Self and the Quest for Ideal Existential Space
A Study of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14956920 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Saumya Bera (0000-0002-1198-9366, Haldia Institute of Technology, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2018-05-06 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0975-2935 • E-ISSN: 0975-2935 |
| Publisher | Aesthetics Media Services (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.21659/rupkatha.v10n2.06 |
| OpenAlex | W2887204980 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 3 |
The present study seeks to explore questions of formation, discernment and inspection of the individual identity through the exploration of existential space. This idea has been explicated through the narrative of Sal in the selected text who attempts to disembark at an understanding about the entirety of human existence. In the present study, Sal begets an identity in his mental space, which is devoid of any rootedness to his present contextual existence. This very realization drives him to go on the road in search of an ideal existential space that might resonate his own 'self'. However, in doing so, he actually looks for an existential space to form his own identity which consequently gives birth to the conflict, the existential angst. His attempt to 'be' by idealizing the 'other' and assimilating the 'otherness' halts the process of formation of identity. Therefore, Sal's imagination of 'self' and 'other' fades away in an unending loop of deference. The study intends to employ the theoretical tool of Existential Space to understand the imaginary constructs that inform the creation and evaluation of the identity of the individual
Aesthetics · Discernment · Epistemology · Existentialism · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior · Philosophy · Poetry Analysis and Criticism · Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
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