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
Henry Morley has an annoying habit of randomly yodeling at inappropriate moments. This is how he starts the day. It’s freezing, so Ray jumps around to warm up while Japhy builds a bonfire and yells out, “Hoo,” (which he claims to be the American Indian equivalent of yodeling). In the car, Henry keeps talking incessantly, and the three men have some bread and cheese, which is a pretty unsatisfying breakfast. They pass a lodge on the road and decide to stop in for a heartier breakfast. They eat pancakes and drink the clean local water, and then they head off toward Mount Matterhorn, which looks beautiful and imposing in the distance.
Henry’s silliness makes Japhy look even more impressive by contrast: whereas Henry yodels just because he can, for no reason at all, Japhy’s yodel has real significance and reflects his deep practical knowledge of the American West. When he makes a bonfire, this also shows his expertise in nature—which, by this point, Ray clearly admires and hopes to emulate. As they drive away, Mount Matterhorn is on the horizon, representing the challenge that lies ahead for Ray. Of course, for Ray, climbing Mount Matterhorn is also a quest to improve himself and learn more about Buddhism through nature.
Themes
