We're back, and we have all kinds of things to discuss. Not to be Negative Nancy, but it's officially been summer for a whole month already, so I hope you're making progress on your summer reading lists. Carpe diem!
Jack Kerouac is one of our favorite authors here at Whiskey Before Breakfast. You may have read On the Road--Kerouac's most famous book as well as the defining novel of the Beat generation (post-WWII). Kerouac writes with a furious, chaotic style. I've heard his writing described as "literary jazz"--distinctively rhythmic and lively. His stories and characters are so tremendously American, too: crazed with excitement and adventure, free of the past, and vibrantly innocent.
The Dharma Bums centers around Kerouac and his adventures with his friend, Japhy. Like many of their fellow Beat generation writers, Kerouac and Japhy became disillusioned with the buttoned-up middle-class life of the 1950s. They reacted against the repressed, materialistic culture by practicing Buddhism and declaring themselves "Dharma Bums": seekers who rejected the pursuit of wealth and possessions, and instead chose to live a minimalist lifestyle, devoid of all but the most essential things. Kerouac and Japhy hitchhiked throughout North America, practicing meditation, reading Buddhist texts, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, dropping "benny" tablets (amphetamines) then writing poetry, and looking for truth in unexpected places.
Kerouac's journey culminates with his summer spent in solitude as a fire lookout on Desolation Peak, Washington. He writes a beautiful account of his time spent meditating and finding himself in the powerful tranquility of nature (you may be reminded of Krakauer's Into the Wild; for a WBB review, click here). At this point, Japhy has gone over to Japan to pursue Buddhism further, and Kerouac writes a powerful tribute to his friend and expresses his joy at experiencing transcendence in the wilderness.
The Dharma Bums is not a book for everyone. It doesn't claim to be. Kerouac's journey can be a paradox; he seems to find himself in wild parties as well as peaceful journeys through the wilderness. I've found his writing to be refreshing, if only because he didn't spend his time repressing his dreams and wishful longings; he went out and experienced the world as furiously as he possibly could. When you view his work in the context of 1950's America, it makes a lot of sense. Especially if you're a twenty-something liberal arts student.
If you're interested in reading more works from the Beat generation, I recommend On the Road by Kerouac as well as Howl by Allen Ginsberg.
If you'd like to read more about Buddhism and/or Eastern monism, I recommend Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I've come to find Eastern patterns of thought and philosophy to be fascinating, and it can be rewarding to grapple with these ideas, particularly when told through a fictional or semi-fictional story.
As always, we'd love to hear your feedback! Have you read The Dharma Bums or anything else by Kerouac? What are your thoughts?
Love,
~Spence
No comments:
Post a Comment