As requested by Sarah, Keeper of the Goon Squad
Welcome to our little literary Wunschkonzert. Our dear neighbor Sarah has requested that I talk abut food in On the Road by Jack Kerouac, which is sometimes called "The Bible of the Beat Generation". So to start off, I'll mention some stuff about the Beats in general, which will help us to understand what's going on in the novel. I found this book to be very helpful, as it incorporates different points of view on the Beats and covers some of the most important works. It can be found cheaper than at the site I linked, but they were the only ones with an image. Also, some of the essays focus on teaching the different works, so you get a good overview in those articles, rather than an analysis of just one particular aspect.
Anyway, the Beat Generation: In most general terms, Beat writers tried to rebel against what they perceived to be the constrictions of American culture. Specifically mainstream, white middle-class culture. They found it to be marked by conformity, superficiality and a lack of authenticity. Usually things such as their sexual behavior and drug use are mentioned as forms of rebellion. And this is where the trouble starts. They were some things they were progressive about, other things not so much. Especially some of the earlier works have been called misogynist and racist. I think that might be going a little too far, but I can definitely see some of the points of criticism. The way women are portrayed is not always flattering and sometimes sexist, and contacts with African-Americans, for example, invoke stereotypes a lot. But to their defense, the Beats were the most progressive of their time, and with regard to other ethnicities, they are evidence that the road towards multiculturalism wasn't, or isn't, all that smooth. It is important to note, however, that the Beats emerged out of the mainstream, and could only afford to live the way they did because they were financially supported by their wealthy families. At least to some extent. They retained some of the mainstream attitudes and stereotypes, but also showed willingness to confront them. Also, they did not necessarily aim to deconstruct society, but were looking to restore a sense of innocence that they thought was lost in mainstream culture. As a consequence, they looked for authenticity on the fringes of society, among minorities, and there is a certain sense of romanticism. This is certainly the case with On the Road. As far as style goes, Beat writing is characterized by spontaneity.
Okay, I hope that helps to understand the Beats a little better. For me personally, one of the problems was, that they don't seem all that radical in retrospect, but of course they were a lot more controversial in their days. So now some stuff about food and culture. Eating is what we do to follow the instinct for individual survival. Because food is so fundamental, it's also an important expression of culture, which again makes it important for creating individual identity. Well, that's pretty much all we need to know for now. That food and identity are connected in a meaningful way, and that food is part of everybody's identity. Not really much of a relevation. Maybe I should mention that food can be used to express solidarity as well, and that alcohol fulfills many of the same functions as food does in this respect. Alcohol also seperates work time and leisure time from one another.
The main chararcter and narrator of On the Road, Sal Paradise, sets out on a quest for identity, and tries to find out who he is by travelling to the West Coast and back several times and meeting various friends. Alright, now that we know all this, we can find passages, in which food is used to manifest identity. On his very first journey, Sal stops at diners to eat apple pie, and as he travels further west, he describes how they get bigger and better the further he goes. He even says that that's all he ate on his way across the country. In a way, he is literally taking in America as he crosses the country. But it goes even further, as we will see here in a bit. At least according to my interpretation. Dean is describes as a character that is "eager for bread and love" (I don't think it's necessary for me to give quotes in this context) and Sal gets sad when they are mad at each other and Dean won't eat. Anyway, food is used here in a metaphorical way, to relate Dean's lust for life. He way also born on the road, so that instead of a particular place and food, his home is connected to movement and his food would be life itself. He embodies liveliness.
I found that eating provides important moments of rest in contrast to the movement of traveling. Another way to look at it, is that the narrator and the main characters feel confused to a certain extent. Confused by the reality of America. And when they're exploring their country, they need something to hold on to. And that something is food, because it is so important for individual identity. That's why Sal fixes himself ten sandwiches to cross the country on before getting on a bus, twice, and has a girl buy him food when he runs out. And after an epiphany, a moment where he transcends time and recognizes the cycle of life and death, the food smells of San Francisco bring him back to the present. That's all I have for now. Feel free to ask questions, cause I'm sure it doesn't make a whole lotta sense.