Liberation Of Innocence In Frank O 'Hara's Ave Maria'
In Frank O’Hara’s “Ave Maria,” he explores the topics of teen angst and the ageless act of “going to the movies,” which becomes a recurring symbol carried throughout his poem. He uses the movie theater as a motif for freedom and the liberation of innocence. This relationship is developed through symbols within the movie theater and the language used to describe it. O’Hara’s comparison between movie theaters and the liberation of innocence is important because it reinforces his overarching message that all children will eventually grow up, but that mothers must allow their children to do so in order to prevent them from later getting blamed for shielding them from the darker joys of adolescence. O’Hara describes the importance of the “Mothers
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O’Hara describes the kids as “embossed by silvery images,” which, when broken down piece by piece means shaped by the silvery or appealing images on the screen (O’Hara). When the kids go to these movies, they are shown things that they may have not yet experienced in life, which appears new and exciting. The events and images in these movies are now embossed in their brain, just as the mothers were afraid might happen. Both the reluctance of mothers to give up their quarters for this cause as well as the embossing of the images from the movie screen make this activity appear rebellious and vain for both the mother and the child. The mothers are afraid to let their children to indulge in these “darker joys,” as O’Hara calls them, while to the children, the act of participating in an activity loathed by their mother makes it appear all the more appealing. The aura around “going to the movies” makes it seem as though it is a stepping stone to adulthood, as the child gets their first look at such silvery images that were once forbidden. Nonetheless, this stepping stone marks the beginning of a liberation of innocence, whether the movie ends with a trip to the “Heaven on Earth Bldg” or simply the dream of it (O’Hara). It is this very liberation that mothers seem to be so afraid of, and why O’Hara urges
O’Hara describes the kids as “embossed by silvery images,” which, when broken down piece by piece means shaped by the silvery or appealing images on the screen (O’Hara). When the kids go to these movies, they are shown things that they may have not yet experienced in life, which appears new and exciting. The events and images in these movies are now embossed in their brain, just as the mothers were afraid might happen. Both the reluctance of mothers to give up their quarters for this cause as well as the embossing of the images from the movie screen make this activity appear rebellious and vain for both the mother and the child. The mothers are afraid to let their children to indulge in these “darker joys,” as O’Hara calls them, while to the children, the act of participating in an activity loathed by their mother makes it appear all the more appealing. The aura around “going to the movies” makes it seem as though it is a stepping stone to adulthood, as the child gets their first look at such silvery images that were once forbidden. Nonetheless, this stepping stone marks the beginning of a liberation of innocence, whether the movie ends with a trip to the “Heaven on Earth Bldg” or simply the dream of it (O’Hara). It is this very liberation that mothers seem to be so afraid of, and why O’Hara urges