Galatea Character Analysis in On the Road

Ed’s wife. Galatea demands that Ed marry her before she travels east with Dean and him. He does, but then he and Dean ditch her in a hotel lobby. She stays with Old Bull Lee in New Orleans until Dean, Ed, Marylou, and Sal come to pick her up. She is furious with Ed, but the two end up making their relationship work.

Galatea Character Timeline in On the Road

The timeline below shows where the character Galatea appears in On the Road. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Ed wanted to bring his girlfriend Galatea along, but Galatea wouldn’t come unless Ed married her. So, Ed married her and the... (full context)

Freedom, Travel, and Wandering Theme Icon

...a phone call from Old Bull Lee, in New Orleans, who said that someone named Galatea Dunkel had come to his house looking for Ed. Galatea got on the phone and... (full context)

Society, Norms, and Counterculture Theme Icon

Sal asked Ed what he was going to do about Galatea, and what he was going to do in with his life in general. Ed replied,... (full context)

...Jane Lee there, who used to live with Sal’s wife and him in New York. Galatea saw Ed and was upset, asking him, “Where have you been? Why did you do... (full context)

...out of the house. As Camille and Dean were fighting, Sal saw a painting of Galatea on the wall and realized that Galatea and Camille were friends. He imagined them complaining... (full context)

Sal decided to go see Galatea, whom Ed had recently left in order to go to Denver. Galatea said that she... (full context)

Galatea criticized Dean for leaving Camille, and Sal tried to defend him. Galatea scolded Dean for... (full context)

...crashing with them for the night. Sal went to get his and Dean’s bags from Galatea’s place, where Galatea warned Sal, “Someday Dean’s going to go on one of these trips... (full context)

...families, living on the same street, and Dean agreed. Dean told Sal that Ed and Galatea had gotten back together. Dean and Sal look over some pictures of themselves and their... (full context)

...Camille. Dean and Sal “had a big night,” reuniting with old friends including Ed and Galatea. They went to a “mournful party,” where Dean was quiet and withdrawn. (full context)