Jack Kerouac Essay??

Question

Hi! I have to write a 15 page paper on Kerouac's works, and want some ideas for a topic. (I have read many of them). I have been thinking of doing something along the lines of "religion" or "the American dream" but these seem trite and also very hard to reach 15 pages. Any suggestions!?

Answer 1

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1998/06/22/1998_06_22_046_TNY_LIBRY_000015809

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/10/01/071001crat_atlarge_menand

These two wonderful articles from New Yorker Magazine should help you tremendously. I have read them both. You absolutely cannot write about Jack Kerouac without writing about Neal Cassidy, too.


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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax - C

Answer 2

It would be possible to do something trite on those topics. But it would also be possible to write something of real substance. If you're making intelligent comparisons between different characters or different books, and if you're supporting your analysis with citations from the text, 15 pages will fill up pretty quickly.

If you choose the "American dream" topic, be sure to define that term carefully. What definitions of the dream do Kerouac's characters embrace? What definitions of the dream do they reject? How do you see their actions in the novels as efforts to realize their personal visions of the American dream?

You'll also have plenty of material to work with if you chose to write about religion. What characters espouse specific religious beliefs or follow some kind of organized spiritual discipline? Which ones live by spiritual values without necessarily engaging in any kind of traditional religious practices? Are there characters who perceive drug use as a means to mystical enlightenment? Are there characters for whom art or literature or a relationship with nature seem to be "religious" experiences?

I don't know which specific books you'll choose to write about, but there are quite a few of them with lots to offer on the two topics you're considering.