On the Road- Question 7

7. If every book is an author's attempt to answer one of life's questions, what question is McCarthy and/or Kerouac attempting to answer? Explain.

I answered this question for the first deadline when I read McCarthy's book, and I had a hard time coming up with a good answer. This time around I'm a little bit more confident. I believe the question that Kerouac is trying to answer is "What else is out there?" I'm almost positive that everyone at one point has become bored with their lives and wondered what it would be like to live there or do that. We fall into a routine of things and with all the technology out there right now, we're able to see what life is like all around the globe. This book touches on the basic human instincts to explore and learn and adapt. Some people cant seem to fulfill their yearning for these things, like Dean and Sal, who both make numerous trips across the United States. At the beginning of the story, we hear all about how badly Sal wants to travel westward. He's searching to fill a part of himself that isn't being filled by his current life on the east coast. Not being around in the time period when this book was written, it's hard for me to judge just how dedicated someone would have to be to make these trips. But comparing the methods of travel used by the characters in this story to the methods I would use to get from coast to coast, It seems the guys desire to figure out what else is out there for them/what they're missing is pretty strong.