Moloch and Destruction in
Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"
by Clayton Jannise
Poetry is usually considered to be a “pretty” form of writing. One can see throughout history how people have stereotyped poems to be about spring and meadows. However, this has never been the case, especially in the Beat Generation’s time and in Allen Ginsberg’s work. Ginsberg brought a period of anti-censorship to poetry in which “meadow” was probably the least used word. He wrote emotional poems, some biographical, to criticize the society that we live in and the government that rules us. Ginsberg wrote one poem in particular that trashed society and unveiled it for what it truly was; this poem was called “Howl”. It had a range of topics, but Ginsberg hid many of these things behind symbols, particularly a deity known as Moloch. One can see that Ginsberg was a man who wanted change; he wanted people to see the destructive authority influencing them as well as their submission to it, he wanted people to accept everyone, yet one still has to wonder why he veiled his points behind a demon not many people knew of during that time.
Part II of “Howl” focuses mainly on the destruction of society. Ginsberg uses many metaphors and symbols to emphasize his points and most of these metaphors have something to do with Moloch. Ginsberg establishes Moloch as the destroyer, the one who devours the present. He constantly calls out “Moloch!” as if naming him arrantly will expose his evildoings (Breslin). Moloch represents authority, those who tell us how we can and cannot live. Ginsberg proclaims this when he calls Moloch “the heavy judger of men,” (“Howl” Line 81) meaning he has the power to give and take, a reference to capitalism, which is a system where the means of production and distribution are owned by private corporations. Ginsberg was strongly against capitalism. He grew up with a communist mother, and found the government having complete control of the country detrimental to society. Subsequently, he did not like capitalism because, once again, much of the power was out of the hands of the people (Breslin). He reiterates this when he says Moloch is “the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows!” (“Howl” Line 82) which seems to say Moloch is the power of the government or the private organizations and its control over the people. He is, on one hand, calling Congress an actual place of sorrows and on the other, saying Congress focuses solely on the peoples’ sorrows and failure to progress, rather than their hopes and needs (“Howl”, Part II).
It is easy to see that Ginsberg views the government as one of the main problems in society; however, Moloch symbolizes much more than the government. Moloch is inside everyone, even Ginsberg, who says, "Moloch who entered my soul early! Moloch in whom I am a consciousness without a body!” (“Howl” Line 87). Moloch, who devoured children, represents the greed and jealousy devouring society and Ginsberg shows even himself, the one criticizing society, is not free from his grasp. It is an internal drag, something that keeps people from moving on: something the people may have created. Ginsberg uses the figure of Moloch to suggest a destructive authority that requires sacrifice of human life and freedom. On one level people are victimized by this external force, which are alternately social norms and governments. But on the other level, Ginsberg emphasizes their willing submission to this authority and the ways they are responsible for their own destruction. However, his use of Moloch is confusing in that he could have easily chosen Satan or some more renowned deity to represent destruction; to understand Ginsberg’s Moloch, one must understand the actual Moloch.
The reader knows Moloch is something sinister yet there are several Molochs Ginsberg could be referencing. One interpretation of Ginsberg’s Moloch could be the Moloch from the silent film Metropolis. The film is set in a dystopian society (much like the society Ginsberg criticizes) where two classes of people live: those who are poor and work underground, and those who live in giant skyscrapers which Ginsberg references when he says, “Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs!” (“Howl Line 84)). These two classes resemble the government Ginsberg despises and society, in that the people “upstairs” essentially rule the people below. Moloch comes into the film when a machine, known as the M-Machine, kills workers in a freak accident and the main character sees the machine as a beast: Moloch (Metropolis).
