On the Road Characters + Summary

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Oliver Swart On the Road by Jack Kerouac Sal: Sal is an aspiring writer who originally lives in New Jersey. He meets Dean and is immediately influenced by him. Sal immediately begins traveling the country in search of adventure. He is charismatic, but often fails at picking up girls because he can be awkward. He is based on Jack Kerouac in real life. By the end, Sal is sick of traveling around and Dean’s crazy antics and leaves him. Dean: Dean is a former convict who is eventually freed. He is portrayed as a hero in the book, yet he is also extremely flawed. He does not seem to feel remorse for any of his actions, sleeping with and marrying several girls such as Marylou, Camille, and Inez. He can’t stay in a city or car for too long, instead he just hops from city to city. He is a huge mess but doesn’t realize it himself. Carlo: At first, Carlo is as hyper and enigmatic as Dean himself. The two never stop moving, and make a perfect fit for each other. They blast everywhere, talk quickly, and never slow down. However, when Carlo comes back from the war, he is a changed man. He is much more quiet and slow, and criticizes Dean’s actions that he once did himself. Carlo becomes a much different man than he once was. Camille: Camille is Dean’s second wife. Dean cheats on Marylou with Camille and eventually they get married and live in San Francisco. Near the end of their relationship, Camille becomes very emotional and angry. Dean leaves Camille for Inez. Marylou: Marylou is Dean’s first wife. She is active and hyper like Dean, and is as into sex as Dean is. However, she is also conniving and calls the police on Dean and leaves him at one point. She and Dean constantly are on and off, and Marylou also becomes like a prostitute for a time. Sal first meets Dean due to Dean and Sal’s friend Chad exchanging letters. As soon as they meet him, they already
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