War, Homecoming and Genre: John Mulgan's 'Man Alone' and Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road'

Authors

  • Erin Mercer

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/jnzs.v0i13.1192

Abstract

At first glance there appears to be little similarity between John Mulgan's Man Alone (1939) and Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957). One is a New Zealand realist novel that appeared just on the outbreak of World War Two, the other an American conffessional text that articulates the emergence of a post-World War Two counterculture. Nevertheless, despite obvious differences in context, style and tone, both novels share a thematic concern with the reintegration of veterans to civilian life. Both narratives focus on a male protagonist recently returned from global conflict who expresses unease regarding their environment and an inability to be at home within it.

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Published

2013-01-24