Remembering Kerouac

In the once mill-town of Lowell, Massachusetts, lies John L. Kerouac (1922-1969) who is more commonly known as Jack. Kerouac grew up in industrial Lowell, before moving to New York City for preparatory school, and later to attend Columbia on a football scholarship. He later ventured across the U.S and to other countries, where his writing career flourished. His earliest writings revolve around his life in Lowell, and when he died at age 47, his third wife Stella buried in him there, where she now rests as well. 

Kerouac’s resting place, at first glance, does not stand out from the average looking, trodden graves surrounding him. However, upon arriving to his headstone, one can see that it is unique and that his spirit lives on. Left behind are remembrances such as pencils, pens, half-empty liquor bottles, beer cans, cigarette butts, rolling papers, handwritten poems commemorating Kerouac, and more. During my visit on April 2nd, 2018, there were two copies of his most treasured novel, On the Road. A new looking edition with a specialized note reading, “To Jack, Love Jack, (and Katie) you inspire us” rested there, gently leaning against his headstone. Another copy, with the French translation Sur la Route, rested beside it. The inscribed note was recent, dated 3/29/18, indicating that loyal fans and followers of Kerouac from all over the world visit his grave regularly. Bookmarking the page were two worn away concert tickets, perhaps of a band that Kerouac himself would have enjoyed seeing. There are rumors that Bob Dylan, an avid fan of Kerouac, visits his grave and has a drink with him twice a year. In the Penguin copy of On The Road, Dylan remarks: “I read On the Road in maybe 1959. It changed my life like it changed everyone else’s.” Whether it be the likes of Bob Dylan, or those such as Jack and Katie (who left their book behind), Kerouac’s legacy cannot be contested after a visit to his grave. 

Despite Kerouac’s desire to travel, he rests in the very town where his journey began. His grave reads, “The Road is Life”, yet his connection to home cannot be forgotten. In 1962, while live on the radio, Kerouac shared: “In my opinion, Lowell, Massachusetts, is now the most interesting city in the United States of America.” In On the Road, the page I opened up to which had been doggy-eared, he writes: “...I was going home in October. Everyone goes home in October” Kerouac left this Earth on October 21, 1969. Yet while he is physically gone, his words will live on forever in the pages of his novels.