At first glance, Pink Floyd's novel On The Road and the film The Wall appear to have very little in common. The novel is the story of two young people, Sal and Dean, who travel the country in search of good times. The film is about a man, Pink, trapped in his life of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Upon closer inspection, however, one can see that there are many underlying common themes. I will try to uncover and explain these themes in the context of this article. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I will examine these four themes: Life is a Battle, Claw Your Way Through This Disguise, Freedom, and Just Another Brick in the Wall.I will begin by discussing the first theme: Life is a Battle. Dean's whole life has been a struggle. He never had a place to call home or someone to depend on and care for him. His father abandoned him and he spent his life looking for him. Dean traveled on rail cars across the country. He was emotionally unstable. It's debatable why. It could have been the heavy drug abuse or a chemical imbalance in his brain. Dean was married to many women, although he could never spend long time with these women. His life story was to love them and leave them. The second theme comes from a quote in the song In The Flesh by Pink Floyd. ...if you want to find out what's behind these cold eyes you'll have to make your way through this disguise. Throughout the novel, Dean tried to be normal. He tried to settle down, get married and raise his many children. Each time, however, he felt the itch and had to leave. Dean always had a suitcase with him, packed and ready to go... just sitting under the bed. Pink was similar to Dean in some ways. He too was pretending to be someone he wasn't. As an adult, Pink was a member of a successful musical group. He lived a carefree lifestyle of sex, drugs and alcohol. To everyone around him, Pink seemed content to continue living this way. Inside, however, he was unhappy. It got to the point where he locked himself in a hotel room on the verge of suicide. A third theme in common between the two mediums is the theme of freedom. Dean had the path open. He has no responsibilities that he has taken care of. He left his children and his women to pursue his own interests. For Pink, drugs were his freedom. Life on the road as a celebrity was too much and he needed an escape. As dark as the ups and downs were, it was an escape from reality. Even if only for a few hours, while Dean escaped his reality for years, almost until the day he died. Finally, there is the question of conformity. This is synonymous with becoming just another brick in the wall. The child in the film had to conform to the expectations placed on him. He had no choice in either school or healthcare, as shown in the scene with the doctor in the film. Sal had begun conforming to society's expectations in his youth. He joined the service and started college. Dean, on the other hand, had no expectations of conforming. He had his own rules as he went and how they applied to him. Ultimately, Sal adopts Dean's outlook on life and refuses to conform to the society that says he should marry and have children. The older Pink also breaks the rules. He joins a rock and roll band and gets involved with obscene women and drugs. All three make their own rules and all three suffer for it. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay As you can see from the example depicted here, there are many common themes between..