Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums Essay - 803 Words

Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums does not fall too far from a basic description of his life. Kerouac spent the bulk of his writing career riding trains from city to city, meeting people and writing books and poetry. He was among the premier writers of the Beat Generation, a group of primarily urban poets and writers who put the basics of life and their spiritual nuances into poetry with a beat. The book, The Dharma Bums, is a window into the daily structure of the Beat Generation. Kerouac wrote The Dharma Bums while living the life of a bum, riding from city to city as a stowaway on various trains. He used an old portable typewriter that fed from a large roll of paper, into the typewriter, and back into†¦show more content†¦He is almost always meticulous in certain aspects of a given scene while leaving out what one would think are important details. However, the descriptions given are always enough to reveal a full, vivid picture of moments, whether only gestures are described or wall paper. The various scenes of the book are often unexpected, but the matter of fact style of writing usually diffuses. Kerouac creates such a familiarity with his readers that it becomes assumed that any place unusual to the reader is typical for him, and in this way he pulls the reader further into this world of the Beat Generation. Oftentimes the scenes are set in the cramped places such as boxcars and single room shacks frequented by Ray and his friends. Other times the scenes are places like cafe’s and restaurants around San Francisco, San Diego, and other, usually Californian, cities; however some of Kerouac’s most effective place descriptions throughout The Dharma Bums are found in the stories of other places told by those Ray meets, rather than where he actually goes. Among the most poignant aspects of The Dharma Bums is Kerouac’s ability to use long narratives to pull his readers into the experiences of the characters. The Dharma Bums is replete with the explanation of the experiences of ancient Zen Buddhist thinkers and their experiences as they search for enlightenment. Kerouac constantly accesses the ancient writings of Zen Buddhist monks. Using such writings as aShow MoreRelatedCharacter Analysis of Ray Smith in Jack Kerouacs Dharma Bums1424 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Personal enlightenment may be defined as a lifelong journey towards truth and self-knowledge. That is what it is for Ray Smith, the narrator of The Dharma Bums. Rays journey in this book is comprised of several smaller journeys, each of which is an attempt to get closer to truth and self-knowledge. The basic premise of the search seems to be that the path towards enlightenment is the path away from materialism; this is a lesson that is reinforced for him throughout the novel. AlongRead MoreDharma Bums1027 Words   |  5 Pages2013 A True Dharma Bum One of the most powerful quotes in the entire book that I feel sums up what it is to be a dharma bum, â€Å" I felt free and therefore I was free†. This quote from Ray Smith shows that a dharma bum must always believe in oneself and take the journey to becoming a Dharma bum from within. Although one can learn from fellow dharma bums such as the Saint Teresa bum, Han Shan, and Japhy the ultimate truth of being Dharma bum comes from within. Saint Teresa Bum is the â€Å"first genuineRead More Comparing Society in The Dharma Bums and The New American Poetry1286 Words   |  6 PagesMass Society in The Dharma Bums and The New American Poetry      Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the best ways to fully understand an era is to study its literature. The printed word has the incredible capacity to both reflect and shape the hopes, fears, and ideologies of the time. This is very evident when reading literature from 1960s America, a turbulent period in the history of our country. While the authors styles are very different, there are definite thematic patterns and characteristics evident inRead MoreEssay on Eastern Thought in the Works of Kerouac and Ginsberg2447 Words   |  10 PagesEastern Thought in the Works of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, a fascination with Eastern thought developed, concentrating on Zen Buddhism and Daoism. This attraction can be explained in part by the complete strangeness of these thought forms to Western ideals. Buddhisms denial of reality and Daoisms wu-wei or flowing with life were revolutionary ideas to the people of the late 50s who had been brought up with consumerism, patriotismRead More Importance of Mountains in Kerouacs Dharma Bums and Barthelmes The Glass Mountain2052 Words   |  9 PagesImportance of Mountains in Kerouacs Dharma Bums and Barthelmes The Glass Mountain   Ã‚  Ã‚   Mountains are significant in the writing of Jack Kerouac and Donald Barthelme as symbolic representations of achievement and the isolation of an individual from the masses of the working class in industrialized capitalist American society. 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The Dharma Bums struck me as being one of the most fantastic books that I have ever read; one that contains an amazinglyRead More The Sixties Exposed in Takin it to the Streets and The Dharma Bums1183 Words   |  5 PagesThe Sixties Exposed in Takin it to the Streets and The Dharma Bums      Ã‚   One cannot undertake any study of the 1960s in America without hearing about the struggles for social change. From civil rights to freedom of speech, civil disobedience and nonviolent protest became a central part of the sixties culture, albeit representative of only a small portion of the population. As Mario Savio, a Free Speech Movement (FSM) leader, wrote in an essay in 1964: The most exciting things going on inRead MoreThe Hippie Movement and the Beat Movemnt1704 Words   |  7 PagesHow the Hippies got hip with the beat of the Beat Movement Jack Kerouac once said, â€Å"the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars† (Kerouac 5). Kerouac was the symbol of the Beat Movement. He was the rebellious and adventurous man, who during his time wasRead More The Beat Generation of America Essay2258 Words   |  10 Pagestheirs the correct choice? Was the fun they had worth the pain that they caused, and the pain that they had to endure? And ultimately, what impact did the Beats have on society as a whole, and was that impact, is that impact, positive or negative? Jack Kerouac, the most prominent of all Beat poets, and the gang hanging out at the famous 115th Street apartment helped to mold two generations of young Americans, and have made a permanent impression on the landscape of American culture through theirRead More Comparing Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac Essay examples3680 Words   |  15 PagesComparing Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac I. Introduction It has never been an uncommon thing for one to retreat to nature in an attempt to ‘find one’s self,’ and somewhat clichà © these days is the retreat to nature to ‘find God.’ Hundreds of books, essays, seminars, and retreats devote themselves to helping one understand how to find enlightenment and healing through connecting with nature. It is a phenomenon that transcends religious boundaries—everyone, from Buddhists to Christian Mystics to