An Interpretation Of On The Road From The Perspective Of Spatial Criticism

Jack Kerouac is the representative writer of the “Beat Generation” in the 1950 s in the United States.He has created many works in his life.His second work On the Road is a spontaneous writing.It describes American society which has experienced rapid economic development in post-war reconstruction.This profoundly portrays the spiritual world of the “Beat Generation” pursuing freedom and longing for spiritual liberation.After the publication of this book,it has been called the bible of secular rebellion and resistance.On the Road is the story of the protagonist Sal,who hates the life he lives in the eastern United States,wants to escape and find freedom.After meeting the crazy western hero Dean,he begins his life on the road.During the journey,he dealt with all kinds of people,drove crazy with Dean,Marylou and others,drank,enjoyed jazz,etc.,and constantly shuttled through the American continent,looking for freedom,looking for stories of spiritual liberation.Spatial criticism theory is a literary criticism method developed gradually on the basis of postmodern theories such as cultural geography and cultural studies in the1980 s.This thesis intends to use Lefebvre’s spatial criticism theory to analyze the main characters’ physical space,social space and psychological space.The spatial criticism theory breaks the traditional research methods of landscape in the text,focusing on the multi-level relationship between the text space and the culture behind the space,the historical background,and the cultural study of the interaction of the three spaces.Using spatial criticism theory to interpret the spatial factors in On the Road,this thesis can give us a clearer understanding of the situation of society at that time,and how society affects the communication between people and the psychological state of everyone.This novel also expresses people’s resistance to oppression and a strong desire to pursue freedom and spiritual liberation.