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Conformity And Consumerism In Jack Kerouac's On The Road

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Similarly explainable, are the adverse effects inspired by America’s push for conformity and consumerism following 1945. Regarding these years, historical statistics suggest a triumphant American atmosphere due to a victorious war outcome and economic affluence, but these positives quickly turned to negatives for certain societal sectors. Most notably, the unit that would grow to be labeled as the Beatniks. Within this crew, alongside Burroughs, was fellow writer Jack Kerouac. Kerouac’s most publicized text, On the Road, has been saluted as the quintessential novel of the 1950s and is beneficial in the fact that it conveys something that the aforementioned historical statistics cannot, emotion. Specifically, the dissenting emotions that pervaded the suburbs. Of course, some of the more mundane housewives were enthralled with their new dishwashers, and their husbands were content with their vapid routines, but many were left dissatisfied by the staleness of their suburban schedule. The Beat writers were especially influenced by this …show more content…

In Scotland’s case, the population was largely disheartened following the aforementioned 1979 devolution referendum and appointment of Thatcher. Regarding the “1979 devolution debacle”, Scotland had momentarily surrendered their fight for a national identity and accepted to remain part of the United Kingdom, which cultivated a feeling within Scotland that the citizens “had no voice.” (Welsh and Peddie 133) Although the “exasperation with politics” was evident, there was a greater issue with identity as reflected in Welsh’s text, Trainspotting (Welsh and Peddie 132). Specifically, Renton’s preceding colonization rant is enough to corroborate this phenomenon, however he also remarks, “Ah’ve never felt British, because ah’m not… Ah’ve never really felt Scottish either.” (Welsh

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The main ideas of the Beat Generation, the longing for belief and meaning in life, are reflected in On the Road. The novel gave voice to a rising, dissatisfied fringe of the young generation of the late forties and early fifties. It was after the Great Depression and World War II and more than a decade before the Civil Rights movement and the turmoil of the '60s. He also wrote the Duluoz legend, filled with a sense of

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