* HoYay: Sal and Dean. Particularly earlier in the novel where Sal is practically enamored with Dean (and his ways) and describes his handsomeness (the fact they were introduced while Dean was naked probably contributes.)
* OnceOriginalNowOverdone: With so many [[RoadTripPlot road films and books]] out there today, the premise of this novel now sounds somewhat cliché. Similarly, its stream-of-consciousness writing style just comes across as incoherent and rambling instead of new and innovative, and all the sex and drugs on display, while considered rather shocking back then, feels pretty tame nowadays.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The San Francisco portions make several mentions of sailors. Sailors were a common sight in the period in which the book was written, thanks to the two military bases in the city, Treasure Island and The Presidio. Not so much nowadays; decades after the book was first published, both bases were decommissioned, with the latter turned over to The National Parks Service in 1994.
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