He also discusses his relationship with his mother and his friends (and prominent Beat figures) such as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Lucienn Carr and William S. Throughout the novel, Kerouac discusses his disenchantment with fame, and complicated feelings towards the Beat Generation. Much of the psychological struggle which the novel's protagonist, Jack Duluoz, undergoes in the novel reflects Kerouac's own increasing disenchantment with the Buddhist philosophy. The events described in the novel take place from 1956-1957. It was published in 1965, but was written years earlier, around the time On the Road was in the process of publication.

The result would be Kerouac's return to Catholicism and abandonment of Buddhism altogether.Desolation Angels is a semi- autobiographical novel written by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac, which makes up part of his Duluoz Legend. Kerouac was not prepared for the criticism that the novel fueled from the Buddhist and literary communities, further spurring his self-destructive tendencies and waning engagement with Buddhism.

Although he attempted to find spiritual enlightenment in the Cascades Mountains, the failed experience served as the amin plot to his novel, The Dharma Bums (1958). I argue that Kerouac's correspondence offers a great deal of information about his journey with Buddhism beginning in 1954. By looking at Kerouac's correspondence with both individuals as well as his personal journals, this research illustrates how his exploration into Buddhism experienced challenges from its onset. However, few scholars have closely examined Kerouac's relationships with both Ginsberg and Snyder which spurred such religious exploration. Their focus on Kerouac's Buddhist involvement have included his attempt at religious syncretism and search for spiritual enlightenment. Leading biographers and scholars have tried to contextualize Kerouac's involvement with Buddhism in relation to his Catholic upbringing and self-destructive tendencies. By 1969, Kerouac reverted to Catholicism and effectively abandoned his connections to Buddhism. His religious exploration was further facilitated through his fellow writers Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, via correspondence between 19. The Beat Generation's leading figure, Jack Kerouac, began his journey into Buddhism following his initial exposure to the religion in 1953. Over the course of the mid-1950s and early 1960s, the literary figures of the Beat Generation explored with Eastern religion and spirituality as an alternative to traditional American cultural norms.

The dharma bums by jack kerouac