| In the beginning of the novel, Sal Paradise, a young writer, is living in New York with his aunt when Dean Moriarty, fresh out of jail, arrives. Sal is fascinated with Dean, a very youthful and jubilant person, and their friendship is marked by three years of restless journeys back and forth across the country. The first year, Sal's dreams of traveling west come true when he joins Dean and more friends in Denver, and then continues west by himself, working as a fieldworker in California for awhile. The following year, Dean comes east to visit Sal again, again ruining Sal's attempt at a stable life, and they again drive west together, with more crazy adventures on the way at Bull Lee's in New Orleans. This time, the friends' journey ends in San Francisco. The winter after that, Sal goes to Dean, and they blaze across the country together in friendly fashion, and Dean settles in New York for awhile. In the spring, Sal goes to Denver alone, but Dean soon joins him and they travel south all the way to Mexico City. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's Other aspects: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Unusual characteristics: Main Adversary Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes Eccentric: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 9 () Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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