54 pages • 1 hour read
On the Road
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BetaPart 5, Chapter 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 5, Chapter 1 Summary
Sal recalls that Dean tried to drive back to New York but that his car broke down in Louisiana. He borrowed money from Inez to fly back to New York, where he reassured Inez that his from Camille divorce was final. From there, Dean traveled to San Francisco and reunited with Camille. Sal returns to New York and meets a woman named Laura, who makes him happy. Sal realizes that he has been searching for a woman like Laura for his entire journey. He plans to move to San Francisco with her. Dean hears about the plan and offers to come get them. However, he arrives five weeks early. Sal realizes that Dean can barely speak. His chaotic energy has intensified to the point that he’s almost incoherent. Dean doesn’t stay long. Sal plans to travel to San Francisco to meet up again with Remi, who has little time for any of Sal’s friends. As a result, Sal must leave Dean standing alone on a street corner and drive off as Dean prepares to take the train back west. Sal tries to think about why Dean came to see him, why he came back so early, and why he lacked any real plan. He realizes that Dean simply wished to see his friend. Later, Sal sits on a pier and watches the sunset. As he stares out over the water, he thinks about the huge stretches of land to the west, and he thinks about Dean.
Part 5, Chapter 1 Analysis
The short final chapter of On the Road provides a tragic denouement to the relationship between Dean and Sal. After their experiences in Mexico, the most tumultuous and debauched of all their journeys, the men return to America. Sal decides to settle down and move to San Francisco. He finds a girlfriend and reengages with his more sensible friends such as Remi. This behavior is a rejection of life on the road. Dean makes one last visit, but this visit is unlike his others. Whereas he previously appeared in a whirlwind of energy to sweep Sal away on an adventure, Dean arrives at the wrong moment. He’s too early, meaning that Sal cannot leave. Additionally, he’s barely coherent. His effortless, energetic charm is gone. Like one of the cars from their adventures, he seems to have run out of gas and is now propelling himself forward entirely on fumes. Dean is barely aware of his surroundings and utterly pathetic. He could not lure Sal away even if Sal wanted him to do so. The extravagant life Dean led has taken a toll. He has burned himself up, destroyed every relationship in his life, and now has nowhere to go. A life spent on the road, savoring the journey, now means that Dean lacks any kind of goal, aim, or destination.
Sal recognizes his friend’s pathetic demise but knows that he can do nothing to help. Dean must return to his wife, his child, and his responsibilities; Sal refuses to enable him anymore, instead deciding to embrace a mature, stable life. He drives away from Dean, leaving him standing alone on a street corner. Their last interaction is also a journey, but one which pushes them apart rather than bringing them together. As he drives away, Sal consigns Dean to his past. Although Sal will never forget his friend, he chooses to remember Dean as the energetic, chaotic young man who charmed him years ago and showed him the value of life on the road, rather than the tired husk that Dean has become. As Sal watches the sunset, he knows that Dean may still be out in the world and may still be going on adventures. For Sal, however, that period of his life is over. The bittersweet nature of the friendship means that it burned intensely for a short time but could not endure.
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