Dissecting Dr. Sax

            In comparison to previous readings on the Beat Generation, Kerouac's Dr. Sax has been the most peculiar. Even Burroughs can be understood upon recognizing his lifestyle. I understand that Kerouac is known for reflection on the past, but I had trouble grasping the complex symbolism and use of fantastical creatures in order to convey his message. Most importantly, I am not sure that I retrieved the right message. Two themes that I hope I understood correctly from our classroom lecture are that evil is in everyone, and that everything is an illusion. I have not been able to wrap my mind around these concepts yet, so I will use this blog post in order to do so. Unfortunately, my lack of comprehension of this book has hindered my forming of a novel opinion on it.

            When Jackie Duluoz looks into the vast "lakes" of the Great Snake's eyes, he is apparently looking at himself. I see this more clearly in the use of the "lake" metaphor. While the cliché remains that the eyes are the windows to the soul, Jackie does not initially realize that he is looking at the snake's eyes. He is looking at a reflection of himself. As snakes represent evil in multiple cultures, Jackie is therefore seeing the evil in himself. Jackie's character previously represented the innocence of childhood, so, in seeing evil within himself, the rest of the world must also contain that evil. In understanding this theme, the means of delivery become less significant. All of the confusion of Dr. Sax was likely to express that the construction of the story is superfluous so long as the themes are understood. (Have I actually reached some enlightenment here?)

            This leads us to the concept of the illusion. Much of the story is obviously an illusion, as it is a mess of nonsensical fantasy intermingled with realistic childhood memories. However, by the end of the story, Kerouac apparently anticipates that the reader understands his theory that everything is an illusion, and that those who do not understand this are to remain pathetically stagnant in their lives. Is he solely criticizing religion at this point? If everything is an illusion, then I cannot help but to imagine a more spiritual perspective of our existence in dismissing the physical. Of course, he is dismissing everything, and not only the physical. In dissecting this idea, I fear that I will only end up with a mess of contradictory statements.

            Despite the lack of structure and a solid argument in this blog post, I feel that I have gotten a few inches closer to some understanding of Dr. Sax, and, honestly, my disorganization and confusion may even be fitting. I found these comic scribbles that Kerouac drew in consideration of Dr. Sax. At least he took himself seriously.

What I've Learned: The Importance of Individual Satisfaction

            Before taking my 20th Century Literature (Kerouac and the Beats) class, I did not have a significant impression of the artistic counterculture during that time period. In the previous semester, I learned about the Lost Generation, and therefore, assumed that I could easily compare the two due to their similar post-war art circumstances. However, while both were enthralled with promiscuity and heavy substance abuse, their works were entirely different in that they took opposite paths. Fitzgerald was concerned that he did not do enough for his country in the war (a common theme among Lost Generation writers), and yet traveled to France in the aftermath of the war, unable to face his country. Kerouac and the Beats wanted nothing to do with the government after the war, and chose to seek satisfaction, not in the institutionalized system of American society, but in the land itself. Writers such as Hemingway drank their sorrows into further sorrows and some, such as he, committed suicide.

            What I've learned from the class is that the Beat Generation counterculture stands out as an objection to American society, rather than an avoidance of it. They are seeking freedom rather than wallowing in self-pity. They are not only disillusioned, but also perturbed and willing to act as individuals so as to not be swallowed by mainstream ideals. Each writer has their own way of doing this, and although not all are effective (as they are sure of the method, but not of the destination), none are willing to give up their lifestyles for the sake of tradition.


            William Burroughs preached his philosophy until his death. Many criticize him as being the darkest and most selfish Beats writer of the group for his method of taking what he wants in disregard for others. He argues that those in power are already living this way, and that, in order to counterbalance them, we should as well. This argument is represented well in his story, "Twilight's Last Gleaming". In this primitive self-concern, Burroughs finds satisfaction in the act of not being screwed over by others.

            Jack Kerouac's writing explains the journey of a man living for himself, with only a slight regard for others. He considers the potential of mainstream values, such as the traditional American family, but drops them. Although readers may not be satisfied with this, had Kerouac succumbed to these ideals, we may not be reading about him at all.

            Because American society held a harshly restrictive ideal for women during that time, I found Diane Di Prima's writing particularly intriguing. She lived as the men did, with concern for herself and assurance in her identity. When she wanted a child, she had a child. Tradition and financial security were not important to her. She did not hold expectations in others, but in herself.

            These self-satisfying writers chose not to concern themselves with the government, and therefore, sought fulfilling lives. They were not the Lost Generation. The Beat Generation's biographical approach allows the reader to directly understand the individual objections to American society during that time period. These objections solidified each writer's identity, and their search for freedom is evident in them. Whether or not they achieved the satisfaction that they sought, each had their own philosophy and they lived to satisfy themselves, and not the world around them.

Di Prima's Perspective: Not Much Greener

          Although the dominant male writers of the Beat Generation did not fail to keep my attention with their works, the sexist and parochial views declared by their writings and lifestyles has become exasperating for me as a reader. Because of these views, I had gotten the impression that females associated with the Beat Generation were artistically and intellectually useless, as well as being naïve and ignorant. The Beats writings reflect a complete disregard for women on any greater level than their sexual benefits. I had not considered that along with independently choosing to live this way with no greater expectation from men, the women of the Beat Generation had a great deal to offer in their own writings and expressions.

            In reading some works written from the female perspective of the Beat Generation, I found Diane Di Prima's section "Conversations" from Dinners and Nightmares most enlightening. The compilation of conversations (as the title implicates) discloses the other side of the Beats: the woman's view. Despite that Di Prima's perspective differs from those of other female Beat writers', the same variation goes with the males. While some are more hopeful, others are darker. Some are confident in their identity, and others are shaken by society's influence.

            Di Prima's perspective is one of independence and a secured identity. She chose her lifestyle without any expectations of maintaining traditional or mainstream American values. Di Prima was on a quest for freedom as much as any other Beats writer. While the section entitled "Conversations" expressed her independent lifestyle and views, it also separated her from the male perspective of the Beats even further. In the section, she is constantly being ignored by the men, and when they turn to her for artistic support, Di Prima's perspective makes them out to look like a fool to the reader, and her a fool to the men. This equal indifference for men, although not universally applicable for women of the Beat Generation, makes sense of the relationships in the writings from both perspectives.

            While women play a significant role in The Beat Generation from the male writer's perspective, that role is generally sexual and interchangeable. They are placed as objects to reveal that promiscuity is a component of the male Beat writer's quest for freedom. Women are often portrayed as being dull. Di Prima portrays men in a similar fashion. In the portion of conversations entitled "The Poet," a man is speaking to Di Prima of love and sorrow that he feels, clearly getting the impression that she is not intellectually capable of this understanding, all the while ignoring a woman being beaten by her boyfriend in the street. The man is too caught up in his own self-appreciation to understand that he is contradicting himself.

 

            In reading works from both the male and female sides of the Beat Generation, I can see that they are similar. The only difference is that, despite the Beats' attempts to counter societal standards, men still hold the power. However, women and men in the Beat Generation are similar in that they are all on a quest for individual freedom, and that they will use the opposite sex (and likely the same sex) in order to attain that freedom.