Social Criticism In Jack Kerouac’s Works

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), American novelist and poet, leading figure and spokesman of the Beat Generation, writes and publishes more than 20 books. He is best-known for his novels On the Road (1957), The Dharma Bums (1958), The Subterraneans (1958), and Desolation Angles (1965). The wild spontaneity of his prose shocks more polished writers, draws public attention to a widespread subterranean culture, and makes Kerouac a charismatic icon.This study explores the social criticism in Jack Kerouac’s works by studying social context at his time, New Vision-the guidance of Kerouac’s literary practice, his personal experiences and his subversive writing style.Kerouac’s social critical consciousness comes into being in the period of "late capitalism," labeled by consumerism, conformism, Cold War and McCarthyism. The anxiety about the tensions between a prosperous economy and a spiritual bareness gives the birth of Kerouac’s social critical consciousness. Certainly, we should not neglect that Kerouac’s personal experiences help him with the development of social critical consciousness. The French-Canadian working-class background determines his lifelong love and care for the marginalized people; his first touch with Jazz provokes his interest in subculture; the meeting with the early Beats helps him set up the goal of his literary practice -- realizing New Vision in art; his road life with Neal Cassady encourages him to find IT-truth of life; his encountering with Zen Buddhism partly changes his world views.The dissertation views New Vision, a philosophical tendency, discussed by the early Beats around 1944, as the guidance of the world views and literary practice of Kerouac. New Vision teaches Kerouac that art is the result of life experience and artistic practice. His experiences of "digging" the life of the outsiders and practice of spontaneous prose are the displays of his understanding of New Vision.The belief of New Vision brings about "calling for humanity," the basic tone of Kerouac’s literature, which is transformed into two themes, the search for Self-identity and the search for Brotherhood. In short, two themes join attacks against the alienation.The study also considers the quest for IT-a state of Living in the Present, as the ultimate aim of Kerouac’s road life. "Just going" and "finding kicks" are the acts of the quest for IT. The pilgrim for IT criticizes the relentless pursuit for materialism which makes people anxious about the past and the future, but ignores the happiness and joy of Living in the Present.The study of Zen Buddhism provides Kerouac with enlightenment-"Everything is empty but awake!" He recognizes Emptiness tells us forms of existence are non-substantial. It suggests that the quality of anything is determined by and varies with its relation to other beings. Finally, Emptiness also suggests that all beings are related to each other, forming one unity. Kerouac feels, instead of ego-self, we should care about Universal Self-the whole beings.Kerouac’s visions of Zen Lunatics and Rucksack Revolution also reveal his desire of returning to nature and humanity. In order to pursue self-identity and release soul from materialism, he imagines that millions of Dharma Bums will be traveling on the continent of America, only with love and care. In fact, Rucksack Revolution is the prelude of the counterculture movement in the 1960s.In addition, the study thinks that the subterraneans in Kerouac’s works is a marginalized society characterized by authenticity, self-marginality and revolutionary potential. Kerouac’s choice of exploring the characteristics of the subterraneans indicates his unique racial consciousness, as well as his intense social criticism toward the inauthentic middle-class.Finally, the study considers Kerouac’s "spontaneous prose," a subversive writing, as a result of a new consciousness. This study focuses on its spontaneity and adoption of the language of subculture groups and daily life. In my conclusion, spontaneity criticizes the emotional restraint-- the prevailing linguistic view at his time. At the same time, Kerouac’s adoption of the language of subculture groups and daily life criticizes the prevailing academic view that literary language should be "foreground."...