The Dharma Bums

“Life’s already shoved an iron foot down my mouth. But I don’t think that’s anything but a dream cooked up by some hysterical monks who didn’t understand Buddha’s peace…” (202)


Here Ray and Japhy are talking at the party and they decide to go off for a hike. This quote tells a lot about what ray thinks about life. He knows life is hard, but he thinks positively about it. He believes that the afterlife is peaceful and happy and that everyone goes to a good place, so life is hard but it is worth it.

“Trails are like that: you’re floating along in a Shakespearean Arden paradise and except to see nymphs and fluteboys, then suddenly you’re struggling in a hot broiling sun of hell in dust and nettles and poison oak…just like life” (212)

This is another quote that tells us about what Ray sees life as. He sees it as a struggle, that when your young everything is so easy and beautiful. And before you know it you have grown up and life is one big struggle. Going back to the first quote you start off well and go throw a struggle and end up all good at the end.