Question

Read this excerpt from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."

Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in an hour. Which way does your beard point tonight?

(I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel absurd.)

Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to shade, lights out in the houses, we’ll both be lonely.

Why does Ginsberg most likely make an allusion to Walt Whitman in this excerpt?
to support Ginsberg and Whitman’s close friendship
to show Ginsberg’s esteem for Whitman and his work
to hint at Ginsberg’s embarrassment at his own behavior
to share Ginsberg’s desire to live during Whitman’s lifetime

Answer 1

to show Ginsberg’s esteem for Whitman and his work

Explanation: By invoking Whitman as a companion and poetic guide ("Where are we going, Walt Whitman?" and "I touch your book"), Ginsberg signals admiration and links himself to Whitman’s themes of wandering, intimacy, and democracy in poetry. The allusion establishes reverence and artistic continuity rather than literal friendship or a desire to live in Whitman’s time.