Part 1 of Essay
Jack Kerouac's 'Great American' Novel, On the Road "…because the only people for me as the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... and a mad man. Sal desires meaning for his pointless life so he begins a great American journey looking for everything and nothing, following in the footsteps of Dean and his friend Carlo Marx. Instead of making use of the money he has earned he takes to the road on foot and hitch hikes his way across America from New York to Denver, his ultimate goal. Upon arriving at his destination and reuniting with Dean he realizes Dean's madness, his inability to control his emotions, his vagueness, his incoherence ....