Chapter 23: Songs Not of Myself – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter opens with a narrator explaining that Walt Whitman has moved from celebrating himself to celebrating “other people.” Lacking CDs, he visits homes to intone his new lyrics until his audience asks him to stop. The first poem is “My Milkshake,” in which Whitman invites boys to the yard and boasts about a superior milkshake, promising knowledge that is “too rich.” Next comes “Barbie Girl,” where Whitman salutes both Barbie and Ken, offers a ride in his “four-wheeled vehicle,” and adopts Barbie’s perspective: he contains multitudes, is unashamed of his plastic body, and declares love for Ken. In “All-Star,” a stranger warns Whitman that he is not the sharpest tool; Whitman responds by embracing the back streets, insisting that “everything that glitters is golden.” Then “YMCA” begins with Whitman questioning a morose young man in a new town, then offering to take him to a place of delight—the YMCA. The final song is “My Heart Will Go On,” where Whitman dreams of a continuing beloved and hears a door opening. The chapter closes by advertising Leaves of Holly, Whitman’s Christmas album, with parodies of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “O Captain! My Captain!,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Calamus.”
Key Events
- Whitman’s narrator announces his transition from self-celebration to celebrating others.
- “My Milkshake” receives a Whitman treatment: an invitation to the yard and a claim of superiority.
- “Barbie Girl” is recast with Whitman speaking as Barbie, embracing her plastic form and declaring love for Ken.
- “All-Star” adapts the original’s warning about not being sharp; Whitman rejects caution and chooses the back streets.
- “YMCA” features Whitman consoling a young man and directing him to the YMCA.
- “My Heart Will Go On” becomes a meditation on continuing across distances.
- A postscript advertises Whitman’s holiday album Leaves of Holly.
Character Development
Walt Whitman is portrayed as a relentless bard who cannot stop expanding his oeuvre. He absorbs pop culture into his own grand style, treating every song as worthy of his “multitudes.” This version of Whitman lacks self-doubt; he is confident, intrusive, and slightly oblivious to the annoyance he causes. His character satirizes the Romantic poet’s tendency to claim all experience.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Satire of Romanticism: Petri mocks Whitman’s lofty tone by applying it to trivial pop lyrics, revealing the absurdity of treating everything as sublime.
- American Pop Culture as Epic: The chapter suggests that American identity now includes commercial jingles and movie themes; Whitman’s embrace of them is both a celebration and a critique of shallow nostalgia.
- The Body and the Object: In the “Barbie Girl” section, Whitman’s usual focus on the body becomes a focus on plastic, reinforcing the artificiality of modern ideals.
- Repetition and Incantation: Whitman’s catalog style is reduced to repetitive song structures, highlighting the mechanical nature of pop hooks.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Songs Not of Myself” is a comic interlude that distills Petri’s broader method: she takes a canonical American voice and forces it to collide with contemporary culture. The chapter questions what we choose to canonize—Whitman’s democratic poetry or Top 40 hits? It also shows how literary parody can expose the formulas behind both “high” and “low” art. In the context of the book, this chapter lightens the historical narrative by poking fun at literary reverence while still connecting Whitman’s inclusive spirit to modern mass entertainment.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Petri have Whitman rewrite pop songs rather than original poems? Petri uses familiar songs to highlight Whitman’s all-encompassing style. By applying his epic catalog to trivial lyrics, she satirizes the Romantic notion that everything is worthy of celebration. The contrast also mocks modern nostalgia for “classic” pop: Whitman treats them as eternal, just as readers often treat his own work.
2. How does the “Barbie Girl” section reflect themes of identity and the body in Whitman’s original poetry? Whitman famously wrote about the body and contained multitudes. Petri’s Barbie echoes that: “I contain multitudes” becomes about plastic parts and gender performance. This twist shows how identity can be manufactured and commercialized, a far cry from Whitman’s organic self-celebration.
3. What is the effect of the final advertisement for Leaves of Holly? The ad breaks the fourth wall and reinforces the chapter’s playful tone. It implies that Whitman’s appropriation never ends—he will keep adapting until he is physically removed. It also satirizes the commodification of literary figures, who can be repackaged into holiday albums.