Kerouac Adventure

Colby Sedlier

Professor Julian Zabalbeascoa

F.Y.S.H Sec 303

11 October 2013

Kerouac Palooza

            Over the last few weeks, the main focus of our first year seminar in honors class, otherwise known as F.Y.S.H, has been on Jack Kerouac. We have talked about his biography, impact on Lowell, and his ability to write. Kerouac is a native to Lowell who was, in his life time, viewed as a drunken bum. One could sum up his persona as being intoxicated and under the influence of marijuana quite often however, overall, he was a writer. Despite his long journey through life without a solid job or family to support him, he excelled through his writings. Kerouac’s pieces did not become well known until after he died so unfortunately, he never experienced the fame that they came with or the fame that resides within his name today. The writings of Kerouac and his overall brilliance in the art are now celebrated during the annual Kerouac Festival which is held in his home city, Lowell, MA. As a UMass Lowell student, I was lucky enough to witness his literary work, participate on a walking tour about Kerouac and experience the festival in his honor. In my opinion, from these three dedications to Kerouac, I believe that although he was a drunk and a dependent man, his ability to write deserves the praise that Lowell gives it.

            To begin our adventure with Kerouac, the class decided upon watching the recently released film of “On the Road”, a movie based on Kerouac’s book, rather than reading his work and frankly, I am unsure if this was the correct choice. The film focused more on the sexual aspect of Kerouac’s novel rather than his rich language that, as we were told as a class, exists within. I even questioned why the movie contained sex scene after sex scene after sex scene.

For example, I am almost certain that everyone remembers the scene depicted to the right yet I struggle to understand why it is a necessary scene. As a part of the audience, it seemed as if the producers wanted to focus more on Kristin Stewart and her body rather than Jack Kerouac and his writing. I feel as if the film was an insult to Kerouac and that the cast was just using his story to make money for themselves despite realizing what they were really doing to him.

            The Kerouac Walking Tour was next on the stop of our adventure. Our tour guide was well-rounded in terms of knowing about Kerouac. Based on the factual information that he threw our way, I feel it is safe to characterize him as an expert in all things Kerouac. He knew topics that ranged from Kerouac’s date of birth all of the way to certain passages that he remembered from his writings. The tour guide began at Kerouac’s origins and took us up to present day. He proclaimed that Kerouac was viewed as a drunk who thoroughly enjoyed the party scene which included drugs such as marijuana. However, despite the “booze” as the tour guide put it, Kerouac was brilliant when it came to writing. He knew how to make writing flow and how to describe a scene perfectly and vividly without directly stating it. After the initial discussion, our tour took off throughout the city of Lowell from the Grotto behind the Franco-American School. We were directed to where Kerouac was buried and even shown where his father worked. All things aside, the library was by far the most interesting place on our tour.

The library was where Kerouac spent most of his free time while writing as he pleased. The quaint and inviting atmosphere that the library emanated allowed me to picture Kerouac sitting at a desk while diligently studying or writing. In my opinion, this library is the reasoning behind why Kerouac was able to become the name that is praised today. It was the main area that he was able to focus in and just let his emotions flow through his writing.

            The final stop on the adventure of Kerouac ended on what Kerouac Festival Event each individual in the classroom decided to participate in. 

As for myself, I decided to attend the traditional pub tour. I was able to wander Lowell and see a portion of the pubs/bars that exist within the city. The first pub that we visited was actually the start of the tour. It goes by the name of the Worthern House Café. It is officially called a tavern and according to the information I received, it is over a century old. Why was this tavern so important and relevant to Kerouac though? Apparently it was THE location to go to for drinks especially for the university’s students including Kerouac himself! Living up to his name, he enjoyed the tavern in which I’m assuming was for its alcoholic beverages. Although I was not old enough to fully experience exactly what Kerouac did, the atmosphere of the tavern was lively and overall enjoyable. To wrap up this entire adventure, I would simply state that the city of Lowell wouldn’t be quite the same without the drunken image of a talented writer who goes by the name of Jack Kerouac.