On the Road Spirituality Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #37

Under great trees on the shimmering desert the shepherds sat and convened, and the sheep moiled in the sun and raised dust beyond. "Man, man," I yelled to Dean, "wake up and see the shepherds, wake up and see the golden world that Jesus came from, with your own eyes you can tell!"

He shot his head up from the seat, saw one glimpse of it all in the fading red sun, and dropped back to sleep. When he woke up he described it to me in detail and said, "Yes, man, I’m glad you told me to look. Oh, Lord, what shall I do? Where will I go?" He rubbed his belly, he looked to heaven with red eyes, he almost wept. (IV.6.19, IV.6.20)

Sal catches on to Dean’s holiness, using the same terminology to express his awe of Mexico.

Quote #38

This was the great and final wild uninhibited Fellahin-childlike city that we knew we would find at the end of the road. Dean walked through with his arms hanging zombie-like at his sides, his mouth open, his eyes gleaming, and conducted a ragged and holy tour that lasted till dawn in a field with a boy in a straw hat who laughed and chatted with us and wanted to play catch, for nothing ever ended. (IV.6.26)

Sal and Dean’s tour of a "holy" city solidifies their belief that this is their heaven, this is their Mecca – the end of the road they have been searching for.