Cars play an important symbolic role in On the Road. In a novel about travel, cars are the way the characters crisscross the country. Cars symbolize the freedom of the open road and the chance to leave behind dull, normal lives. Every time Sal feels bored, he imagines himself hurtling along a road behind the wheel of a car. However, the way the road affects cars reflects the way traveling wears down the characters. Dean drives hard and fast, to the point that cars often break down when he’s at the wheel. The Cadillac that Dean and Sal drive to Chicago goes from pristine condition to barely recognizable. The car’s deterioration symbolizes the characters’ deterioration. Just as the cars can go only so far before breaking down, the characters can endure life on the road for only so long. Sal and Dean both return to their relatively normal lives between journeys, recovering from the damage that life on the road does to their bodies.

Additionally, the way the characters in the story share cars reflects the community spirit of traveling around America. Hitchhiking is a communal activity, in which people share their cars in exchange for gas money and company. The sharing of cars symbolizes the community spirit of life on the road. In cars, people forge lasting friendships or simply swap stories and learn more about the world. Not everyone enjoys the experience, however. Dean’s driving horrifies some of the hitchhikers, symbolizing the extent to which Dean is disconnected from most people. Even in the hitchhiking community, Dean’s unique approach to life and driving symbolizes how he stands apart from everyone else.

Dean also steals cars for fun. He rarely sells the stolen cars, meaning that he doesn’t steal to make money; rather, he enjoys the experience. He exists outside society’s boundaries, so stealing cars symbolizes the extent to which he refuses to conform to social expectations. To Dean, each theft is a reminder that he lives by different rules. Just as the journey is more important than the destination, the act of stealing a car is more important than the car itself.