and all that road going, all the people dreaming in the immensity of it...
"It was remarkable how Dean could go mad and then suddenly continue with his soul-which I think is wrapped up in a fast car, a coast to reach, and a woman at the end of the road-calmly and sanely as though nothing had happened."
-On The Road by Jack Kerouac, page 236
This is one specific quote that stuck out to me, but the whole time I was reading On The Road this summer I couldn't stop seeing parallels to Supernatural, particularly between Dean Winchester and Dean Moriarty. I don't know if I would have thought of it if they hadn't had the same name... but I am pretty convinced that our Dean was named after Dean Moriarty. Dean is a dude who loves cars and women. He's carefree, he's a con-man. He's reckless and a bad ass. He's also kind of a jerk and kind of a mess. He's spent his whole life traveling around the country in cars. He has DADDY ISSUES! At their core Moriarty and Winchester are very different people, but the image they project to the world is essentially the same, particularly in the early seasons. I also think that Sam's name was meant to bear resemblance to Sal Paradise's, just because they both travel the country with Dean and are more educated and straight-laced.
I found one source saying that Kripke said that he did name them after the On The Road characters, but it was literally only one webpage and I don't know how reliable it was. I think it's pretty sweet that my favorite book and the show with my favorite characters (because I wouldn't call Supernatural my favorite show, but it does have my favorite characters) would have that connection.
Also... this is who's playing Dean Moriarty in the film adaption of On The Road... I APPROVE! I have so much hope for this movie, please dear God (read: Francis Ford Coppola) let it be awesome.
ETA: this comparison has probably been made before... but I haven't seen it, so.
-On The Road by Jack Kerouac, page 236
This is one specific quote that stuck out to me, but the whole time I was reading On The Road this summer I couldn't stop seeing parallels to Supernatural, particularly between Dean Winchester and Dean Moriarty. I don't know if I would have thought of it if they hadn't had the same name... but I am pretty convinced that our Dean was named after Dean Moriarty. Dean is a dude who loves cars and women. He's carefree, he's a con-man. He's reckless and a bad ass. He's also kind of a jerk and kind of a mess. He's spent his whole life traveling around the country in cars. He has DADDY ISSUES! At their core Moriarty and Winchester are very different people, but the image they project to the world is essentially the same, particularly in the early seasons. I also think that Sam's name was meant to bear resemblance to Sal Paradise's, just because they both travel the country with Dean and are more educated and straight-laced.
I found one source saying that Kripke said that he did name them after the On The Road characters, but it was literally only one webpage and I don't know how reliable it was. I think it's pretty sweet that my favorite book and the show with my favorite characters (because I wouldn't call Supernatural my favorite show, but it does have my favorite characters) would have that connection.
Also... this is who's playing Dean Moriarty in the film adaption of On The Road... I APPROVE! I have so much hope for this movie, please dear God (read: Francis Ford Coppola) let it be awesome.
ETA: this comparison has probably been made before... but I haven't seen it, so.