`A Supermarket in California` by Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg is well-known as a Beat poet who condemns many aspects of contemporary American society . A Supermarket in California ' is no exception . This Ginsberg poem condemns both the lack of meaningful contact among human beings and American consumerism

Ginsberg evokes Walt Whitman in to help him emphasize the lack of meaningful contact . Whitman is a poet who could easily be Ginsberg 's muse . What thoughts I have of you tonight , Walt Whitman (Ginsberg is his invocation . Whitman was a poet who broke the rules of American poetry both in form and

subject matter , much like Ginsberg did . He also wrote exploration poems of a meandering nature , much like Ginsberg Whitman spent much of his life wandering , traveling from place to place However , Whitman did meet a lot of people . Ginsberg doesn 't meet people here at the supermarket he only sees them . Even the aisles separate him from his fellow human beings . Ginsberg 's criticism of our own lack of human contact is further exemplified when he says that he heard Whitman asking questions , like Who killed the pork chops ' and What price bananas (Ginsberg . As humans , we have lost any meaningful contact between shop owners and customers or even the people who actually grow and produce our food . The customers have no idea where the food comes from they are content simply to wander through the store . They walk by each other in the supermarket and on their way home but never have any meaningful exchanges with each other . Ginsberg asks Whitman , Will we walk all night through solitary streets ? The trees add shade to shade , lights not in the houses , we 'll both be lonely ' or Will we stroll dreaming of our lost America of love past blue automobiles in driveways , home to our silent cottage (Ginsberg Even walking home , all they will pass are automobiles and silent houses Ginsberg is asking Whitman in these examples for some answers about humanity , but of course Whitman , long-dead can provide . However both parties know that Whitman 's dreams are certainly not here Whitman 's America is gone

American consumerism has taken over in the neon fruit supermarket (Ginsberg . People wander aimlessly looking at food . People look at objects in stores now , not the beauty of nature . Whitman wrote many a poem about his musings on nature . American consumerism has replaced many things including love of nature . American consumerism has numbed people and made us forget the value of real human contact . The produce has no history as we do not know where it comes from we only buy it We have no personal stake . Ginsberg longs to be part of Whitman 's America , not his own time . He wants to be a part of people looking at nature , not food in a grocery store . This is why the ending invoking Charon is appropriate . Charon is the person who carried the dead across the river Styx , so he literally transported people from the land of the living to...