On the road to heaven: An evaluation of spirituality in the works of Jack Kerouac

ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN: AN EVALUATION OF SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKS OF JACK KEROUAC ABSTRACT In this thesis study, Jack Kerouac's spirituality is investigated in his two important novels: On the Road and Desolation Angels. Jack Kerouac had been accused of writing indecent, obscene, and worthless. The literary critics of the time of publishing of On the Road, find the book also not to mention as literary work. All the comments about On the Road were derogatory, pejorative and belittling. Nobody mentioned the book's highly spiritual content and the author's thought sphere, philosophy and spirituality and mysticism. In fact On the Road was highly spiritual and the author was really in relationship with mysticism and other religions other than his familial and national involvement. And Kerouac's another book, Desolation Angels was proof of his deep understanding of spirituality with giving his discourse on notion of his spiritual road with highs and lows. But that book was lately published in 1965 and Kerouac was well known so far with his other explanations and interviews, so the comments were not so far from the reality and then the Kerouac's spirituality. But On the Road was scapegoat of its time. All the negativity of the time was emerging from the novel, or the novel's author's so called "rebellious understanding of life". Jack Kerouac's spirituality is not suitable to a certain religion or a spiritual sect. He had accepted all of them by heart in spite of their paradoxical position as in Buddhism vs. Christianity (at least on reincarnation matter). But many think he was devoted Catholic. I argued also this is not a true comment in this thesis. If that allegation was true he wouldn't so keen to investigate other religions or spiritual thought systems. He could only make some improvisations on Catholicism. Yet he even didn't make any pure investigation solely on body of Christianity. He always searched what he thought was missing, and that was purely spirituality. The other concerns were only details, collateral involvements. The core, the essence of his search for was the spirituality itself. And he found that spirituality from time to time as it is written in his different novels. These moments were not only possess certain religion. Then, one could even find some Islamic spirituality, without Kerouac's authentic considerations because he was not an advocator of a certain religion in spite of his deep concern of Catholicism. He was only a champion of spirituality. The proof was also his novel On the Road because it is not even accepted as a decent novel at the publication time but all the details in the book rounding around spirituality. And institutional reaction moreover religious rejection was obvious on the face of the current criticism at that time. On the Road from the beginning to the end filled with author's spiritual concerns which are defined in various ways. This spirituality is not really related to any religion. But in Desolation Angels the religious concerns are much visible. The attachment of Christianity and Buddhism is obvious while effects of Islam are not exposed. On the Road is not dealing with spirituality directly—apart from an unnamed quest, but overall tone with aura encompasses the reader with spirituality. The author's attempts, madly mobility with words along with earthly movement make sense with transcending voice. Kerouac makes this by words, connotations, intonations, variations of words, with a brilliant word reservoir, and with his immense energy. Keywords: Spirituality, Mysticism, The Beats, Jack Kerouac