Degradation of Women in Jack Kerouac’s On The Road Essay -- On The Roa

The Degradation of Women in On The Road An argument can be made that the women in Jack Kerouacs On The Road are not as characteristically well developed as the men. Through Sal and deans interactions with women, the reader sees that there exist two types of females in this new - the benevolent virgin/mother figure or the whore. Women are constantly referred to in a negative way or blatantly degraded and insulted by numerous characters. However, Kerouac (through the character of Sal) exhibits sympathy for women. Sal does occasionally participate in female stereotyping, but this is simply because he wants to fit in. Although Sal may try to make arguments against the lamentable treatment of women, the novel in its entirety seems to reinforce male domination. On the Road endorses the belief that women exist as either a virgin or a whore and Sals character is not strong enough to offset this belief(Bartlett 135). Although women are portrayed negatively in the novel, they do play a key role in many ways. Dean always needs to have a woman around to make his experiences more real. As a result, women in general are often degraded. Marylou, for example, is constantly talked about but never talked to. She is not socially valuable enough to engage in conversation. When Dean tries to persuade Sal to sleep with Marylou, the dialogue is between Sal and Dean. Marylou doesnt have one line. All she really has is a little go ahead. That is all and that really does not even imply cooperation only coercion like go ahead and You do Your thing to me. Dean is flippantly wanting... ...icate Dynamics of Friendship A rethink of Kerouacs On The Road. American Literature. v46 200-206. 1974. Holmes, John C. The Philosophy of the Beat Generation. On the Road. Text and Criticism. By Jack Kerouac. Ed. Scott Donaldson. New York Penguin, 1979. 367-79. Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. Ed. Scott Donaldson. New York Penguin, 1979. Krupat, Arnold. Dean Moriarty as seraphic Hero. On the Road. Text and Criticism. By Jack Kerouac. Ed. Scott Donaldson. New York Penguin, 1979. 397-411. Lorch, Thomas M. Purdys Malcolm A Unique Vision of Radical Emptiness. Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature. 6 (1965) 204-13. Purdy, James. Malcolm. London, New York Serpents Tail, 1994. Watson, Steven. The stemma of The Beat Generation. New York 1981