pg. 15 "...and I looked at the cracked high ceiling and really didn't know who I was for about fifteen strange seconds. I wasn't scared; I was just somebody else, some stranger, and my whole life was a haunted life, the life of a ghost. I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future, and maybe that's why it happened right there and then, that strange red afternoon."
I thought that this was an important moment in these first three chapters because it seems that after his decision to go West, this is a point in which he realizes that he is on the brink of change. He is not the same man that lived a static life in New York, yet he is not far enough into his journey to know how his future experiences will shape him. He has traveled far enough away from his "old life" to have trouble identifying with it - the fact that he refers his life as "the life of a ghost" shows that he is in a state of limbo between the "East of my youth" and the "West of my future." To me, this quote also shows that he considers his future to be the end of his youth, and that through this journey he will mature. I think that Kerouac is equating a road trip, in part, with a shift in self identity that comes from experiencing new people and places.
One question that I had: do writers really need new experiences to produce good literature? I can't help but think of Jorge Luis Borges, who wrote engaging poetry about something as common as a sock.
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I agree and think that this is the most important moment that we've come across. He is half way through with his journey and although it was mere pages to us, he had to go through a lot to even get where he was. He had many different encounters with various types of people causing him to start to think differently. By saying he didn't know who he was for fifteen strange seconds he is admitting to this change. He wasn't scared of the change even though he thinks of himself as a stranger, he realizes this is inevitable and accepts it.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: Was this common in the 1950's to just leave home and hichhike across America?
I thought of this quote as important. He knows that he is changing because of his journey. He evolves from a student figure who is living the conventional lifestyle into one who seeks adventure and exploration. He mentions his life as “a haunted life, the life of a ghost” because his life was full and static and prevented him from experiencing the life that many including his friends were living. While his friends were able to e experience the broad landscape of the west, he had only dreamt of doing it. He opens up through his journey after seeing new places and meeting new people, and the various encounters with the strangers gives him a new perspective on the way of living. The “East of my youth” describes his life as old and stagnant before versus the “West of my future” where it is wild, free, and adventurous.
ReplyDeleteIf there was a “West” now, would people have the same reaction as the people back then? Is there anywhere that is analogous to the “West” back then?