Dharma Bums Study Guide
Dharma Bums study guide contains a biography of Jack Kerouac, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Written in Jack Kerouac's signature easy and free-flowing style, The Dharma Bums tells the story of Ray Smith and his adventures as a hitchhiker, mountaineer, and aspiring Buddha. Between meditation and revelry, Ray, who is modeled off of Kerouac himself, finds steadfast friendship and meaning in the wide and crazy world. The novel opens with Ray Smith meeting an old bum while traveling on a freight train in California. Inspired, he calls the man a "Dharma Bum" and then begins to recount a series of adventures that he has undergone with other such free-spirited people.
Ray attends a rowdy poetry jam at "Gallery Six" in which a number of his friends perform, but he is more impressed by the forthright poetry of Japhy Ryder. Ray and his friend…
Read the full Dharma Bums Summary
- Dharma Bums Summary
- About Dharma Bums
- Character List
- Glossary of Terms
- Major Themes
- Summary and Analysis of Chapters 1-5
- Summary and Analysis of Chapters 6-10
- Summary and Analysis of Chapters 11-15
- Summary and Analysis of Chapters 16-21
- Summary and Analysis of Chapters 22-25
- Summary and Analysis of Chapters 26-30
- Summary and Analysis of Chapters 31-34
- The Beat Generation
- Related Links on Dharma Bums
- Suggested Essay Questions
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
- Author of ClassicNote and Sources
Dharma Bums Essays and Related Content
- Dharma Bums: Major Themes
- Dharma Bums: Essays
- Dharma Bums: Questions
- Dharma Bums: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
- Jack Kerouac: Biography



