his symbolic and literally road jaunt in a search for what is missing in his life, and what the life of an average husband/father, in his view, fails to deliver.An Insight into Moriartys Mindset By studying the pattern of Moriartys behavior, and the different personalities and attitudes he embraces, it is much easier to profile the expectation of this enigmatic and complicated character. Moriartys inner emptiness is apparent when his actions and value systems, flawed as they are, are separated from the action of On the Road, and the story itself is looked at in a more philosophical way.The argument can be made that Moriartys brain is symbolic of the state of affairs in America at the time that Kerouac wrote his book because the land was in the process of gaining a new individualism following World War II and forwards the Korean War considered its climax, the nation collectively, and Dean Moriarty individually, began to gesture what the nature of life is all about and whether the regular, day to day life of the average person is the best state of living that one can reach (Begnal, 1998).A restless nation, reflected in the restless persona of Moriarty, comes shining through, towering over the plot and other characters of the book itself. Also, the askion of the nature of Moriartys charisma is important when gaining a fuller understanding of his mindset and value system. If one takes the position that Moriarty was embedded with charisma and it was beyond his control to do anything but to pack to its power, then Moriarty can be sympathetically viewed as a victim.However, if the position is taken that Moriarty was a shrewd individual whose romantic flings were deliberately worked toward and pursued as a goal, then Moriarty can be seen as less t han a charming Casanova, and more accurately, a dangerous predator that poisons every relationship with which he comes into contact. The many changes of Dean Moriarty, as well as the changes he influences in others and the effects that he has on those with whom he interacts, all conspire to create within him a great deal of conflict and anxiety, which displays itself in a sort of madness.This madness is also important to understand when studying the dynamic nature of Moriarty himself. Moriartys Descent into Madness By creating human conflict, crazy house and turmoil for virtually everyone he meets, Moriarty has built for himself a complicated lifestyle that can be state to be rooted in madness. This madness, like so many of the other facets of Moriartys being, eventually run d testify out into the open for everyone to see, much like the definitive example of someone wearing their heart on their sleeve.Generally speaking, it can be fairly state that one of the most characteristic displays of some level of madness in the mind of Dean Moriarty can be seen in his wanderlust-based lifestyle and personality. Just as Moriarty traveled from one romantic liaison to another(prenominal), and fathered one child after another, he journeyed from one physical location to another. This journey can be viewed as a quest to fill the emptiness within his soul in some instances, or a believe to escape from any form of commitment in others.The comparison of this journey to the journey of realization that America was taking at the time is also accurate and appropriate. Whichever comparison one chooses, no one can deny that the rapid pace at which Moriarty went back and forth from one destination to another is indicative of at least some level of madness. As Moriarty traveled about, his madness was further shown to be strong and prominent by his disregard for the social welfare of others. Specifically depicted in the book is Moriartys journey to Chicago, during which his outla ndish behavior puts others at risk, but he seems not to be concerned about it in the slightest.Yet another piece of tell apart that speaks to the level of madness that Moriarty reaches in the book is punctuated by the behavior that he not only sees as nothing out of the ordinary, but also that he recommends to others, and tries to convince them to participate in as something that is acceptable. Specifically, Moriarty at one point makes the suggestion that his protege of sorts, Sal, and his wife founder Moriarty in stripping off their clothes and course about in public.What this shows is not only Moriartys deteriorated sense of right and wrong, but also his general contempt for the trappings of conventional society, rebellion against that society, and his desire to express his total freedom and ability to do whatever he wishes, whenever he wishes, without any notable consequences for himself or others. Sadly, of course, his actions are creating chaos wherever he goes, even if he i s blind to it. Lastly, something needs to be said about Moriartys drunken lifestyle, as well as its influence on his behaviors and choices.When he indulges in alcohol binges, his erratic behavior increases, more bad choices are made, and more people are affected for the worse. The women and children that he leaves in his alcoholic agitate are forced to pick up the pieces and bully up the messes that Moriarty creates. All the while, he carries on- seemingly incognizant to what he is causing to happen, and dulled by his own vices. Conclusion Just as On the Road profiled an entire generation and reflected the spirit of a nation in transition, so too did Dean Moriarty. base in part on actual people whom Kerouac knew, this character represented a composite of the quest for happiness and meaning in a pell-mell world as well as the enigma of someone who wants to pursue their own enjoyments but too late realizes that total indulgence carries with it a lofty price. In conclusion, what is seen in both Moriarty and the story in which he exists is the brilliance, and frailty of the human mind, the search for enlightenment, and the journey along the way- basically, the road that is chosen and what that means for the traveler.