The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Dharma Bums
Book Review: "The Dharma Bums"- A search for Truth in the woods
Summary: 4 Stars
Jack Kerouac wrote this story about his youthful days as an ebullient Zen Buddhist and rucksack hitchhiker in the 60's. His alias in the book is Raymond Smith, and he is living in a shack in Berkley, CA with his good friend Alvah Goldbook. Ray meets a Zen Lunatic named Japhy Ryder(Gary Snyder), and together they travel the wilderness of Central California where they recite poetry, drink wine, meditate, make haikus about every natural object, while trying to find themselves and seek the true meaning of life as beatniks. Ray Smith also criss-crosses the country again, home for the holidays, and then back to Berkeley. While at home he wanders through forest time and again, to center himself with nature and his surroundings, meditating there through the cold months like a real Buddhist Monk.
I was surely impressed by this book. I even jotted down many meaningful Buddhist passages and quotes that Kerouac mentioned in the novel This work of literature by Kerouac is less "experimental" in literary terms compared to something like "Satori in Paris" by Kerouac. For those of you who have not had any past experience with Kerouac's writing style this will not be of any difficulty. The language is simple, the prose is right to the point, and there is hardly a bit of surrealism. Many of the sections are quite humorous because of the quirkiness and new ideas on Buddhism that are slipped in between the sentences, along with predictable scenes of the beatnik life hood (drug use and slang). Ray Smith purely goes about making light comments about life without being the author's speaker. This is a positive and heart fulfilling youthful adventure that displays immense compassion.
Book Review: "Easy Rider" meets "Bar Fly", meets "Into the Wild"....
Summary: 3 Stars
A somewhat sad story...The protagonist, a dis-spirited, wistful, melancholy soul, who's "haddit" with middleclass, American society (who hasn't) and - with constant refills of his huge, bottomless wine goblet - hits the Highroad, full of Zen, Buddha, etc...I was just waiting for this guys liver to simply explode from his body...Reminded me a bit of "Catcher in the Rye" (odd), "Into the Wild", "Easy Rider" and, in a more odd way, Hongo's "Volcano"...This theme of restlessness, discontent, (self?) dissatisfaction...And never quite finding a Home. Never - even with the aid of horrific amounts of booze - not quite Settling In. I wonder about Kerouac's State of Being - minus the alcohol... Sad, not triumphant, story.Book Review: A Beat Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac, follows Ray Smith, a character based on Kerouac himself, through an amazing physical and spiritual journey. In the story, Smith meets Japhy Ryder, an eccentric mountaineer who is fascinated by Eastern literature and religion. Japhy inspires Smith to begin his career as a meditating, rucksack-wielding `Zen Lunatic'. Smith is led to a deeper understanding of his Buddhist faith through scaling mountains, sleeping in silent deserts, and meditating for hours on end deep in the woods. He travels all over the United States, meeting innumerable different characters as he goes and learning more and more about the truths of existence itself.
What shines through in The Dharma Bums isn't so much the plot of the story, but the way in which the story is told. Jack Kerouac has a knack for making the ordinary seem extraordinary, and impressing upon the reader how something seemingly mundane could impact him in a profound way. The narrative has a wide-eyed romance about it, making every experience Ray Smith has seem new and fresh. People, places, and events in the book are described with a prose that is practically poetry, painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind. In reading The Dharma Bums, I wasn't concerned as much with what happened as I was with how it happened.
The Dharma Bums isn't a book that everyone would enjoy. Some would find it pointless or long-winded, or difficult to read. For someone who likes a lot of description and feeling in a book, however, I strongly recommend it. This book is also a necessity for any enthusiast of Beat literature, and even those interested in Buddhism would appreciate it as a serious philosophical work. To anyone else, The Dharma Bums is bound to add inspiration, excitement, and a new perspective to any open mind.
Book Review: A Glance at a funny, exthatic travel inside all of us...
Summary: 4 Stars
I read Kerouac in variuos occasions, alone and with friends, all his novels, letters and biographies. This "Dharma Bums" is particularly linked to a happy year of my life (1993) and I enjoyed a lot that California 1955, cottages, tea and cakes, poems to read together, girls around, etc. That was really a funny and exciting Bohemia, probably no more possible today but so important for all young readers looking for love and right path in this troubled world. The sensible approach to life Kerouac had is incredible because of its sadness, melancholy and attention to each magic of daily life!!Book Review: A Great Book On Zen And Adventure.
Summary: 5 Stars
I read Kerouac's novel The Dharma Bums & I must say I liked it very much! The story is about two young men as they set out in search of truth. They are Ray Smith and Japhy Ryder (Jack Kerouac & Gary Snyder). These two meet up in San Francisco, California at Berkeley. They attend a bohemian party and poetry jamming (The Gallery Six Reading). This was the beat generation of the 50s & 60s. Japhy Ryder liked reading Zen books such as Diamond Sutra and also works by D.T.Suzuki. He was seeking his Bodhisattvas in everyone he met. Japhy would often quote Buddha: ("All life is suffering".)
Their goal was to climb Desolation Peak. The solitude was their Satori. Dharma Bums is a great story of adventurer. I also recommend On The Road by Jack Kerouac as well.