Jack Kerouac's "On the Road"

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

in the same situation and out of desperation upon arrival in the streets. They are pulled into the groups by older members who realize they were once in that situation. In reality they are not choosing their new family they are forced into it in a cycle of desperation with people who previously have seen this as the only way to survive.

The homeless youth also have a extremely high rate of drug and alcohol abuse. Some are probably predispositioned to be this way with their abused backgrounds but a lot probably get worse in their new community. They all use drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with the harshness of the streets. Without drugs and alcohol perhaps the fictive kinship would not survive in the harsh reality of the streets. Using drugs and alcohol on a constant basis is a normative for them. As are many other things that would be seen as taboo or a need for help in most cultures. Their levels of fighting among each other and other similar groups is very high ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

chose to stay on the streets for a couple reasons, to maintain their sense of freedom on the streets and that their reliance on drugs and alcohol wouldn't be allowed in the shelters. Many of them also use the money to buy beer and drugs instead of food further showing their need to be numbed from the reality they are in. They also feel beer as almost a liquid alternative to food.

They all seem to cite a need for freedom as their reason on the streets. Their idea of freedom is freedom from rules and restrictions of society of having to get up and go to a job and pay bills. They see everything as the restrictions it places on them and chose to forgo those things. Their ideas of ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: