On the Road (Post Two, Question One)

1. On the Road, while classified as fiction, is a loosely autobiographical account of the "Beatnik" writers' travels across America--narrated by Sal Paradise (AKA Kerouac).
What is your impression of Sal as a narrator? Reliable? Unreliable? Explain and cite the text for support.

Sal Paradise isn't the greatest of people. He travels at his own pace, no matter who he screws over in the process. He's selfish, but I think that adds to his appeal as a narrator. As a narrator he is brilliant. His "taking life slow" approach let's us absorb every detail, to become truly involved in the story. Kerouac's style of writing reminds me of the detail of Hemingway, without all the complaining, and the ability to keep the story moving. He makes every little thing a journey, and he describes every emotion that he's going through. This all makes him a reliable narrator.

What makes him such a great narrator is the way that he involves you in the story, but at the same time it's so personal that you couldn't ever REALLy understand what Paradise is going through. In one line he says something that anyone could think of, but it's bubbling with a personal memory that not many could hold, such as "There is something brown and holy about the East; and California is white like washlines and emptyheaded- at least that's what I thought then." (79) Every line is like a spoken secret, everyone can hear it, some can figure it out but few can feel the memory that comes with it.

Sal's imperfection and madness makes him an excellent storyteller. He's too nuts to be boring and too awed by life to let a moment pass without putting in his two cents- and what a great two little cents they are.