Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” is a poetic declaration of a sexed up, drug-induced madness and a cold-stone reality of his generation who feel they are not part of accepted society, Moloch.
This is a litany and a catalog of co-Beats and friends descent into chemical madness towards a desperate self-expression and acceptance by the mainstream masses who misunderstand the Beats artistic expression. It is a quest and prayer for spiritual transcendence leading to a hopeful exaltation.
The deep-seated howl of Ginsberg and his fellow poets and artists expressed an inner turmoil that by the end of each part becomes more hopeful and golden. Ginsberg achieved a cathartic expression which speaks for all of his poets and artists. During this turbulent era the public trial only flamed the curiosity of the masses, Moloch. Most importantly, Ginsberg’s art and poetic expression was finally heard and ultimately was valued.
Ginsberg, I believe wrote Howl as a performance poem and is a dedication not only to Carl Solomon, but to all poets and artists who felt imprisoned by society’s then 1955-’56 oppressive gray flannelled machine, Moloch. The phrases that come to mind after reading all three sections of the poem are the need for artistic expression through the use of drugs and sex, acceptance, spiritual transcendence, Ginsberg’s use of shock value of drug use and descent into madness, dramatic irony, and comic realism.
Part I of Howl, Ginsberg’s Comic Realism expresses the serious nature of the poet’s unexpressed vernacular through shocking vocabulary and imagery by way of nonsensical phrasings of “ashcan rantings,” “incomparable blind streets,” and “nitroglycerine shrieks.” The shock value of the drug induced madness of the time is forcefully brought to the reader’s attention with lines such as, “who let themselves be f**ked in the a** by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy…”
Ginsberg is a master at grabbing the reader’s attention by addressing the previously silent and unheard “howl” of the artist’s literal descent into a “gritty” and drug induced rebellion against the “Absolute Reality” of the gray flannel suited Moloch. Ginsberg’s comic realism is an American 20th century reflection of 19th century French realism powerfully expressed through literature and art of the time describing (from The Metropolitan Museum of Art website) “the everyday lives of the working class” … “recorded in often gritty detail the present-day existence of humble people…” by prominent realist authors such as of Émile Zola, Honoré de Balzac, and Gustave Flaubert. Ginsberg beautifully and brilliantly calls attention to the silent and suffering as did the French realists of the 19th century. Whereas Realism ends in tragedy, the end of each part of Ginsberg’s poem, I, II, III, ends on an uplifting and positive note.
Part I,page 20, echoes musical, spiritual and biblical references such as rose reincarnate, jazz, love, saxophone, absolute heart, good, eat and therefore are associated with life affirming qualities. Part II is a poetic definition of Moloch, through the use of vocabulary such as solitude, filth, pure machinery and who is deaf and blind to all the cries of humanity. The final three stanzas of part II begin with “Dreams! Adorations! Illuminations!...” which expresses an excitement of escape and a fleeing from the oppressive society of Moloch to an exuberant and "absolute freedom" shown in the last stanza, “real holy laughter in the river!...They bade farewell!...waving! carrying flowers! Down to the river! into the street!
In Part III of Howl, Ginsberg comically exclaims, affirms, and confirms his connection and friendship with Carl Solomon, “…I’m with you in Rockland…” The shockingly “crazy” “madhouse” litany of comic realist phrasings elicits from the “normal” society-at-large, who are followers of Moloch’s blind and judging "philosophy, a nervous sort of laughter which translates into society’s fear of the complete and absolute freedom of expression by her artists, poets, and musicians. However, in contrast, part III ends with a hopeful and poetic prayer directly from Ginsberg and addressed to “you,” Solomon and to the society of Moloch. Ginsberg is expressing his dream and wish for a reconciliation and an acceptance emanating from society-at-large towards an "absolute freedom" for artistic legitimacy, integrity, and expression.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/rlsm/hd_rlsm.htm
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