Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Dharma Bums, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Enlightenment and Nature
Counterculture and Freedom
Friendship
Literature and Authenticity
Inclusion, Exclusion, and Community
Summary
Analysis
Ray resolves to buy all the gear he needs to go off into the wilderness; he plans to live in complete solitude for as long as possible and spend all his time in prayer. He’s not as committed to Japhy’s plans to reform society or Alvah’s belief in living his life to the fullest. The three men drive around the Bay Area in Henry’s car and spend all day buying clothes and camping gear. Ray ends up with a sleeping bag and rucksack, a hooded poncho, and a bunch of cooking supplies. Japhy jokes that Ray is ready for the Apocalypse and gifts him some of his own gear.
Japhy’s revolutionary plans, Alvah’s parties, and Ray’s solitary meditation offer three different visions of how Buddhists can resist mainstream culture. Of course, they all fit together, and all three men believe in all three things, at least to some extent. Nevertheless, Ray’s focus on individual meditation shows that his priority is the traditional Buddhist quest for enlightenment through self-knowledge and self-discipline. Buying his gear is like a rite of passage to become a Dharma Bum. When it’s done, he’s finally ready to follow in Japhy’s footsteps and explore the vast American wilderness.
Themes
