this is to discuss the book On the Road as a whole whenever you are finished!!!

Okay, so i just finished the book today.
First, I just want to say that you go from liking Dean to not liking Dean. He's so crazy and it seems like in the long run, he's mainly focused on himself and not how he's really affecting those around him.
By the end, I don't dislike Dean. I think he is a good guy ultimately, but it just seems he's kind of crazy and at different times, it's worse. Sal kept saying "dean was getting crazy again" or however he phrased it, you know? He does care about people. He cares about pretty much everyone..he just doesnt' seem to be able to hold onto those relationships for very long.

throughout the book, i just kept thinking of what it said on the back of my book...the quote it had and it's the quote at the very end.."i think of Dean Moriarity". So reading the book and seeing all these things that Sal and Dean go through and all the bad Dean does, but then the deep bond they seemed to have, i kept thinking of that quote and imagining what it must be like to have this friend who you've known for awhile and gone through so much with, but then not seeing them or being around them anymore(and that is how the quote seemed..he didn't see him anymore..). i just figured it would be sad and you'd forever be looking back.
i'm not sure if i make much sense, but it made me sad.

On another note, i really liked Sal. He definitely didn't make the best decisions on things throughout and no matter what happened or what HE thought, he seemed to always just go along with Dean. but overall, i really liked him in the book and it was interesting to see his point of view on things and how he is a lot alike dean, but different too, and it's important to see that. he's not crazy, or i didn't think, unlike dean.

anyway, i'll stop for now, b/c i don't think anyone else is finished!

ok, i should be kicked out of the bookclub, because im so far behind. i really am so sorry guys. please forgive me!!! i highly doubt i'm gonna catch up too since ive been so sick, im far behind in homework.

it's not your fault your sick and life/school just gets in the way sometime! don't worry about it. i hope you can read it and post, but if not, it's all good!

Kicked out of book club!? No way. Not possible. It's nice you care enough to post anyway. Sometimes life can get in the way of a good book. We get it. :-)

thank you so much you guys

awww it's the truth, but you're welcome!

lauren- I agree with you about liking dean, then not, and so on. i idnt like him, because like you said, he didnt care about anyone else but himself. But then when he gave his watch to the Mexican girl he seemed like a totally differnt person and i liked him more for the rest of the book. Of course he moved away from Inez and went back to Camile...

I think that on some of those times where Sal just went along with whatever dean did kind of made me lose respect for him, therefore not liking him a ton.

Soo.. do you know what it means by "beat generation"?

I liked Sal a lot. I just have to look at them as real people and see that they have all these different sides, and i don't agree with some things, but then they can be really honest and nice and you like that side of him.

I think Dean was just caught up in things and never slowed down enough to see what he was leaving. He got tired easily with things and jumped back n forth. I think Sal for the most part, is someone he stuck with the most. I know not all the time, and he did screw him over a lot, but he kept going back to him and yeah, he went back to certain girls...i don't know.
i think he genuinely cared for him. they cared for each other. it's like a love-hate relationship.

yeah i guess the way you put it- Dean and Sal always did end up back together, could mean that they really did care for eachother. i can understand that now..

i felt bad that sal never got married; it seemed to me like he wanted to a lot. But they always ended up not caring about him in the end..

i know what you mean about Sal. he did seem to want to get married a lot and really be able to settle down. i think he was just young and wanted to be out on the road more at the time, so it just never really worked out. i liked Terry a ton. i wish they could have worked out. he seemed to love being with her and her son and her family. he liked the simple life and just being with them. i guess he'd probably get tired of it after awhile though...he needs adventure. not AS much as dean, but he still enjoyed it.

oh i know! i knew that Sal knew he'd never see terry again, but i was hoping throughout the whole story that she would meet up with him!

you could tell that once he got "on the road" he ended up having a good time. all of the hitchhiking stories seemed like he had a lot of fun.. which also amazes me, becasue think about going to NYC and getting in the car with some random person..

i know, it is crazy, but like i think someone said in another thread, it was different back then, so i guess less to worry about.

he definitley seemed to love traveling and meeting new people, so i guess that was what he had to do to be happy.

i wish he saw Terry again too, but no...when they left each other, that was sad. i loved the line where it sasy that terry and her brother are going to meet him soon in NY, but that they both knew she wouldn't make it. such a good quote, but sadd. very sad.

yeahhh it was sad. but you know, he just seemed so happy with her, and i think it happened after he found out marylou didnt even love him..so it made it seem even better, becaseu it seemed like terry really did love him..

I think Terry did love him and I think he loved her. I guess sometimes you throw things away at the time but it's not really what you should have done. but then, maybe it was..we wish they stayed together, but we've also said he probably woudlnt' be happy...