On the Road

In the time since his last trip, Sal attended college and finished his book. Because he’s a veteran, the G.I. Bill pays for his tuition. Additionally, he met a woman named Lucille and is thinking of marrying her. Dean hears that Sal’s relatives want to send some furniture to Sal’s aunt, so he offers to make the delivery. He will need to make two journeys back and forth between New Jersey and Virginia before returning with Sal’s aunt. Sal decides to join Dean and sets out on the road once again.

They reach New Jersey, where they receive a call from an old friend named Bull Lee (based on William S. Burroughs, author of the 1959 novel Naked Lunch). He tells them that he has met Galatea Dunkel in New Orleans and he wants to find her husband. Dean also hears from Camille and then calls Carlo, who has been in Dakar and adopted a more somber, reflective tone. He now seems to disapprove of Dean’s constant, tumultuous energy. Dean and Sal drive back to Virginia. Dean never stops talking, telling Sal about his newfound spirituality. His strange new faith has imbued him with a broad sense of optimism. Sal struggles to make sense of Dean’s words but feels as though he understands his friend’s meaning. They reach Virginia late, quickly load up the car, and then set off again for New Jersey with Sal’s aunt and her furniture. Dean has found a new job as a brakeman for the railway, and he tells them all about it. In the early morning hours, a cop pulls them over and issues them a speeding ticket. Dean believes that he was obeying the speed limit, but if he cannot pay the fine, he will need to spend a night in jail. Sal’s aunt eventually pays. The presence of a respectable woman in the same car as wayward young men such as Dean and Sal confuses the police officers. Once they pay the fine, they drive back to New Jersey. 

As Sal and Dean search for somewhere to stay in New York, Sal recounts a dream about a shrouded Arabian traveler. In the dream, this mysterious figure chases Sal across a desert and, just before Sal reaches a city, overtakes him. Dean interprets the dream, telling Sal that the figure represents death. He believes that the dream symbolizes “the mere simple longing for pure death” (73), but both men agree that they do not want to die. In New York, Sal and Dean meet up with their friends in time for New Year’s Eve parties. Sal asks Lucille to come with him; she doesn’t care much for Dean or Marylou, nor does she like how Sal acts when he’s with his friends. To make Lucille jealous, Marylou flirts with Sal. He enjoys her attempts but doesn’t respond. Lucille responds by going out to Dean’s car with him, where they drink alcohol and talk. The friends go from one party to the next, hearing jazz music everywhere. Eventually, they end up at a house in Long Island that belongs to Rollo Greb.

Sal and Dean visit Birdland. They want to see a blind pianist named George Shearing play jazz music. Shearing plays in a sweaty burst of passion which excites Dean and the rest of the crowd. Afterward, Dean is convinced that Shearing is some sort of god. They walk home through the rain. Sal feels strange but blames his confusion on the marijuana he and Dean smoked at the concert. 

Dean and others are traveling west. Sal prepares to go with them, intrigued by the prospect of adventure—and by a possible affair with Marylou. Before departing, the group visits Carlo’s house. There, Carlo grills them on their plans and the missing members of the party, including Camille, Galatea, and Lucille. He receives only laughter in answer. Sal comes to Carlo’s house every day to see him ask his fruitless questions.

Sal and Dean drink in a bar. Unexpectedly, Dean turns to Sal and, blushing, reveals that he wants Sal to have sex with Marylou while he watches. Aware that Dean wants to see how Marylou acts with another man, Sal agrees. As they all lay in bed that night, however, he cannot bring himself to do it. The trip west finally begins a few days later, when Carlo is annoyed, his home is trashed, and Dean and Marylou are constantly fighting each other.