Ginsberg even calls Moloch, “pure machinery,” (“Howl” Line 83) which not only relates to the Metropolis Moloch but also to the modern definition of Moloch. Moloch, in the 1950’s, had come to signify anything that requires sacrifice; this, in turn, means that everything Ginsberg mentions in the poem is being sacrificed: our banks, minds, children are all being sacrificed. But for what reason? Here, Ginsberg brings readers back to machinery; it seems as if people sacrifice everything for technology, which makes sense considering society is so dependent on technology today. Ginsberg also relates back to sacrifice or more importantly, the ultimate sacrifice: war. He exclaims, “Moloch whose fingers are ten armies!” (“Howl Line 83”) which relates to death and fighting, and the sacrificing of lives at war. Governments desire to further power, results in the death of many young men’s lives, which shows the willingness of our nation to sacrifice valuable lives for domination. Or perhaps even “the best minds of my generation” were sacrificed to Moloch in that Moloch represents normalcy and the poets, or Ginsberg’s “best minds”, (“Howl” Line 1) were smothered by rejection and social conformity (Breslin).
The third and most likely interpretation of Ginsberg’s Moloch is the religious one in which Moloch is a false god that convinces people to sacrifice their children to him. God tells the people not to listen to Moloch, as he is evil and by listening to him they are fundamentally going against His ten commandments. They are putting Moloch before God. In the poem, one can see the materialistic things, or Moloch, that are being put before God and Ginsberg says, “They broke their backs lifting Moloch to Heaven! Pavements, trees, radios, tons! Lifting the city to Heaven which exists and is everywhere about us!” (“Howl” Line 89). Ginsberg is saying that everything the people want, their greed, is being held above God. Instead of worshipping God, the people are worshipping their possessions and in doing so, they sacrifice their faith and trust in God.
It seems as though Ginsberg’s Moloch might be a combination of several versions of Moloch; though each version is different, they are equally dark and destructive. However, Ginsberg uses his Moloch to symbolize much more than sacrifice and false gods; he represents a total ruin of society. Evil governments, economic hardships, and rejection are all a part of Ginsberg’s Moloch and he wants society to see the evil around them but he wants them to see it on their own. Ginsberg himself is almost like a god, always watching and leaving subtle hints, but never interfering with the natural order of things. If people are to see the real society, they will see it on their own. However, Ginsberg could also just be relying on the knowledge of his readers to know who Moloch is or simply know that he is bad. It seems more likely that Ginsberg is hiding his criticism of society behind this deity in order to spark an interest in this Moloch figure and one day have the people protest for acceptance, free will, and a helping government.
Part II of “Howl” focuses mainly on the destruction of society. Ginsberg uses many metaphors and symbols to emphasize his points and most of these metaphors have something to do with Moloch. Ginsberg establishes Moloch as the destroyer, the one who devours the present. He constantly calls out “Moloch!” as if naming him arrantly will expose his evildoings (Breslin). Moloch represents authority, those who tell us how we can and cannot live. Ginsberg proclaims this when he calls Moloch “the heavy judger of men,” (“Howl” Line 81) meaning he has the power to give and take, a reference to capitalism, which is a system where the means of production and distribution are owned by private corporations. Ginsberg was strongly against capitalism. He grew up with a communist mother, and found the government having complete control of the country detrimental to society. Subsequently, he did not like capitalism because, once again, much of the power was out of the hands of the people (Breslin). He reiterates this when he says Moloch is “the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows!” (“Howl” Line 82) which seems to say Moloch is the power of the government or the private organizations and its control over the people. He is, on one hand, calling Congress an actual place of sorrows and on the other, saying Congress focuses solely on the peoples’ sorrows and failure to progress, rather than their hopes and needs (“Howl”, Part II).
It is easy to see that Ginsberg views the government as one of the main problems in society; however, Moloch symbolizes much more than the government. Moloch is inside everyone, even Ginsberg, who says, "Moloch who entered my soul early! Moloch in whom I am a consciousness without a body!” (“Howl” Line 87). Moloch, who devoured children, represents the greed and jealousy devouring society and Ginsberg shows even himself, the one criticizing society, is not free from his grasp. It is an internal drag, something that keeps people from moving on: something the people may have created. Ginsberg uses the figure of Moloch to suggest a destructive authority that requires sacrifice of human life and freedom. On one level people are victimized by this external force, which are alternately social norms and governments. But on the other level, Ginsberg emphasizes their willing submission to this authority and the ways they are responsible for their own destruction. However, his use of Moloch is confusing in that he could have easily chosen Satan or some more renowned deity to represent destruction; to understand Ginsberg’s Moloch, one must understand the actual Moloch.
