Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, and William Least Heat-Moon Jesse Gipko
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Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 2014 Road Narratives as Cultural Critiques: Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, and William Least Heat-Moon Jesse Gipko Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Gipko, J. (2014). Road Narratives as Cultural Critiques: Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, and William Least Heat-Moon (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/582 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ROAD NARRATIVES AS CULTURAL CRITIQUES: HENRY MILLER, JACK KEROUAC, JOHN STEINBECK, AND WILLIAM LEAST HEAT-MOON A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Jesse Gipko December 2014 Copyright by Jesse Gipko 2014 ROAD NARRATIVES AS CULTURAL CRITIQUES: HENRY MILLER, JACK KEROUAC, JOHN STEINBECK, AND WILLIAM LEAST HEAT-MOON By Jesse Gipko Approved October 27, 2014 ________________________________ ________________________________ Frederick Newberry Magali Cornier Michael Professor Emeritus of English Professor of English (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ John Fried Greg Barnhisel Associate Professor of English Associate Professor of English (Committee Member) (Chair, Department of English) ________________________________ James Swindal, Ph.D. Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts iii ABSTRACT ROAD NARRATIVES AS CULTURAL CRITIQUES: HENRY MILLER, JACK KEROUAC, JOHN STEINBECK, AND WILLIAM LEAST HEAT-MOON By Jesse Gipko December 2014 Dissertation Supervised by Professor Emeritus Frederick Newberry Since the advent of the automobile in the early twentieth century, Americans have been preoccupied, as they always have been, given the country’s history of exploration and expansion, with traveling the continent. The American road narrative began as an exploration of the beauty and diversity of the country and as a way to explore self, but it soon emerged as a vehicle for writers to examine the country and comment on change and progress—not always positively. As America transformed throughout the twentieth century, the hope of individuality and self-expression articulated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman morphed into a critique of the growing conformity, homogenization, and consumer culture that was equally feared by these writers. Thus a hope for the ideals inherent in America coupled with a disappointment when they fail to become manifest in the country are an integral part of iv the road narratives in this study: Henry Miller’s The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, and William Least Heat- Moon’s Blue Highways. These road narratives engage with and critique conditions in the post-Great Depression U.S. such as the aforementioned conformity and homogenization. The central issue for each of these writers involves ideals, which create a type of nostalgia that warps their views of the U. S. before they set forth on their journeys. These ideals become formed mainly from the writers’ reading in literature and history but also from their sometimes misplaced optimism in America as a land of freedom and originality. The resulting conflict between their ideals and the reality of the country they travel develops into an examination of the conflict between America’s promises versus failures, potentials versus shortcomings, and blighted opportunities versus occasional signs of a surviving optimism. v DEDICATION For NJ vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Without Frederick Newberry, there would be no beginning or end to this project. As ever, I raise a glass to him. Magali Cornier Michael and John Fried have been thoughtful and attentive readers; John, especially, has been an essential source of encouragement. I am grateful to Belmont College for financial and intellectual support during the writing of this dissertation. As always the support of my wife Chrissy is inestimable—her patience, understanding, and knowledge inspire me. I would also like to express heartfelt appreciation to colleagues who provided advice and encouragement. Laura Engel deserves special mention as she provided crucial advice when I needed it most. Timothy Ruppert’s friendship and editorial skills were essential. Rob Rossi—writer, confidant, realist—kept me grounded and motivated. Emad Mirmotahari’s support and understanding aided me immeasurably through the final stages of this project. Un millión de gracias: vecino, colega, compay. My appreciation extends to Irma Mayo who gave me a quiet place to work and tirelessly defended my editorial choices. Finally, my love and appreciation go to David and Carol Arbuckle, whom I cannot thank enough for their unwavering support and confidence. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication .......................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................ vii Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….ix 1 Self-Discovery, Idealism, and Critique: Henry Miller’s The Air-Conditioned Nightmare ......................................................................................................................1 2 “Joyous alleys full of promise”: Literary Memory, Artistic Ideals, and American Manliness in On the Road ............................................................................................55 3 Memory Myth and the Rediscovery of America: John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley .......................................................................................................................125 4 Democratic Ideals and Cautious Optimism: William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways....................................................................................................................183 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................247 Notes ................................................................................................................................256 Works Cited .....................................................................................................................291 viii Introduction In the late 1940s, the television show Inside the U.S.A. with Chevrolet introduced the catchy tune “See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet.” This song would later become popularized by Dinah Shore in the early 1950s, who sang it during her weekly variety show sponsored naturally by Chevrolet, while the television screen would show happy motorists touring (always) scenic sites around the country—in effect, offering an optimistic corporate advertisement that proclaimed a trouble-free America. These advertisements promised that if consumers bought a Chevrolet they would see beautiful places—not people, not cities, but landscapes, always in perfect weather of course. These attractive images, designed to lure consumers into the showroom, also served to entice happy travelers out into the country. Advertisements like these played on Americans’ sense of wanderlust and the country’s history of exploration and expansion. Who would not want to travel through such a beautiful land and see the country, expressing the freedom inherent in the American spirit? Who would not want to discover America and, by so doing, discover self? Who would not want to travel in such a trouble-free country? As is typical of most American advertising, this commercial broadcasts American ideals that pervade the culture but that also rarely exist in such a pristine form. The American consumer culture—supported by this kind of advertising and trumpeting the ideals of travel and conspicuous consumption—wants Americans to believe that all is just fine and dandy in the great old United States of America. But America is not that easy— it never has been and most likely never will be—and those writers who have jumped into ix cars and buses and campers and vans to travel the country often encounter an American reality that clashes with ideals and nostalgia tempered by personal experience, popular culture, literature, history, and myth. Road travelers experience this conflict and end up critiquing their present-day America. The road narrative, a uniquely American genre made possible by thousands of highway miles and expanses of space, does not always begin as a journey into the past that reflects (almost always poorly) on the present; however, the combination of the writer’s experiences and idealistic urges often come into conflict with a radically different American society offered by the vapid corporate jingle. Although road journeys are often undertaken for purposes of self-discovery, the discrepancy between what a writer thinks of America and what he actually discovers results in a harsh assessment of American culture. The American road narrative thus