The path to enlightenment is an important theme, as it drives Ray Smith’s personal voyage. He meditates more and is filled with happiness and enlightenment. He goes to Desolation Peak, where he works as a fire lookout and enjoys his isolation. Ray also leaves Berkeley, heading north toward the state of Washington. Among their shared experiences and adventures are a number of wild parties, after which Japhy leaves the United States. Instead, he sees him as a peer and delights in the idea of them traveling together toward enlightenment.
Thanks to his progress with his own meditations, Ray no longer seeks to follow Japhy as a philosophical teacher. Philosophy and wine also form the center of many of their discussions. They talk about Buddhism and Christianity. They share a little shack surrounded by nature, where their friendship hits the ground running, picking up from before Ray went east to his mother’s. When he returns to Berkeley, he lives with Japhy. However, he determines that all of these temptations are not as alluring as clarity and meditation in the desert lands of Texas. He takes the southern route this time and stops in Mexico for a while, where he engages with prostitutes, alcohol, and marijuana. Following Japhy’s suggestion, Ray accepts a job for the summer working as a fire lookout in the Cascade Mountain range.Īfter that, he hitchhikes his way back across America.
He spends his time meditating and seeking enlightenment. His mother lives in North Carolina he stays there for a few weeks with her, surrounded by the woods. He travels this way all the way across the United States. He rides trains by climbing into the boxcars and stowing away. When it comes time to go to his mother’s home for Christmas, Ray hitchhikes. After this adventure, Japhy and Ray continue to share in one another’s lives, even sharing their girlfriends. Ray, on the other hand, makes it to a ledge that is one hundred feet from the summit and becomes too afraid to continue. Japhy, who is an experienced climber, has no trouble reaching the summit. Japhy and Ray go mountain climbing, and are joined by Henry Morley, who works as a librarian. Their friendship strengthens, built on a foundation of common ground, and a love for Buddhist philosophy, the simple life, and poetry. Japhy is also enthusiastic about the outdoors.
In Berkeley, Ray meets Japhy Ryder, who studies Zen Buddhism. Alvah, also from the east coast, is a beat poet. Ray is in his thirties, and his work is just starting to gain national recognition when he travels to Berkeley, California to live with Alvah Goldbook. Jack Kerouac’s novel The Dharma Bums follows Ray Smith, a beat writer from the east coast.
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