Independent Reading, Post #13In the beginning of Part Two, Sal recounts Dean's exploits of the past year. He rashly married his girlfriend in San Francisco, and had a baby girl with her. After all of this, he decides one day to randomly leave and go on a cross-country road trip with his friend Ed Dunkel. He blows all of his savings on a new car, and the two have no money for the trip. In order to fund it, Dunkel marries a girl in hopes that she will come with them and "foot the bill".
"By the time they got to Tucson she was broke. Dean and Ed gave her the slip in a hotel lobby and resumed with voyage alone, with the sailor, and without a qualm." (Page 111)
Now, this particular choice completely shocked me. Though the narrator seems to glorify and idolize Dean and his friends, and their carefree lives, this is just downright WRONG, immoral, irresponsible, and cruel. If I had to give Ed and Dean advice, I would tell them to go back to San Francisco, settle down, and start acting their ages. I would also tell Sal to find a better role model.
If they want to be careless "on the road", then they shouldn't try to build connections with other people, simply to let them down time and time again.
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