Howl by Allen Ginsberg
POEM SUMMARY
Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” is one of the defining poems of the Beat Generation and a landmark in 20th-century American literature. First published in 1956, the poem is a passionate, often chaotic lament for a generation disillusioned by conformity, war, capitalism, and repression. Divided into three parts (plus a “Footnote”), “Howl” is a radical expression of personal and collective suffering, visionary ecstasy, and countercultural defiance.
Part I
The speaker declares that he has seen “the best minds of [his] generation destroyed by madness.” Ginsberg recounts the lives of his friends and fellow artists—outsiders who turned to drugs, art, sex, mysticism, or madness in their quest for meaning. This section is both a celebration of their spiritual courage and a mournful record of their self-destruction and alienation. The long, Whitmanesque lines build a rhythm that mirrors the breathless energy of the speaker’s empathy and
outrage.
Part II
This section introduces Moloch, a symbol of the dehumanizing forces of modern society—materialism, militarism, industrialization, and institutional control. Moloch represents the systems that crush individuality and spiritual freedom. It is the monster that drives the “best minds” to despair and madness.
Part III
This part is a direct address to Carl Solomon, a friend Ginsberg met in a psychiatric hospital. Here, Ginsberg emphasizes solidarity and shared suffering, asserting that he is “with” Solomon in madness, alienation, and longing for transcendence. It’s a powerful affirmation of human connection amid personal and social chaos.
“Footnote to Howl”
A radically ecstatic declaration that “everything is holy.” This final section recasts the poem’s earlier despair through a lens of spiritual affirmation. Despite all the suffering, Ginsberg insists on the sacredness of existence, including bodies, cities, madness, and the poem itself.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Themes
• Madness and Sanity: Ginsberg redefines madness not
as illness but as resistance—a refusal to conform to a society he sees as spiritually dead. The “mad” in “Howl” are not insane but awakened, tragically aware of the lies they’ve been told.
• Industrial Society and Dehumanization (Moloch): Moloch, drawn from Biblical and mythological imagery, becomes a symbol for the machinery of modern civilization—capitalist greed, war, bureaucracy, and the loss of soul. Ginsberg critiques how these forces strip people of identity, beauty, and freedom.
• Spiritual and Sexual Liberation: The poem is radical for its frank treatment of sexuality, especially homosexuality, and its visionary spirituality drawn from Eastern religion, Blakean mysticism, and Beat improvisation. Ginsberg seeks liberation not just from societal norms, but from the limits of the self.
• Solidarity and Compassion: The poem’s final movements shift from despair to companionship. Ginsberg’s empathy for his friends—and for all people crushed by society—offers a vision of shared suffering and the hope of redemption through understanding and love.
Form and Style
• Free Verse and Long Lines: Influenced by Walt Whitman
and jazz, Ginsberg’s long, breathless lines mimic spoken word and spontaneous emotion. They reject formal meter in favor of raw rhythm and internal repetition.
• Repetition and Anaphora: The frequent use of “who” in Part I, “Moloch” in Part II, and “I’m with you in Rockland” in Part III creates incantatory momentum and structures the poem’s sprawling energy.
• Imagery and Allusion: Ginsberg fuses gritty realism (drug use, mental hospitals, city streets) with surreal and religious imagery. References to Blake, Buddha, jazz, and Jewish mysticism blend the sacred with the profane.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. How does Ginsberg’s depiction of madness challenge conventional ideas of sanity and normalcy?
2. What does Moloch represent, and how does Ginsberg use it to critique modern society?
3. In what ways is “Howl” both a personal and political poem?
4. How does the structure of the poem contribute to its message and emotional impact?
5. What role does spirituality play in the poem’s conclusion?
CONTEXTUAL NOTE
Ginsberg’s “Howl” emerged from the Beat Generation—a group of post-WWII writers who rejected
mainstream values in favor of artistic freedom, sexual openness, Eastern spirituality, and social protest. The poem’s publication by City Lights Books led to an obscenity trial in 1957, ultimately resulting in a landmark legal victory for freedom of speech. Ginsberg became a central figure not only in literature but in countercultural movements for decades to follow.