Exploring Common Themes in "On The Road" and "The Wall"

At first glance, the novel On The Road by Jack Kerouac and the film The Wall by Pink Floyd seem to have very little in common. The novel is a story about two young men, Sal and Dean, who travel the country in search of good times. The film is about a man, Pink, trapped in his life of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Upon closer inspection, however, one can see that there are many common underlying themes. This essay will attempt to uncover and explain these themes in the context of both works.

Life Is a Battle

Dean's whole life has been a battle. He has never had a place to call home or someone to depend on and take care of him. His father abandoned him, and he spent his life searching for him. Dean traveled on railroad cars across the country and was emotionally unstable. It is debatable as to why; it could have been the heavy drug abuse or a chemical imbalance in his brain. Dean was married to many women, although he was never able to stay with them for very long. The story of his life was "love 'em and leave 'em" (Kerouac, 1957).

Claw Your Way Through This Disguise

The second theme comes from a quote in the song "In The Flesh" by Pink Floyd: "...if you'd like to find out what's behind these cold eyes, you'll have to claw your way through this disguise" (Waters, 1979). Throughout the novel, Dean tried to be normal. He tried to settle down, marry, and raise his multiple children. Each time, though, he felt the itch and had to leave. Dean always had a suitcase with him, packed and ready to go, just sitting under the bed.

Pink was similar to Dean in some regards. He too was pretending to be someone that he was not. As an adult, Pink was a member of a successful music band. He lived a carefree lifestyle of sex, drugs, and alcohol. To all around him, Pink seemed content to go on living this way. Inside, however, he was miserable. It got to a point where he locked himself in a hotel room on the verge of suicide (Parker, 1982).

Freedom

A third theme in common between the two mediums is the theme of freedom. Dean had the open road. He had no responsibilities that he took care of. He left his children and his women to pursue his own interests. The open road symbolized endless possibilities and a way to escape the constraints of society.

For Pink, drugs were his form of freedom. Life on the road as a celebrity was too much, and he needed an escape. However bleak the highs and lows were, they provided an escape from reality, if only for a few hours. In contrast, Dean escaped his reality for years, almost until the day he died (Kerouac, 1957; Parker, 1982).

Just Another Brick in the Wall

Finally, there is the issue of conformity, synonymous with becoming "just another brick in the wall." The child in the film had to conform to expectations placed on him. He had no choice in schooling or even healthcare, as depicted in the scene with the doctor in the film (Parker, 1982).

Sal had begun to conform to society's expectations in his youth. He joined the service and started college. Dean, on the other hand, had no expectations to conform to. He made his own rules as he went along, as they applied to him. In the end, Sal adopts Dean's view on life and refuses to conform to society, which says he should be married and have children. The older Pink breaks the rules as well. He joins a rock and roll band and gets involved with lewd women and drugs. All three of them make their own rules, and all three suffer because of it (Kerouac, 1957; Parker, 1982).

As you can see from the examples presented here, there are many common themes between On The Road and The Wall. Both works were taken to extremes in their actions to avoid becoming just another brick in the wall. While it is important to be true to yourself and your values, there is something to be said for those who take risks to find their own happiness regardless of what society thinks. Everyone has the right to be wild and crazy in their youth. It is how we learn from our mistakes and teach future generations (Kerouac, 1957; Parker, 1982).

References

• Kerouac, J. (1957). On The Road. Viking Press.
• Parker, A. (Director). (1982). The Wall [Film]. MGM/UA Entertainment Company.
• Waters, R. (1979). The Wall [Album]. Pink Floyd Music Ltd.