Who is Gene Pasternak from Go: A Novel and what is their importance? Go_(Holmes_novel) English & Literature Gene Pasternak | Go: A Novel

Gene Pasternak, the best friend of Paul Hobbes in the book, is a fictional version of the real-life novelist, Jack Kerouac. Pasternak has a huge love of life, travel, music, women, and literature. He's well-read, intelligent, and ambitious, although his desire to write a book is sometimes counteracted by an idea he has that writing is not nearly as important as it is to live fully. By that, he means trying to experience every moment as if it were his last one. Gene and Paul have many conversations throughout the novel about the importance of finding meaning in life through loving every moment of it. They seem to agree that something vital is missing from America in the post-World War II years, as if the country had fallen asleep spiritually, or has lost its zest for being alive, but they can't quite put a finger on what is wrong. Pasternak draws Hobbes into trying the find the answer through an endless round of talk, drinking, and chasing after excitement around Manhattan.