The Dharma Bums - Character Key

Character Key

Kerouac often based his fictional characters on friends and family.

"Because of the objections of my early publishers I was not allowed to use the same personae names in each work." —Jack Kerouac
Real-life person Character name
Jack Kerouac Ray Smith
Gary Snyder Japhy Ryder
Allen Ginsberg Alvah Goldbook
Neal Cassady Cody Pomeray
Philip Whalen Warren Coughlin
Locke McCorkle Sean Monahan
John Montgomery Henry Morley
Philip Lamantia Francis DaPavia
Michael McClure Ike O'Shay
Peter Orlovsky George
Kenneth Rexroth Rheinhold Cacoethes
Alan Watts Arthur Whane
Caroline Kerouac Nin
Carolyn Cassady Evelyn
Claude Dalenberg Bud Diefendorf
Natalie Jackson Rosie Buchanan

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