Dharma bums

Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums does not fall too far from a basic description of his life. Kerouac spent the bulk of his writing career riding trains from city to city, meeting people and writing books and poetry. He was among the premier writers of the Beat Generation, a group of primarily urban poets and writers who put the basics of life and their spiritual nuances into poetry with a beat. The book, The Dharma Bums, is a window into the daily structure of the

“Who comes to commend me on my way of life”-Han Shan. In the novel, Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac brings the topic of intent change and self-development. Written in the 1950’s a pivotal time between the exploration into individualism, and the reconsideration of traditionalism. The novel follows Ray Smith and his journey of self-discovery through help from Japhy Ryder and his own isolation. Ray spends two months completely alone on Desolation Peak, the purpose was his own self-discovery, expression

Mass Society in The Dharma Bums and The New American Poetry       One of the best ways to fully understand an era is to study its literature. The printed word has the incredible capacity to both reflect and shape the hopes, fears, and ideologies of the time. This is very evident when reading literature from 1960's America, a turbulent period in the history of our country. While the authors' styles are very different, there are definite thematic patterns and characteristics evident in

The Dharma Bums Aesthetic Response   After the opening chapter of the novel in which the narrator writes, "Just in my swim shorts, barefooted, wild-haired, in the red fire dark, singing, swigging wine, spitting, jumping, running- that's the way to live" (7), I knew that the book was not only going to be interesting, but also great. I was not displeased after finishing it either. The Dharma Bums struck me as being one of the most fantastic books that I have ever read; one that contains an amazingly

Importance of Mountains in Kerouac's Dharma Bums and Barthelme's The Glass Mountain     Mountains are significant in the writing of Jack Kerouac and Donald Barthelme as symbolic representations of achievement and the isolation of an individual from the masses of the working class in industrialized capitalist American society. The mountains, depicted by Kerouac and Barthelme, rise above the American landscape as majestic entities whose peaks are touched by few enduring and brave souls

2013 A True Dharma Bum One of the most powerful quotes in the entire book that I feel sums up what it is to be a dharma bum, “ I felt free and therefore I was free”. This quote from Ray Smith shows that a dharma bum must always believe in oneself and take the journey to becoming a Dharma bum from within. Although one can learn from fellow dharma bums such as the Saint Teresa bum, Han Shan, and Japhy the ultimate truth of being Dharma bum comes from within. Saint Teresa Bum is the “first genuine

at just to have something to do. It is notable that Ginsberg and Whitman leave the supermarket together, not having purchased anything at all. They have taken part in the ritual of loneliness without buying into the need for things. In The Dharma Bums, Kerouac set out to show what an enlightening, beautiful life comes from having as little as possible. The protagonist, Ray, (clearly Kerouac himself) records almost

This week we started the reading of the Dharma Bums, which is related to Zen Buddhism. In addition, we also get in touch with some Zen stories. Zen stories are usually very short and easy to read, using just couple of sentences to tell people the main thoughts of Zen. When first read them, I found some of them are interesting and easy to understand, at least part of the meaning, while some of them are confusing. MUDDY ROAD is one of the several Zen stories we read in class. This story talks about

poor gentle flesh laid out to such impossible horrors as huge mountains and rock and empty space," (Kerouac The Dharma Bums, page 42-43.) This passage was used during their hiking to Matterhorn. Ray was so afraid and he could not continue to climb up the mountain. This passage expressed how much fear he felt during that time. “I cannot fall off the mountain” (Kerouac The Dharma Bums, page 44.) Overcoming his fear Ray realized that he cannot fall off the mountain. After Ray’s observation to Japhy’s

Kerouac is known for his unique writing style of spontaneous prose to tell stories of his own life experiences. This fast paced style not only catches the attention of his readers, but gives a depiction of Kerouac as a person. Kerouac's novel, The Dharma Bums, depicts the importance of pragmatism both in the novel and in Kerouac's life through his non-conformity and simplistic ways along with his spontaneity and sexual conflict. Ray Smith stands out as a bit of a rebel with his non-conformist ways