The treatment of women in On The Road The women of On The Road by Jack Kerouac did not, it seems, have the same depth of character as the the author gave to men. Sal and Dean's treatment of female characters, both in words and actions, seems to show that women can only be a virgin/mother figure or a whore. Throughout the novel, there are many instances in which women and their feelings or actions are referred to in a flippant or blatantly demeaning manner. It can be said, however, that Sal (Kerouac) did not necessarily agree with this narrow feminine identity, and there is evidence to support this claim. The novel also shows that Sal participated in these female stereotypes forced by men, whether he wanted to or not. This is not to say that Sal (Kerouac) is necessarily malicious in his treatment of women, but more likely, he is simply acting in accordance with how he was raised and how society treated women at the time. Indeed, although Sal and the novel attempt to denounce the mistreatment of women, overall the novel tends to reinforce the sexist male domination of the time. The novel, on one level, endorses the narrow feminine identity and the virgin/whore dichotomy it contains, while attempting in vain to rise above the limited feminine identity. Women play a key role in this novel in many ways. In the case of...... middle of paper ......el, it is there as a reflection of his belief system and the attitudes of the times. Works Cited Page Bartlett, Lee. The Beats: Critical Essays. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. 1981. Cassady, Carolyn. Heartbeat: My Life with Jack and Neal. Berkeley: Creative Arts Book Society. 1976. Cassady, Neal. “Letter to Jack Kerouac.” March 7, 1947.Challis, Chris. Kerouac's Quest. London: Faber and Faber Limited. 1984. Dardess, George. “The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac on the Road.” American literature. v46:200-206. 1974.Kérouac, Jack. On the road. New York: Penguin Books Limited. 1955. Watson, Steven. The birth of the Beat Generation. new York: