Saturday, May 21, 2011

Is the word "zombie" in On The Road?

I just read a post (click here to read it) that says this is a quote from On The Road:
Everyone feels like a zombie, somewhere at the end of the night, the great Dracula figure of modern disintegration and madness, the devil if you will, is running the whole thing.

While it doesn't ring a bell and a quick scan of my copy didn't reveal it, I am willing to be convinced. Can someone point me to the chapter?

(Note to self: This is one good reason to own a Kindle or like device so I can search Kerouac's works for specific references.)
at

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 2:30 PM

    No, this passage isn't in "On the Road". The word "zombie" does appear, though, in this one:

    "Dean walked through with his arms hanging zombie-like at his sides, his mouth open, his eyes gleaming, and conducted a ragged and holy tour that lasted till dawn in a field with a boy in a straw hat who laughed and chatted with us and wanted to play catch, for nothing ever ended." (p. 173-174)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    The quote is actually from "The Town and the City", and it's Levinsky (Ginsberg) saying it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rick Dale, author of The Beat HandbookMay 21, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    Thanks, anonymous. I knew someone would come through with the answer!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AlanMay 23, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    You can always search a book for words like this at books.google.com - its a great way to search the books you already have and it gives you page numbers.

    ReplyDelete