he poem reflects the tone and the way that Ginsberg feels about the future of the world. You can be “listening to the crack of doom on the hydrogen jukebox” which is of course in reference to the hydrogen bomb. The ever growing threat of nuclear war loomed over the 1950’s and Ginsberg was no exception to the rule. “Howl is the confession of faith of the generation that is going to be running the world in 1965 and 1975, if it is still there to run” (Rexroth, Page 32) “The sirens of Los Alamos wailed them down and wailed down wall, and the Staten Island Ferry also wailed”. In this he mentions wails and walls, which is not only alliteration, but it is also a double interpretation. It is meant to be Wall Street because of the Staten Island Ferry and the New York connection but also the Wailing Wall in Israel. People go to the wall to pray, perhaps Ginsberg is suggesting we get down on our knees and start to pray ourselves to prepare for what is to come. “Hothead Golgotha” is another Biblical allusion to the place where Jesus was crucified. The Jews were perhaps to hasty in crucifying Jesus, therefore they were a bunch of hotheads. Ginsberg is telling us to be more cautious in our words and actions before we “crucify” another innocent.There are some similarities between the early Christians and the Beatniks. Both groups were trying to introduce a time of change in their respective societies- one with religion and the other with people’s way of thinking in general. They were both persecuted; the Christians were stoned, fed to lions, and martyred. The Beatniks were stoned (no pun intended) as well-but verbally via reviews and the conservative society deeming them outcasts. Eventually the Christians and the Beatniks won their fights. Christianity became a major world religion and the Beatnik way of thinking about drug use and homosexuality (as well as their writing)...
