This is one way to read On The Road, I guess. I was infatuated with the book when I was 18 but later came to some similar conclusions about the whole premise of

This is one way to read On The Road, I guess. I was infatuated with the book when I was 18 but later came to some similar conclusions about the whole premise of the book. But this review kind of assumes that Kerouac was stupid and incapable of thinking critically about himself or the subculture he was a part of. I can't help but believe that Kerouac must have had some misgivings about his lifestyle. Yes he writes about everything being angelic and awesome on the road. But the story also takes on a Sisyphean vibe as they continue to wander across the country over and over and over again. The characters are led back to the road again and again to constantly chase the next ecstatic revelation in hopes that they will find some meaning somewhere. It's like the harder they look for enlightenment, the further they get from it - a theme which coincidentally is very Zen and something I think Kerouac must have been conscious of since he was a pretty serious student of Zen buddhism. Reading the book as a self-critical, partial satire of the Beat lifestyle introduces a lot more nuance and helps to appreciate the counterculture while also realizing that they weren't so stupid as to not acknowledge the flaws in their own philosophy and lifestyle.