What is the beat generation? Is it a group of writers trying to make a statement? Is it a bunch of hipsters who doesn't like to conform to rules? Or is it a literary movement of writers who writes about subjects and stories that need to be told....without any censors. I believe that the Beat Generation stands for freedom. It stands for the renegades in the world who need a voice. It stands for hope that every writer out there doesn't just write to gain readers, but to gain happiness. The beat generation is pretty much a bunch of writers coming together to say that the world sucks, and they play by their own rules.
There are so many common themes in the beat generation, because they all had similar views. My favorite theme was the rejection of classic American values. The beats refused to follow middle-class American standards. They were renegades, and they made sure that everyone was aware of that. The beats wrote about their own experiences. They didn’t use filters, and they didn’t care about what others thought. They banded together and made a statement.
The term “beat” pretty much meant that they were tired and beat down, or in other words society was kicking their asses. They personalized that term and actually made other words out of it. For example the term “Beatnik”, and “Beatific” were terms that they have invented to describe others. One of the quotes that stood out to me the most was a quote by Jack Kerouac that said “Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.” This really stood out to me because I was glad that he didn’t care what society thought. That is the reason why he is such a talented writer. Jack Kerouac doesn’t stop just because someone doesn’t like his work, or has an opinion about it. That is how you become truly successful.
Another theme that I found interesting in the beat Generation was Marriage. Marriage seemed like one of the things that actually inspired their writing....