Dharma Bums Materialism

In Jack Kerouac's novel, The Dharma Bums, the main character Ray Smith meets Japhy Ryder who lives a simplified life. Japhy lives in a shack where he lacks items such as chairs that many people take for granted. He does not want more than he can handle and Japhy only wants to handle what he needs to survive. Ray notes that even Japhy's meals are simple yet delicious. Japhy is careful to only cook what he needs and to take only as much food as he needs to live. Kerouac introduces the idea of a simpler, non-materialistic lifestyle in The Dharma Bums, which is a significant and long lasting movement. Before the 1950s, most Americans either lived middle class lives, or aimed to live that lifestyle. That was considered the norm for the times and middle class families were seen as successful contributors to society. Someone below middle class could be seen as lazy or not in the right mindset as the majority of others. The concept of living off less was seen as pointless. By introducing the character Japhy, Kerouac reveals an alternative to a materialistic lifestyle. Japhy does not seek happiness in items or statuses. Instead he seeks experiences, relationships with others, and his own personal happiness. …show more content…
Instead, memories and emotions can forever be a part of a persons' identity. In recent years, there has been a growing movement in small houses. People purposely choose to downsize to a small house of only a few hundred square feet. A small house costs much less than a regular to own, maintain, and furnish. By spending less money on a house, families can then instead spend their money on different activities and experiences. They can also travel much more. Not only do small houses save families money, but they teach families to only possess what items they need to have. The people will learn to be grateful for what they have and to not be