The reader knows Moloch is something sinister yet there are several Molochs Ginsberg could be referencing. One interpretation of Ginsberg’s Moloch could be the Moloch from the silent film Metropolis. The film is set in a dystopian society (much like the society Ginsberg criticizes) where two classes of people live: those who are poor and work underground, and those who live in giant skyscrapers which Ginsberg references when he says, “Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs!” (“Howl Line 84)). These two classes resemble the government Ginsberg despises and society, in that the people “upstairs” essentially rule the people below. Moloch comes into the film when a machine, known as the M-Machine, kills workers in a freak accident and the main character sees the machine as a beast: Moloch (Metropolis).
Ginsberg even calls Moloch, “pure machinery,” (“Howl” Line 83) which not only relates to the Metropolis Moloch but also to the modern definition of Moloch. Moloch, in the 1950’s, had come to signify anything that requires sacrifice; this, in turn, means that everything Ginsberg mentions in the poem is being sacrificed: our banks, minds, children are all being sacrificed. But for what reason? Here, Ginsberg brings readers back to machinery; it seems as if people sacrifice everything for technology, which makes sense considering society is so dependent on technology today. Ginsberg also relates back to sacrifice or more importantly, the ultimate sacrifice: war. He exclaims, “Moloch whose fingers are ten armies!” (“Howl Line 83”) which relates to death and fighting, and the sacrificing of lives at war. Governments desire to further power, results in the death of many young men’s lives, which shows the willingness of our nation to sacrifice valuable lives for domination. Or perhaps even “the best minds of my generation” were sacrificed to Moloch in that Moloch represents normalcy and the poets, or Ginsberg’s “best minds”, (“Howl” Line 1) were smothered by rejection and social conformity (Breslin).
The third and most likely interpretation of Ginsberg’s Moloch is the religious one in which Moloch is a false god that convinces people to sacrifice their children to him. God tells the people not to listen to Moloch, as he is evil and by listening to him they are fundamentally going against His ten commandments. They are putting Moloch before God. In the poem, one can see the materialistic things, or Moloch, that are being put before God and Ginsberg says, “They broke their backs lifting Moloch to Heaven! Pavements, trees, radios, tons! Lifting the city to Heaven which exists and is everywhere about us!” (“Howl” Line 89). Ginsberg is saying that everything the people want, their greed, is being held above God. Instead of worshipping God, the people are worshipping their possessions and in doing so, they sacrifice their faith and trust in God.
It seems as though Ginsberg’s Moloch might be a combination of several versions of Moloch; though each version is different, they are equally dark and destructive. However, Ginsberg uses his Moloch to symbolize much more than sacrifice and false gods; he represents a total ruin of society. Evil governments, economic hardships, and rejection are all a part of Ginsberg’s Moloch and he wants society to see the evil around them but he wants them to see it on their own. Ginsberg himself is almost like a god, always watching and leaving subtle hints, but never interfering with the natural order of things. If people are to see the real society, they will see it on their own. However, Ginsberg could also just be relying on the knowledge of his readers to know who Moloch is or simply know that he is bad. It seems more likely that Ginsberg is hiding his criticism of society behind this deity in order to spark an interest in this Moloch figure and one day have the people protest for acceptance, free will, and a helping government.
Works Cited
"Metropolis (1927)." Greatest Films - The Best Movies in Cinematic History. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.filmsite.org/metr.html>.
Ginsberg, Allen. "Howl by Allen Ginsberg : The Poetry Foundation." Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179381>. Breslin, James E.B. "From an Essay on "Howl" by James E.B. Breslin." From an Essay on "Howl" by James E.B. Breslin. University of Chicago, 1994. Web. 02 May 2013 <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/ginsberg/breslin.htm>. Lee, Ben. ""Howl" and Other Poems: Is There Old Left in These New Beats."American Literature 76.2 (2004): 367-389. Database. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. |