The Beat Generation
A group of American writers and poets known as the Beat Generation lived during the post-World War II period. Stability, wealth, and prosperity were the key virtues of the post-war US, but the beatniks resented the peaceful lifestyle of people. The Americans aspired to enter a good university, while the beatniks dropped out of school. The Americans built a career, but the beatniks did not work anywhere. The Americans started families, and the beatniks had partners of both sexes. The Americans respected the law – the beatniks broke it. Writers Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs and poet Allen Ginsberg founded the Beat culture. They had many followers and like-minded friends, most of whom were men. A few women who published books and poems in the Beat tradition did not achieve the same level of success as men. Women could not wholeheartedly embrace Beat culture for several reasons.
Social norms and judgement
Firstly, in the 1950s, societal standards in the United States did not tolerate women’s reckless behavior and expression of freedom through art. The beatnik women also lived, created, and attempted to defy American dogmas. They wanted to be artistic and not just sit next to their parents and spouses, mindlessly giving birth to children and doing chores. However, it was harder for women in the Beat age to stand up for their independence, rights, and individualism than for males. In the 1950s, a male could be a rebel, but if a woman could not be controlled, her parents would send her to a mental institution and use electroconvulsive therapy to “cure” her. A similar “treatment” was experienced by Elise Cowan, a poet and beatnik whose poems were never published while she was alive. Due to the various explicit scenes and statements in her writing, Elise’s parents detested her poetry and philosophy of life. She was an embarrassment to her parents, who believed her works were disgusting and incomprehensible. Elise’s inability to publish her poems exacerbated her long-time depression. Elise Cowen killed herself in her parents’ apartment in 1962 (Carden 21). Elise Cowen is an example of a woman framed by society and traditions. No matter how much women cherished independence, ignoring social pressure was challenging. Therefore, many women could not express themselves and live carefree lives, violating social norms.
The Beat culture was meant for men
Secondly, despite the belief that the beat movement was breaking gender stereotypes, the beatniks were sexist in many ways. In the beatniks’ writings, women always played an inferior and demeaning position. Kerouac, for instance, admires the character Dean in his book, who frequently leaves his wife and kids to travel. Dean treated his wife poorly, cheating on them and making them cry (Kerouac 283). Additionally, the majority of the ladies in the novel are portrayed as sexual objects that can be exploited for pleasure. The majority of descriptions of women sexualize and objectify them. For example, Sal’s first note about Inez is about her breasts that were “barely concealed” (Kerouac 333). Also, men in the novel often belittle women and their intelligence. For instance, male characters insult women by saying things like “whore” and “dumb girl” (Kerouac 264). Additionally, while spending a lot of time with various women, the beatniks never disregarded their domestic duties or traditional obligations of women. For example, women were expected to clean the room after parties; women were required to look after children and bear all the responsibility, which is why Dean could easily leave his wife and children and go on a trip. In addition, beatnik males categorize women as “whores” and “pure” women. At the end of his journey, Sal meets a “pure” woman with “innocent eyes” he has been looking for his entire life and marries her (Kerouac 405). Sal himself had many intimate relationships with women and led a carefree lifestyle, but he also sought purity from women. It demonstrates the double standards in the beatnik men’s views on gender.
The dangers of hedonistic lifestyle
Thirdly, the lifestyle of beatniks was especially dangerous to women. Sal’s and Dean’s adventures include drug usage, spending nights with strangers, and unplanned trips without money (Kerouac). Men living like that are in significant danger, but women are at considerably greater risk. It is highly possible that a female will be murdered or raped on one of these nights. Accordingly, ladies at that time were not drawn to an exceedingly perilous life. As a result, there are not many Beat women but those who have been spotted with authors like Kerouac, Burroughs, and Ginsberg.
In conclusion, there is a number of reasons why women did not embrace the Beat Movement. The fundamental cause was that society restricted women’s freedom and had high expectations of them. As a result, women continued to have restricted lives since they were unable to withstand the pressure from society. The fact that the Beat Culture was not created for women was another factor. The men of the Beat Generation were sexist and frequently ignored the rights and dignity of women. As a result, women were cast as outsiders among the beatnik men. The Beat Culture also suggested that beatniks lead daring lifestyles, which included drug use and unrestrained sexual encounters. As a result, the Beat culture placed women at bigger risk than males, which also affected how attractive the Beat lifestyle was. Despite the overly idealized portrayal of the beatnik lifestyle in the literature, I believe that neither men nor women should adopt it since it is extremely dangerous.
Works Cited
Carden, Mary. Women Writers of the Beat Era: Autobiography and Intertextuality. University of Virginia Press, 2018.
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. New York: Penguin, 2007.