An Analysis Of The Compromise Of Dionysian Spirit And Apollonian Spirit In On The Road

On the Road is Jack Kerouac's most important and highly biographical work.It reflects the reality of that time of America to a great degree.There are mainly two types of men in the novel: one type accepts the manipulation of various rules without thinking over the reasonability of them,whereas the other type vehemently revolts against those rules.The aim of the study is to find out a healthy life style through the life styles of those two types of people.Their lives are consistent with contents that Nietzsche's Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit advocate.By reading literature,a lot of materials that have been gathered prove this opinion.By using literature reading method the scientificity of the study is improved.To study On the Road from the perspectives of Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit will enrich the research on the novel.At the same time,it will enlighten the current real life of people and make them live a happier life.The study finds that a life that combines Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit is healthy life.The analysis of the novel consists of three parts,namely,introduction,main body and conclusion.The main body is made up of four chapters.In introduction,the economic and political backgrounds of the novel,the school of literature that the novel belongs to – the Beat Generation,the author and the plot of the novel are briefly introduced.Current researches at home and abroad are summarized.The possibility and feasibility of studying the novel from the points of Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit are analyzed.The main contents of Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit are generalized.The first chapter of main body is literature review which mainly introduces Nietzsche's voluntarism.Nietzsche's voluntarism is influenced by Schopenhauer,but their philosophies are quite different.Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit are the most elementary and very important part of Nietzsche's voluntarism.Apollonian spirit develops from the sun-god Apollo.It guides people to immerse in beautiful appearances and do not face the suffering nature of life.It asks people to obey rules and orders.Dionysian spirit develops from the god of wine Dionysus.People with Dionysian spirit follow their hearts.Under the influence of Dionysian spirit,people always become very crazy.They unleash their desires and feelings unreservedly and disregard rules and orders.There is no doubt that On the Road is influenced by the progenitor of existentialism Nietzsche.Nietzsche is mentioned in the novel for several times,which is a good proof of that.The second chapter relates Apollonian spirit's influence on ordinary people.Ordinary people live in poverty.Their basic requirements could not be satisfied.The extreme oppression in politics makes people feel depressed.Worse still,cultural products are scarce.By fleeing from the miserable fact and soaking themselves in beautiful illusions with Apollonian spirit,they live a calm life.They show respect to rules of politics,economy,society and daily life.Under the constraints of authority and orders,people show great uniformity and become more and more superficial.The sun-god is the patron god of individuationis principium.Apollonian spirit prompts people to pay much attention to themselves and ignore others which alienate the relationship between man and man.Paying attention to individuals means to get away from the primordial oneness and nature.Thus,the relationship between man and nature is also alienated.The third chapter analyzes Dionysian sprit's influence on crazy people.Dionysian spirit encourages man to face the suffering essence of existence and their real thought directly.They overcome difficulties of economy and instinctively purse enjoyments of life.Being bitterly disappointed with politics,they despise politicians.For them,the main culture that prefers decency is tedious,while the crazy jazz music is more attractive.They resist social rules and passionately love sex.Dionysian spirit induces people to get rid of the constraints principle of individuation and go back to the embrace the primordial oneness.Therefore,Dionysian figures are one.Because of their concern for others,pursuit of the matching of hearts,willing to share and confidence in others,the relationship between man and man is harmonious.Dionysian figures have great passion for nature.They live a frugal life.Their food,clothes,living places and ways of travel manifest their friendly attitudes towards environment.Therefore,the relationship between man and nature is also harmonious.The fourth chapter discusses the temporary compromise between Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit.The life dominated by Apollonian spirit is full of rules and conventions and lack of vitality.Apollonian persons could bear this kind of life,but they do not content with it.Thus,boredom is always with them.The life dominated by Dionysian spirit is too crazy and destructive.Hence,it is necessary that Apollonian spirit compromise with Dionysian spirit.As a result,Apollonian spirit endows life with beautiful appearances.It is exactly the Apollonian spirit that makes Sal shoulder his responsibility.Apollonian figures have extended a helping hand to Dionysian persons for many times,which makes Dionysian persons' life be possible to continue.Dionysian spirit injects life with vigor.It rescues man from humdrum and boring life and make them live a happy life.The conclusion overviews the whole thesis and finds that On the Road contains Nietzsche's Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit.Both Apollonian life and Dionysian life have advantages and disadvantages.No matter which one prevails,life will go to the extreme and become morbid.A life that combines these two spirits and makes them reach a relative balance state is a healthy life.The study also finds that the novel is also greatly influenced by Freud's ego and id theory.There is almost no researcher study the novel from this respect.Therefore,it is necessary that future researchers make a deeper study from this respect.