The reason for which they chose to leave their previous lives behind is that they want to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Powerful contrasts are present all across the book when Zen Buddhism takes the two travelers from the decadence present in San Francisco to the purity from the rugged mountains in California. The Japanese practicing Zen Buddhism had virtually referred to it as being a free religion, where one does not have to fear gods, and, where one is not punished for the sins committed over his or her life. For Ray and Japhy Zen Buddhism had been a form of protest to everything related to the American methods of living. Ray sees nature as a place which can...

Both authors had intended to present the world with information regarding the surrounding environment, and why it is essential for individuals to maintain a balance across their lives, connecting civilization to wilderness.
Works cited:

1. Kerouac, Jack. (1958). "The Dharma Bums." Harcourt Brace.

2. Muir, John. (1990). "My first summer in the Sierra." University of California Press.