In my thesis I would like to find answers to the following questions: why Kerouac’s On the Road was one of the most significant books in the 20th century? Why is it regarded as the testament of the lost Generation? How could it leave marks on art not only in America but even in Hungary? Today Kerouac is an influential writer, he is known as the father of the Beat Generation, but he was so controversial in his lifetime, because he was young and he embodied not only a new way of life but another view of writing technique. Kerouac was trying to make sense of existence which, as we all know, is a difficult road to take. When his book finally appeared in 1957, it immediately became a basic text for youth who found their country claustrophobic and oppressive. At the same time, it was a spontaneous and passionate celebration of the country.