Snyder/Kerouac

Kerouac had a tendency to latch himself onto those he percieved as possessing admirable qualities which he himself was lacking. With Neal Cassady, these qualities were his easygoing and natural confidence, masculinity, and ecstatic holy con-man innocence. Years later, he idolized Snyder in the same fashion, but for very different reasons. Snyder represented intellectualism, inner peace, a connection with the East, and a oneness with nature. He was a mentor for Kerouac not just in the ways of Buddhism and mountaineering, but in a general approach to life. Snyder speaks from a centered, self-assured position, where Kerouac is clearly lost and trying to find his way in a world which amazes him, but also one in which he feels insecure and lost.

To get this interpretation of Kerouac I am reading between the lines in Dharma Bums, and also drawing from his other works which I have read. To understand Kerouac is to understand a complex process (often unsuccesful) of reconciling his conservative Catholic background with his position in the burgeoning counter-culture, his shyness and insecurity with his admiration of his friends' outgoing nature, the social vs. "monastic" parts of him.

For instance, in the yabyum scene with Princess, Kerouac, as he often does, play the part of the reluctant observer, only to be finally drawn in. Just as in the Mexican whorehouse in On the Road, he seems a reluctant participant in the madness and debuachery. The conflict is that he admires the ease with which his charismatic friends can live their lives. I recall a line from the documentary, "What happened to Kerouac?" where someone is quoted as saying that Jack Kerouac moved (paraphrase) "with the shyness of someone looking for a place to sit down in the lunch room, as though everyone were watching him, all of the time." It is this critical self-awareness which both made him a great author and led to his alcoholism, and his death.

Something which bothers me is the conflicting reports on how accurate the Dharma Bums is as an autobiographical account of this period in Kerouac's life. While Snyder initially praised and thanked him, he soon turned against Kerouac (they did reconcile eventually). Snyder flat out denies that instances such as the yabyum scene ever happened. Is Snyder covering up (it doesn't seem his style), or was Kerouac embellishing. This also seems uncharacteristic, since Kerouac constantly professes his desire to combat falsity and show the truth.

Question: What is your take on Japhy's relationship with Ray? Do you think Kerouac's portrayal is accurate, especially when taking into account what we've read from outside sources, including Snyder?