In picking the winners, I had to consider a few factors:
- Does the writer read closely enough to justify the answer?
- Does the answer address where Sal and Dean end up in the novel's denouement?
- Does the answer consider what twists the Mexico journey took at the end?
So here are the answers. I said six but ended up with seven strong replies. Minor editing for clarity has been applied. Study my replies; I want you to get a sense that multiple interpretations are fine if supported by textual evidence.
Brett: "It" ironically is the desire to stop traveling, cease exploring, and abandon the road. Interestingly the only way to find "it" is to undertake the actions [that makes these actions end]. Sal does find "it" by the end of the book. We see him settle down, find his Laura, and more importantly be happy in this life even in the presence of Dean. Dean hasn't found it and presumably never will. He is always hungry, never satisfied, and no amount of cars, girls, or miles will ever be enough. There's always more for Dean. Note: Brett convinces us with a turn here. At no other time is Sal as settled when Dean shows up, and yet Sal stays with Laura instead of following his friend on the road.
AJ: By the end of the road I think that Sal finds "it," however Dean does not. Throughout On The Road, Sal and Dean have two different "its." Sal's was to find someone that he truly loved enough to eventually settle down and marry. However Dean's "it" is much more complex. His hunger never seems to be filled from the road, and by the end of the book you wonder what is next for Dean. Note: AJ takes a different approach to the same answer. Unlike Brett, AJ claims that Sal's goal all along was to find someone like Laura. Brett's answer implies that Sal comes upon this answer while he travels with Dean. That difference is open for more examination.
Ashmina: Sal finds "it." When Dean invites Victor to travel back to the U.S., Victor refuses because he has family. He says he has a moral obligation toward his family. Sal realizes that this morality is what Sal was chasing after. Dean is still the same madman. However, Sal has found love and settled down. For the first time, he leaves Dean at the sidewalk by himself. Note: An easily defended reading, though there is a problem about Victor; we never see him say the things Ashmina notes. Victor's reply to Dean implies that Victor won't go to the US, because of his family. Just be careful to note where one can "read this into" a passage. After all, Dean always runs off on his wives and children.
Mike: I believe that Dean never finds "it" in the end. The years of searching and constantly being on the move wore him down. However, I think Sal found "it" in the girl he met in part five of the book. She was beautiful, innocent, and digging the Beat life. Sal was finally happy.
Andrew: I do not think he found "it." By the end of the novel, Sal had learned a lot about both the nation and himself, but it doesn't seem like he was satisfied after Dean was gone. Instead, I feel like he's sad and forlorn as he reflects on Dean's absence, suggesting that he may get the bug and have no one to travel with. Note: I "dig" contrarian readings that can be supported. Look at the last paragraph of the book. It leaves the question open, because Sal is very sad to see Dean leave New York.
Hadi: I think they finally found the land of the Beats. It is evident from Dean's response to arriving in Mexico that he is absolutely excited and tremendously respectful of the people. As Dean says, "the old man is so cool and grand and not bothered by anything...no suspicion here...nothing like that" (278). These people who live in a world different from America. The police are soft on you, as they are on page 275, one can smoke large does does of marijuana, and so on. This land not ruined by wealth and money, as shown by how people were living. So "IT" is the land of the Beatniks. Note: Hadi makes a strong but incomplete claim. To make is stronger, he would want to argue what Sal's falling ill, just as they find the magical city of their dreams, might mean about this "IT."
Thomas Davant: I believe that by the end of Part 5, Sal and Dean have found "it" and it is the moment you are able to stop, consider everything around you, and no longer feel the call. IN this interpretation, "it" is the latter half of life, a life off the road. Sal finds it and accepts it as his new life. Dean, however, has been simultaneously searching for and evading it his entire life, and at the end, he walks away. Their dream was to settle on the same street. In the face of it, the boys split. And maybe Dean will never settle for it. Note: As with Andrew's reading, this one is a bit contrarian. It's also subtle: Dean rejects "it" when he finds it. The analysis, if used for a longer paper, would need to delve into this idea. Do we see Dean's finding domestic life and leaving it as a motif throughout the novel?
AJ: By the end of the road I think that Sal finds "it," however Dean does not. Throughout On The Road, Sal and Dean have two different "its." Sal's was to find someone that he truly loved enough to eventually settle down and marry. However Dean's "it" is much more complex. His hunger never seems to be filled from the road, and by the end of the book you wonder what is next for Dean. Note: AJ takes a different approach to the same answer. Unlike Brett, AJ claims that Sal's goal all along was to find someone like Laura. Brett's answer implies that Sal comes upon this answer while he travels with Dean. That difference is open for more examination.
Ashmina: Sal finds "it." When Dean invites Victor to travel back to the U.S., Victor refuses because he has family. He says he has a moral obligation toward his family. Sal realizes that this morality is what Sal was chasing after. Dean is still the same madman. However, Sal has found love and settled down. For the first time, he leaves Dean at the sidewalk by himself. Note: An easily defended reading, though there is a problem about Victor; we never see him say the things Ashmina notes. Victor's reply to Dean implies that Victor won't go to the US, because of his family. Just be careful to note where one can "read this into" a passage. After all, Dean always runs off on his wives and children.
Mike: I believe that Dean never finds "it" in the end. The years of searching and constantly being on the move wore him down. However, I think Sal found "it" in the girl he met in part five of the book. She was beautiful, innocent, and digging the Beat life. Sal was finally happy.
Andrew: I do not think he found "it." By the end of the novel, Sal had learned a lot about both the nation and himself, but it doesn't seem like he was satisfied after Dean was gone. Instead, I feel like he's sad and forlorn as he reflects on Dean's absence, suggesting that he may get the bug and have no one to travel with. Note: I "dig" contrarian readings that can be supported. Look at the last paragraph of the book. It leaves the question open, because Sal is very sad to see Dean leave New York.
Hadi: I think they finally found the land of the Beats. It is evident from Dean's response to arriving in Mexico that he is absolutely excited and tremendously respectful of the people. As Dean says, "the old man is so cool and grand and not bothered by anything...no suspicion here...nothing like that" (278). These people who live in a world different from America. The police are soft on you, as they are on page 275, one can smoke large does does of marijuana, and so on. This land not ruined by wealth and money, as shown by how people were living. So "IT" is the land of the Beatniks. Note: Hadi makes a strong but incomplete claim. To make is stronger, he would want to argue what Sal's falling ill, just as they find the magical city of their dreams, might mean about this "IT."
Thomas Davant: I believe that by the end of Part 5, Sal and Dean have found "it" and it is the moment you are able to stop, consider everything around you, and no longer feel the call. IN this interpretation, "it" is the latter half of life, a life off the road. Sal finds it and accepts it as his new life. Dean, however, has been simultaneously searching for and evading it his entire life, and at the end, he walks away. Their dream was to settle on the same street. In the face of it, the boys split. And maybe Dean will never settle for it. Note: As with Andrew's reading, this one is a bit contrarian. It's also subtle: Dean rejects "it" when he finds it. The analysis, if used for a longer paper, would need to delve into this idea. Do we see Dean's finding domestic life and leaving it as a motif throughout the novel?
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