Still On the Road

I recently wrote a paper on Dean Moriarty, Sal's friend with whom he travels and around whom the story is based. I would say Dean is the most influential character in the book. He not only influences Sal's decisions directly by telling him what to do, but he also influences Sal indirectly by teaching him lessons on life and by living an example, whether it be good or bad. His carefree attitude is what inspires Sal to want to live a life of free, unburdened happiness. At one point in the book, he even tells Sal and Marylou to take off their clothes and ride around naked with him, which seems to be the ultimate symbol of liberation.
The other major influence Dean instills in Sal involves his attitude toward women. Sal holds a view of women which characterizes them almost as objects rather than human beings with whom to fall in love. Sal sees the way Dean looks at women, and the way he treats even the women he says he loves, as well as the fact that Dean moves from one woman to another without care--he leaves three wives throughout the course of the novel. Sal subconsciously decides he does not want to treat women the way Dean does, and he seems to be a little more careful in his choices regarding women; he "falls in love" with mainly only two women, and seems to find true love at the end of the book, which leads to the happiness he has been searching for the whole time.