Comparing Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac Essay -- Authors Writers Big S

Comparing hydrogen Miller and Jack KerouacI. IntroductionIt has never been an uncommon thing for ace to retreat to nature in an attempt to find peerlesss self, and somewhat clich these days is the retreat to nature to find God. Hundreds of books, essays, seminars, and retreats devote themselves to helping genius understand how to find enlightenment and healing through connecting with nature. It is a phenomenon that transcends religious boundariese preciseone, from Buddhists to Christian Mystics to Quakers, seems to think that the key (or, at least, one of the keys) to enlightenment lies in nature. As one may suppose, this is not a new concept. Throughout literary history, in that location is a distinct trend of authors praising the virtues of nature, singing of the peace that it brings and the enlightening attributes of these places away from the noise and clutter of the cities. Shakespeare tells of finding tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, and sermons in stone(Sha kespeare) William Wordsworth implores us to let nature be our teacher Goethe claims that there is rest and respite on the mountain top and George Washington Carver admits that he tries commune with nature everyday. It seems that from Henry David Thoreau right down to contemporary authors, no generation or writing period has been devoid of at least one prolific author who takes to nature in order to find the answers. deuce such authors, searching forwell, searching for that certain enlightenment and repose that can only be found in nature, were Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac. And disdain the fact that Big tire, California, is the chosen destination for revelation for both authors and that both authors are torn between the introspective qualities of being secluded, and the desire for connectedness to society, they were from (moderately) antithetic lifestyles and backgrounds and viewed the revelations that nature bestowed to them individually quite differently. By contrasting the situ ations and temperaments of the two authors, one can begin to see why their experiences differed so greatly. II. Henry MillerHenry Miller, born in December of 1891, spent the majority of his childhood in Brooklyn (Henry Miller 1). He attended high school, but never absolute college instead, he worked a variety of jobs that never lasted long, from driving a cab to working in a library (ibid.). In 1917, he ma... ...city (thus, they are very occupied with what is happening in their community.) This seems to be Millers salvation, while at the same time being Kerouacs downfall. Regardless of why it worked for one and not the other, it is evident that both sought what so many today seek to connect themselves with God and to find peace by submersing themselves in nature. Bibliography foil Page, The. Rooknet.com. 4 December 2004. Ferguson, Robert. Henry Miller A Life. New York W W Norton & Co Inc, 1993.Henry Miller. 1. Levity.com. 7 December 2004. Henry Miller. 2. Literary Kicks. 7 Decembe r 2004. Jack Kerouac. Literary Kicks. 4 December 2004. Kenedi, Aaron and John Miller, eds. Henry Miller-Big Sur. Where Inspiration Lives Writers, Artists, and Their Creative Places. Navato New World Library, 2003. Kerouac, Jack. Big Sur. New York Peguin Books, 1992. Miller, Henry. Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. New York New Direction Publishing Corporation, 1957. Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. 1623. Literature Online. Proquest Learning and Information Company. Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, MT., 2 January 2005.