description: Another autobiographical novel from Kerouac, THE DHARMA BUMS, encompasses the ideals of freedom set forth by Whitman and Thoreau, with Buddhism thrown in for good measure. Focusing on the friendship between Ray Smith (modeled on Kerouac) and Japhy Ryder (Gary Snyder), the Buddhist sub-theme is evoked in Smith and Ryder's wish to introduce the concept of Dharma to others. Acknowledged by Kerouac scholars to be a more mature work than ON THE ROAD, THE DHARMA BUMS is called "perhaps the most representative expression of the Beat sensibility in a work of fiction" by Sue L. Kimball in "Critical Survey of Long Fiction."
language: English
title: The Dharma Bums
titlecomplete: The Dharma Bums
characters: Ray Smith, Japhy Ryder
genres: American, Philosophy, Buddhism, Novels, Travel, Literature, Classics, Adventure, Fiction, Spirituality
ratings_count: 92736
places: South Carolina, Oregon, Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California
series: Duluoz Legend
publisher: Signet