The Role of The 'Outsider' in Allen Ginsberg’s 'Howl'

The role of the outside observer in Allen Ginsberg’s 1956 poem “Howl” is a significant presence in the poem and crucially exemplifies the reason why Ginsberg is so compelled to create this work of literature in their honour.

“Howl” epitomises the Beat generation and this poem especially “helped jump-start the counter-cultural revolutions of the next decade and its author was hailed as the voice of the beat generation”. “Howl” is written in free verse, perhaps poetically depicting a freedom of constraints from stylistic ‘norms’, meant to be indicative of the oppression faced by the many in this society. The use of breath and prosodics when spoken aloud can create this sense that the poem is a living thing and is a literal representation of the damning society they live in, and is struggling to stay alive as a result. Even the act of speaking and breathing life into these terrible truths is actually what is killing the poem. Due to this, the poem is also at its most effective when orated to the masses, and is stifling in its intimacy and relentless in its intensity. There is an element of accusation tinging his poem as he lists innumerable examples of the tragedies he has been a witness to – both on a personal level and also those he has been an objective bystander to – particularly when he uses ungrammatical short exclamatives in the second part of the poem: “Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars! Children screaming under the stairwells!...”. Insulting lexis that is often employed to mock and belittle these so-called ‘outsiders’ is now being employed to intimidate and shame the perpetrators – whether they partook in the act or not, as even standing in silence and simply watching is a crime in itself. It is also interesting to note that the postmodification in the second line - 'starving hysterical naked' - features a list of three adverbs that almost metaphorically encapsulate some of the anonymous outcasts Ginsberg mentions: poverty, insanity and sexuality. This visceral imagery frames the entire narrative and presents a very deep, instinctive yet hauntingly bleak depiction of the gritty reality of 1950s America. Ginsberg is brutally honest about the society he is witnessing and is vehemently demanding change. Yet, by doing this, Ginsberg is taking a hypocritical stance on the issue as even he is talking of his experiences but has not offered any solution or any absolution on his part, exemplifying just how deep the poisonous roots of this society grow.

The oppressive first person narrative is both a study in inclusivity and exclusivity, both alienating and inviting the audience. Ginsberg creates this synthetic personalisation between himself, the voice of the persona, and the many faces that make up the audience – a metaphorical reflection, perhaps, of the many outcasts of society. The anaphoric repetition of the 'who' throughout the poem is ambiguous in a purposeful manner, as though forcing the audience to delve deeper and internalise sub textual rhetorical questions on the context of their own identity, disguising interrogatives as declaratives, such as: who are you? Furthermore, the parallel between inclusivity and exclusivity is indicative of the underprivileged community that suffer from mental illness as a whole, and yet also illustrates their differences between members of the societal 'norm'. Janet Hadda, a UCLA professor of Jewish and Yiddish literature, states that Ginsberg’s experiences of conversations with others during his seven-month stay in the mental institute meant that 'he could be in touch with it... but he didn't have to live it.' Ginsberg was almost trapped in this liminal state between sanity and madness, teetering on the edges of both but never fully committing to the fall. This lends new definition to his opening line in 'Howl': 'I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked...'. Ginsberg is depicted as the uber-outsider; an observer, looking in and noting his findings - yet he never quite manages to put a label on himself, as though afraid of the repercussions of such an act. Through this act, Ginsberg portrays the ambiguity of our own identity in a society that craves normalcy, and questions the pressure we put on ourselves to conform to this idealised 'normalcy', and indeed questions whether the concept of normalcy is a fallacy in its own right.

Allen Ginsberg’s unflinching defence of the innocent ‘outsider’ and condemnation of this capitalistic society is perhaps a form of poetic justice as Ginsberg rallies to correct the injustices that has been done to those undeserving of it. “Howl” is a rebellion for the minorities and demands change.

Works Cited

1. Hoby, Hermione. “Allen Ginsberg, Howl and the voice of the Beats”. The Guardian, 2011, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/23/allen-ginsberg-howl-poem-film. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.
2. Ginsberg, Allen. “Howl”. Howl and Other Poems. City Lights, 1956, pp. 9, 21
3. Timberg, Scott. “Before ‘Howl’, The Hospital”. Los Angeles Times, 2007, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-07-ca-ginsberg7-story.html. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.