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What events from Jack Kerouac’s life appear in Vanity of Duluoz?

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Portrait of Jack Kerouac, American novelist and poet, looking over his shoulder in a collared shirt, circa 1965. — Jack Kerouac American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, c. 1965.

Vanity of Duluoz (1968) is an important autobiographical work by Jack Kerouac that serves as part of his overarching literary project, The Legend of Duluoz.123

In this novel, Kerouac recounts several key periods and experiences from his life, including:

Childhood: The book details stories from his early upbringing.2
Schooling: It covers his experiences during his years in school.2
Beat Legend: The narrative includes accounts of the dramatic scandals that helped define the early Beat legend.2

By documenting these personal histories, Vanity of Duluoz contributes to Kerouac’s broader effort to organize his various "true-life" novels into a cohesive, interconnected body of work.13