In the poem “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg, the poet stresses his views on the system used within society and the problems that he has seen firsthand within the system. He states that “The Beat Generation”, which he refers to as “the best minds” who were friends that he was close to while attending university, ended up becoming influenced by the toxic system that was in place which resulted in their lives being affected negatively. By using a multitude of themes that relate back to his idea of the oppressive society that he and others were forced to live in through his quotes, Ginsberg creates a poem that can relate back to many different topics and messages. One of those many topics includes the idea of “self and other.” This is the idea of forming an identification for yourself while also recognizing the existence of the “other” which is the existence of those who are not the “self.” Both the “other” and the “self” aid in nurturing the other and some other outside elements help in the same way such as the environment one is raised in. That theme and many others as seen in a plethora of quotes within the poem prove Ginsberg’s point of view/ideas.   

A prevalent theme in the poem is that the system that was being used in the world during the time in which the poem was made was manipulative. The system consumed everyone who was a part of it whether they wanted to participate in the system or not. The system also acts as the reason for the madness in people, which is hinted on multiple times in the text. One quote that illustrates this is “who burned cigarette holes in their arms protesting the narcotic tobacoo haze of Capitalism.”(genius.com Part 1) Ginsberg is using this quote to reveal the contradiction of their protesting method. While attempting to protest capitalism, they are taking part in the system by being consumers within it as they purchase the cigarettes. In addition to that, that form of protest has the potential to be harmful and lead to the “madness” that was referred to earlier due to drugs being involved. Although this quote can also represent a different theme, it also shows how the system traps you in and forces you to participate in it.  Another quote that supports the theme is “who cut their wrists three times successively unsuccessfully, gave up and were forced to open antique stores where they thought they were growing old and cried.”(genius.com Part 1) This quote relates to the theme because although some people want to quit on life and escape from the world or rather the system in the world, they are forced back into it by both the system and by people who are within the system. They attempt to kill themselves to free themselves but instead fail and must open up shops and return to the system in order to continue to live. Ginsberg realizes the negative effect the system has on others and thus incorporates it into his writing as a theme and expresses it in different forms as we continue to see his point of view in the poem.  

Following the theme of the manipulative system present in society, another theme found within Ginsberg’s poem relates to mental health. In the poem, the idea of drugs and other influences leading to an individual’s poor mental health is touched upon enough times to be able to be considered a theme. A quote that illustrates this theme is “who demanded sanity trials accusing the radio of hypnotism and were left with their insanity and their hands and a hung jury(genius.com Part 1).” This quote tells the readers that during this time period, some people who could be considered insane were skeptical of the media and believed it had the ability to brainwash people or make them go insane. They were convinced enough to lead the radio into a jury case with them which further proved their “insanity.” Whether the cause of that insanity was truly the media or not is a different matter. Another quote that highlights mental instability in Ginsberg’s poem is “Carl Solomon! I’m with you in Rockland where you’re madder than I am.”(genius.com Part 3) Rather than being merely a quote, this introduces “Rockland.”Although Ginsberg’s usage of the word “madder” was not necessarily meant to portray insanity, the quote still touches on the matter. Rockland is a mental institute that Ginsberg’s friend, Carl Solomon, is held in. In this part of the poem, he constantly mentions the mental institution and the acts that happen there. “Howl” hints at the fact that society saw the “Beat Generation” as the generation who’s minds became crippled and destroyed due to society’s impact on the generation which ties to the theme that was previously discussed.  

