-Jack Kerouac, "The Vanishing American Hobo"
Within the Beat Generation, a reoccurring concept is that "the geniuses of America" (as Ginsberg puts it) are not those preaching from behind a podium with their strings being pulled, or those working as a doctor and making more money in one paycheck than you'll ever see at once. The idea is not to look on the television to find the heroes of our nation. Perhaps check police records or street corners or pool halls.
In Kerouac's short story, "The Vanishing American Hobo," the concept presented is not only that the American hobo is a waning breed, but that the culture and intelligence responsible for the foundation of our country is disappearing with it. Kerouac mentions multiple examples of these "hobos" who built our nation and our beliefs, listing Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, W.C. Fields, and even Jesus.
As Kerouac sees these infamous figures as hobos, it is likely that he assumes himself to partially belong to the hobo culture as well, despite that he does not see himself as a real hobo. Kerouac's empathy toward the vanishing hobo is so powerful due to his recognition of a great loss for America. As the last hobos creep into to the shadows, demonized by society, perhaps his hope for the raw pursuit of freedom in America parallels this fate. Although Kerouac insists that in the loss of the American hobo, so goes our true identity, the ending of the story indicates that he does not anticipate change. Leaving on the looming note that "The woods are full of wardens," it seems that all hope for this American hobo, this genius symbol of individuality, is truly being hunted to obliteration. I understand that the Beats were not considered to be a lost generation as the artists in the 1920s, but in this conclusion to a tradition far older than the building of our nation, I believe Kerouac may be more lost than ever, as the rawness that America once was is now vanishing with the last of the American hobos.
I like that you looked at the bigger picture by adding the hobo to the societal rejects that are
ReplyDelete"the geniuses of America". Kerouac seems to hold this fear of the impending doom for freedom in America, and hobos are indeed a good parallel for that fear. It seems that Kerouac's outlook for the American Hobo is a lot darker than other beat writers (like Ginsberg). If the hobo is in crisis does that leave hope for the other rejects of society (those who have rejected society maybe a more accurate what to put it) that the beats find "Holy"?
I had not previously considered the idea that with the hobo being in the crisis, perhaps that could leave hope for the other rejects of society. That is a very interesting point. Personally, I believe that in "The Vanishing American Hobo" Kerouac is conveying the theme that if the hobos, those who are molded into the foundations of America, are diminished, then the country is losing its identity, and possibly much more than just that. I see the story as a negative outlook for all of America, especially the rejects.
DeleteThe correlation you pointed out between the American Hobo and Ginsberg's "geniuses of America" is rather fitting. I never thought of Kerouac being lost; it is a great point to explore. My first impression of Kerouac was "On the Road," and throughout that, the times when I expected Kerouac to be lost he kept on going, whether further across the country, or home. "The Vanishing American Hobo" is very much his objection to freedom being extinguished in America, maybe even his final plea of the matter since he comes to term with it in the end. It is difficult to imagine Kerouac being truly lost even though that may be what is happening here, and if there is any hope, it is that the hobos seemed to still exist despite the identity society associates them with.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you started off with the fact that our modern day heroes are who Kerouac does not believe to be heroes at all. When you say that Kerouac "assumes himself to partially belong to the hobo culture as well" but then say he is not makes me think of when he writes that he will never be a hobo because he is saving up in "The Railroad Earth." I also begin to think that with society and how we label things we tend to ruin what was once good. For example as seen in Kerouac's "The Vanishing American Hobo" we labeled them as bad when once they were people our children could play with.
ReplyDeleteI think that you are right in saying that Kerouac uses the hobo as a symbol in what he perceives as the decline in whatever essence it is that makes America. I think it is interesting that America was the homeland of the the bum, it is now other countries, like Paris, where the hobo is to be found. It seems to me that it is specifically the police state that he is speaking out against. If only he could have seen post 9-11 America, he would have been really shocked.
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