Questing On The Road

On the Road is the representative work of Jack Kerouac, who is one of the most important writers of the Beat Generation. Because the protagonists portrayed live a life which is incompatible with the life-style promoted by the mainstream society, the novel has aroused much controversy since its publication. However, with the passage of time On the Road has been increasingly recognized by the society as a representative work in anti-traditional culture and pursuit of freedom.This paper aims to study, from the literary motif of "roaming on the road", the theme of On the Road, which is to break way from the shackles of tradition and explore individual freedom. "Road life" is not only an alienation from the tradition; it is also a transcendence of the material life. The protagonists in On the Road, through their pursuit of individual freedom, their preservation of self identity and their exploration of self-fulfillment, construct a spiritual world which is widely different from the values of the then mainstream community.The description of "road life" itself is a vivid expression of the theme of On the Road.