On the Road Essay

Ever since I was a little kid growing up in elementary school and gradually progressing forward from grade to grade, many concepts about literature and writing have been repeatedly drilled into my head. When it comes to literature and storytelling, I have always been told that the setting is one of the key literary elements and is almost always present in each literary work of art: from articles and essays, to short stories and novels. The setting is the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a situation occurs; it usually includes details about the background and the environment in which the characters live. One of the main parts of the definition of setting is the place where the story is depicted. The area in which the protagonist is living or moving is so important in novels and storytelling that the place can actually shape the individual character. Moreover, the place in which the book or movie occurs can shape the main character positively and negatively, according to how the author or director depicts it. However, when it comes down to the three characters: Sal paradise, Andre Dubus III, and Mickey Ward, each one is able to overcome the negative effects inflicted on them by their own settings and turn those effects in to positive actions and stories.

            Andre Dubus III wrote Townie: A Memoir, which recounts the main aspects of his life on paper. Throughout the beginning of the memoir, Andre’s mother has trouble staying in a relationship and cannot hold down a job with steady income. Therefore, the Dubus family consistently had to move from place to place, but each new town seemed to have the same influence on Andre. Growing up, he seemed to jus follow in the footsteps of others and never had a mind of his own. He would just follow along and do what was considered to be “cool” by his friends. Andre began to walk down the wrong road in his life and got into drugs, alcohol, and missing school seemed to occur more and more often. It was not until Andre turned fourteen when he turned his life around and began to work out and stand up for himself and his family. He was tired of all of the bullies and the beatings so he began to fight back. He corrected his path in life and he turned it all around for himself. The setting where Andre Dubus III spent much of his childhood was certainly not easy and having to move to similar neighborhoods did not help. The cities he lived in shaped him into the tough and rigid man he is today. Not only is he a fighter, but he is also an amazing writer who is able to put on paper the experiences that he had in the places where he has lived.

            Along with Andre Dubus III, there is another character where the setting of his surroundings shaped him into the man he is today. Mickey Ward, a boxer and fighter from Lowell, Massachusetts grew up in a rough neighborhood. He was also surrounded by drugs and alcohol at a young age. However, he beat all the odds and was able to overcome his surroundings and made it big in the world. Mickey’s older brother was less fortunate; he too was a fighter, however he fell into drugs and was not able to fulfill his full potential life. Another factor that made Mickey’s life difficult was his family situation. His mother, who was very dominating, tried to control everything in her children’s lives, especially Mickey and his brother Dickey. It certainly did not help that their father was very submissive, and living in a house of ten woman and three men, the father never really knew what to do so he left it for his wife. There was always fighting going on in the house and was not a very enjoyable place to be for Mickey Ward. With all of these horrible situations around Mickey’s life, it just makes him seem even more incredible and proves that good can come from horrible situations. His setting in the storyline was the reason for why Mickey Ward became the man and fighter he was and why he tried so hard to make a name for himself and for the city of Lowell.

            The last man whose place of where he lives shapes his true identity is Sal Paradise from the book, On the Road. Sal, who is named after the author: Jack Kerouac, lives a very quiet and non-confident life at first. However his lifestyle that comes later on in the storyline allows him to break out of his shell and live life to the fullest. “The best teacher is experience and not through someone's distorted point of view.” Sal Paradise uses his experience as a way to learn about himself and understands that he must have his own experiences to create his opinions rather than to take the opinions of another person. He is able to open up his eyes and realize that it was time to travel and see the world. He heads west towards California and is able to meet up with his “partner in crime”, Dean Moriarty who continues on with Sal for more adventures of sex, drugs, and long car rides to meet many more people.

            While traveling, Dean and Sal never seemed to have too much money on them and bare enough for gas. “Better to sleep in an uncomfortable bed free, than sleep in a comfortable bed unfree.” Sal was forced to meet many people on his road trips. He even met his future wife and he did so because he never had anywhere to stay. He created great friendships and broke out of his shell in order to become more personable. In order to live a life not always in the car, he had to live with other people because it made more sense to live with others for free rather than live in a room in which he must pay.

When it came down to Sal Paradise’s philosophy he always liked to say, “There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” Sal just wanted to keep moving and never stopped. He traveled throughout the United States and probably loved every minute of it. Sal and Dean were able to spend time and get jobs in each place they went but they never stayed for too long and in no time were back on the move. The places that Sal traveled TO opened up his eyes to the world and allowed for him to create his own perspectives and opinions. The setting of the story creates the full character of Sal Paradise and allows for him to change. Due to the fact that Sal never stopped traveling, his experiences taught him more than he could have ever known. They shaped him into the man he wanted to be, the outgoing, spontaneous and adventurous character.