How many roads must a man walk down

I've been thinking about how the reader never learns anything about Jack's relationship with his father. Since Jack seems to not be very connected to his father it is fair to assume that he may be searching for what it means to be a man. This is almost always an issue with young men in America, especially at the time Jack was writing On the Road. The experiences that a person has shapes that person into who they are, perhaps Jack is searching for the experiences that will make him into the man he wants to be.