The Dharma Bums- Jack Kerouac

If you are familiar with any of Jack Kerouac's work, you will know that it isn't exactly his gripping plots or thrilling story lines that make his novels classics. Instead, it is his way of portraying his narratives in a beautifully poetic, in-the-moment stream of consciousness, that keeps you hooked onto the end of each of his magnificently crafted tangents.  Kerouac does not write fiction; so you will find scarce elements of symbolism, plot development etc. That we are taught to decipher. Instead, we are presented with a work that portrays simple earnestness in it's best from, direct, in 'the moment' from a man who genuinely experienced each event.

The Dharma Bums follows Kerouac on his journey to find enlightenment; a self-proclaimed Buddhist, he defines himself as a 'religious wanderer'. However here Kerouac is less of a storyteller, but more of an avid listener; Kerouac recalls his time following a young character named 'Japhy', a fellow Buddhist who follows the paths of the 'Zen Lunatics', we begin in the height of the San Francisco Renaissance, Kerouac portrays the manic life held within poets clubs, "packed with pounds of poet meat", and follow this character to the top of Mt Matterhorn, a silent paradise, and a huge juxtaposition to the swinging life of the city below. 

The first Kerouac novel i read was "Big Sur"; this being one of his later works, by this point he had developed a level of depth and poignant honesty within his writing that, for me, had come to define him. His later works are less about telling the events of his travels, but instead, exploring his own psychological development, which by "Big Sur" verged on Alcoholism. What i mean by this is, despite predominantly being a 'travel book'- which follows Kerouac journeys. It is not the events that capture us and draw us in- yes part of the reason we love these books is because of Kerouac's depiction of the Jazz age, fully embracing a free lifestyle. Yet, it is Kerouac's writing and exploration or characters, and himself, that become the most beautiful parts within these novels. 

Now, there are some elements of this style of writing within "The Dharma Bums", but what is notable in variation from this work and "Big Sur" is in the vibrant sense of 'life' in Kerouac's writing; Kerouac's writing within the 'Dharma Bums' is undoubtedly optimistic. Here Kerouac is still young minded, he looks forward rather than looking down, which, frankly, is refreshing within our society that is so keen in expressing the darker half of the paint pallet- regarding emotions. 

I Urge you to read this and not be influenced. 

The Day Of The Triffids - John Wyndham

An Apocalyptic tale content in haunting the reader with a mix of Horror, Realism and simple Melodrama. 

"And we danced, on the brink of an unknown future, to an echo from a vanished past".

If you were to read a brief synopsis of this novel, or if i were to casually tell you the premise of the plot, i would not be surprised to hear you laugh at the prospect of envisioning large, lumbering plants, serve to be the demise of humanity; and to an extent i would agree. Vegetation simply does not serve to be a source of terror in the same way the living dead or towering lizards (Godzilla) do. Yet, Wyndham's choice of monster is undoubtedly more relatable than the supernatural protagonists of classic horror stories: we already have carnivorous plants, Dionaea muscipula, or the Venus Flytrap. We do not, however, have evidence of extra-terrestrial life, lycanthropes or vampires to suggest that any of these are going to come into existence any time soon. So, maybe Wyndham's 'Triffids' aren't that ludicrous. Written after the cold war, the idea of a 'man-made apocalypse' was ripe in the original readerships mind; with the invention of nuclear weapons World War III seemed to be on the horizon. In light of this, plants becoming enhanced by man-made hormonal supplements, and turning into man-eating-machines becomes all the more relatable. I'm not insinuating that you or I would consider a Triffid for our next Halloween costume, plants are not immediately intimidating, yet as the novel progresses these things manifest into a terrifying prospect. 

The novel Builds on the premise of a meteor shower, causing any individual un(lucky) enough to witness it to wake up the next morning blinded; which, thanks to the input of media broadcasts- is near enough the entire population. Only a select few have survived thanks to freak occurrences: being locked in a basement, hung over, in hospital etc etc. Our protagonist, Bill, wakes in a hospital the next morning surrounded by an eerie silence. After a short while character builds enough confidence to explore the hospital, here Wyndham utilises his gift for the 'horror' form- exposing the many deaths resulting from the hospital's population waking blind. We become subjected to both horrific accidents, equally horrific suffering and deeply unsettling acts of suicide, significantly by a ‘doctor’, whom acting as the symbol of hope and recovery, instead chooses to launch himself out of his office window.

As the novel progresses, we can’t help but appreciate our gift of sight; simply put: Wyndham makes it clear that without sight, we are predominantly useless. (Excusing those who have adjusted to being sightless) It is clear that our advantage over nature, and other predatory animals, is held in our ability to build, adapt and survive. Yet, without sight, it soon becomes clear that the contraptions, which previously aided our survival, become useless. Furthermore, our loss of sight means that we cannot even attempt to build devices to aid our sightlessness. What the Triffids have, which we do not, is an instinct to survive without sight- while their instinct is basic, within a blind world they have a distinct advantage. 

Although the novel's title insinuates the plot to resolve around the Triffids, I would see it rather as a portrait of humanity in the wake of disaster; a note to appreciate the world we are in, as it could all be gone in a day. Like every apocalyptic tale, attempts to rebuild society begin instantaneously, yet the same sense of primal aggression, survival of the fittest, soon snuffs each out. We live in a society that takes advantage of simple methods of survival, food sources, shelter etc. etc. When we are left in ruins it is soon clear that the modern world has forgotten how to, simply, survive.

I enjoyed this novel.