Meet Marylou…
*Spoilers*
Marylou is the fictional adaptation of Luanne Henderson, the teenaged first wife of Neal Cassady. In ‘On The Road,’ Marylou travels the country in an old coupe with her ex-husband Dean Moriarty and his best friend Sal Paradise. During their roadtrip, they party and dance in NYC, move furniture from North Carolina and visit eclectic friends in New Orleans. It’s in New Orleans where Marylou confides in Sal her sad history with her father. The two build a friendship amidst her post-divorce sexual relationship with Dean. Marylou admits to Sal how sad she is. She wants every girl’s dream- a house and a baby- and confides that she wished Dean wasn’t so crazy. All the while driving to their San Francisco destination, their roadtrip is sexually adventurous and free-spirited. But, when they arrive in the city, Marylou doesn’t hide her anger when Dean dumps Sal and her penniless on a corner. No longer Dean’s girl, she and Sal share a hotel room and move their relationship beyond friendship. Their union is short-lived, and Marylou leaves Sal and returns to Denver where she has a life, a fiance and a future. Her parting written words to Sal,
“Kick Dean in the ass if you ever see him again. I hope you find the pearl.
I love you, Marylou
P.S. Good luck with your book.”
