A Supermarket in California

Ginsberg employs Greek mythology as a literary metaphor for life and death. In Greek myth, Charon acted as ferryman to the dead and was responsible for transporting souls of the newly deceased from the world of the living to the underworld, or Hades, via the river Styx. Lethe is also a reference from the same Greek mythology. As one of the five rivers to Hades, the river Lethe gave amnesia to anyone who drank from it. Charon “poling” his ferry across the Lethe river provides Ginsberg the opportunity to imbue his poem with a twisted nod to classical literature while making a metaphor for death and, ultimately, posing a larger question to Whitman.

Since Ginsberg’s father Louis was an English teacher and poet, though notably more conservative than Ginsberg, it makes sense that the poet was particularly well-versed in literature. The poem’s references to Greek mythology not only help to make a strong image-based metaphor, but they provide Ginsberg with a moment in which he can nod to his deep understanding of his craft. Ginsberg’s choice to switch the name of the river, from Styx to Lethe shows that the poet has control over his craft, so much so as to deviate from formal rules and understandings.