Unlike the previous two themes that can be found in multiple parts of Ginsberg’s poem, there are some themes that stand out yet only reveal themselves in one part of the poem.  An example of one of those themes lies in part 4 of the poem also known as the footnote to “Howl.” In the footnote of the poem, Ginsberg reveals an underlying theme of hope within his poem. Throughout the majority of the text, Ginsberg’s themes were mostly dreary and devoid of hope. However, in his foot note the theme of hope appeared prevalent enough to be the main focus of the footnote. A quote from the footnote is as follows: “Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch!”(genius.com Stanza 12 Lines 19-20) In this quote, the author states towards the end that within Moloch, who he uses to describe the system and rules of the world, has the potential within it to be “holy.” In an earlier portion of the text, Ginsberg ridicules the system and clearly shows his hatred towards its oppression of “The Beat Generation” as he calls it everything that contrasts something “holy.” Yet in that line he calls it “holy” and states that everything has a sense of holiness within it no matter how unholy it may seem. In addition to that quote, Stanza 4 Line 6 states “The bum’s as holy as the seraphim! the madman is holy as you my soul are holy!”(genius.com) This line serves the purpose of portraying his idea that every person is holy whether they are a worshiper of  G-d or if they can be categorized as a “bum” by everybody else.  Both lines can represent hope as he is saying that even in the most unholy places or in things that seem evil, hope lies within since everything is “holy”. 

    After being given these three themes, one may wonder how they correlate to Ginsberg’s message of “self” and “other.” In order to see that, it is essential to understand the concept of “self” and “other.” The categories of “self” and “other” normally goes hand in hand with identification. It can be seen as the realization and acknowledgment of the personality or individuality of both yourself and others. Some people see it as the idea that each person is their own person and that one cannot control the actions of another. In Ginsberg’s poem, Ginsberg attempts to portray his thoughts on how society is affecting the “self” and “other” of the general public or members of society. Throughout the poem, Ginsberg stresses the idea that the system that was being used at the time was oppressing and is the leading force that lead many friends of his, which he refers to as the “Beat Generation”, down a life that was controlled by the system and followed up by drugs and multiple cases of mental illness. This oppressing system stripped the individuality and freedom of a person by controlling their actions in society and thus is destroying the “self” of a person and the way that “others”are viewed. A quote from the poem is as follows: “Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars! Children screaming under the stairways! Boys sobbing in armies! Old men weeping in the parks!” Along with presenting one of many themes within the poem, this one being the power within the system, this quote also supports the topic concerning the “self” and “other” previously mentioned. This quote highlights the sadness of each group mentioned within it. It states that children who are implied to be homeless are screaming under stairways while boys sob because they were forced to serve in the army rather than follow whatever path they wanted to set out for on their own and old men weep due to whatever their circumstances may be. This could be tied to losing their children which was just previously mentioned. Whether that is the reason or not, this quote implies that “Moloch”, which is personification used by Ginsberg to represent the systems of society, is the cause of their lives being affected this much. The system forces them into lives that they do not desire for themselves but have no option but to simply live with it. That tarnishes their sense of “self” and “other” since everyone is under the command of the system. This connection can be made in many parts of the poem with various other quotes that can potentially prove the system’s effect on one’s “self” and “other” in a clearer way than simply this line.      

As we have seen through a variety of quotes Allen Ginsberg uses the poem “Howl”, in order to portray his views and ideology on the quality of life during his time. As previously stated, Ginsberg was part of “The Beat Generation” and the “best minds.” He experienced many of his friends that initially stood with him slowly but surely lose their sanity to the oppression that existed in society and the system in general. That experience of loss that is reflected back into both Ginsberg’s themes and his grander messages. The themes that we went over such as society’s oppression and the manipulation it used within its system to further keep those that were part of the system further into submission that lead to their insanity and even the theme of hope that is further explored in the “footnote to howl” all correlate with his deeper messages that Ginsberg is trying to portray to his readers. The message of how we perceive “self” and “other.” The oppression within the system robs us of our individuality and freedom and thus restricts our sense of “self” and “other” which in turn causes us to lose sanity as we feel trapped within the prison of the system. That was the fate that “The Beat Generation” was met with and what led to their insanity.  Ginsberg recognized it and hopes to show others that realization which can be seen as the hope that is still existent within the system if it were to be reformed and made new by removing the oppression it once had. 

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