On the Road: Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

Sal says that shortly after this he had “the greatest ride in my life.” It was in a truck driven by two young Minnesota farmers, who were picking up every single hitchhiker they came across in their large flatbed. Along with Sal in the truck bed were two young North Dakota farmers, two “young city boys” from Ohio, a tall man from Montana (called by Sal “Montana Slim”), a thirty-year-old hobo named Mississippi Gene, and Gene’s “charge”: a blonde sixteen-year-old runaway.

The truck was headed for Los Angeles. Sal thought about riding all the way to California, but decided that he had to go to Denver, where all his friends were. The truck stopped so people could eat, and the two farmers driving shouted “Pisscall!” and “Time to eat!” Sal learned that the two farmers were brothers, who had to transport farm equipment from Los Angeles to Minnesota.

The hitchhikers ate, and Sal bought a bottle of whiskey. The truck continued on, speeding into Colorado, as the hitchhikers in the back passed the bottle of whisky between them. Sal says he felt “like an arrow that could shoot out all the way.”

Sal talked with Mississippi Gene, who told him he had some friends they could stay with in Ogden. Sal was tempted, but said he was headed for Denver. Gene reminded Sal of a hobo he had known called Big Slim Hazard. He asked if Gene had ever heard of Big Slim, and it turns out he had known him. Sal continued drinking as the truck drove on, and “was feeling pretty good.”

Mississippi Gene made fun of Sal’s ragged shoes, and all the hitchhikers laughed together and continued drinking the whiskey. The truck sped through a town without stopping, disregarding Montana Slim’s request for a “pisscall.” Slim decided to urinate over the side of the truck, but then the driver swerved back and forth, making him fall down and urinate all over himself. The hitchhikers all laughed at the prank.

The truck stopped in a small town called Ogallala and the two North Dakota farmers got off to find work on farms. Sal went into a soda fountain and bought cigarettes for some of his fellow hitchhikers. The truck got going again and went into Wyoming. He looked up at the sky, happy with how quickly he was traveling and excited about what awaited him in Denver. He told Mississippi Gene, “I hope you get where you’re going, and be happy when you do.”

The truck made it to Cheyenne, where it was Wild West Week, with everyone dressed like cowboys. Sal was disappointed at “what absurd devices [the West] had fallen to keep its proud tradition.” Sal parted ways with everyone in the truck, ready to head toward Denver. He and Montana Slim hung around Cheyenne, as the others left. Sal realized he would never see the others again and watched the truck “disappear into the night.”