Dockery and Son

In this poem Larkin looks back over his time at university, reminiscing over his youth as finding out about someone younger than him who's son now goes to his old university, triggers him to return to his youth but in turn feels isolated by the present. It contains the theme of time, growing up and journeys. 

Stanza 1:

• 'Dean' demonstrates an authoritative educational figure.
• 'Death suited' and 'Black gowned' shows how old Larkin feels on hearing this knowledge
• Larkin reminisces over the mischief he used to get up to-'the incidents last night'.
• 'I try the door of where i used to live:' ends the stanza hopefully, but this hope is shattered by the beginning to the next stanza-'Locked'. This could demonstrate how Larkin feels although he wants to look back, he is now isolated from the past and cannot be young again. Alternatively it could connote how when he was younger he had hope, but not any more, reinforced by 'i used to live' which suggests he doesn't anymore. It also suggests he is and outsider, trapped outside. 

Stanza 2:

• 'a known bell chimes' shows his attachment to the past, suggesting he can't face change. 
• 'ignored' suggests the old are insignificant, he feels isolated as people are no longer interested in him.
• 'i catch my train' suggests he has moved on, reiterated as 'colleges subside' suggesting things are becoming out of reach, like his past.
• 'when i was twenty-one' shows him reminiscing. 
• 'how did he get his son' shows how he is detached from family relationships, he doesn't understand them or see the appeal. 

Stanza 3

• 'boy' suggests he thinks he's still young.
• 'who was killed' connotes time catches up with everyone. 
• 'How much...How little...Yawning' this contrast demonstrates his lack of grasp of the past and lack of control. 
• 'I fell asleep' reinforced loosing track of time as Larking did. 
• 'Furnace glares' shows a negative view of industrialization.
• 'An awful pie' shows the bad bits of life, as well as him reminiscing. 
• 'platform to its end' and 'joining and parting' connotes different parts of life coming to an end. 

Stanza 4:

• 'unhindered moon' suggests freedom, but also loneliness reinforced by repetition of 'no', introduces the need to own stuff to feel accomplished.  
• 'gone of my life' shows how he feels a loss in aging. 
• 'how widely from others' connotes his isolation, suggests he's grown apart.
• 'Of what he wanted' shows he is envious of someone who knows what he wants. 

Stanza 5:

• 'why did he think adding meant increase' shows how Larkin believes happiness does not lie in the things or people you own, and children make you a dilution of yourself. 
• 'innate assumptions' shows him questioning life and social conventions. 
• 'warp tight-shut, like doors' shows how social boundaries age into shutting things off completely.
• 'style' undermines the way people live, suggests its unoriginal, just 'habit'.
• 'harden into all we've got' shows how they aren't so nice anymore and now cut off opportunities as you are forced to hang on. 

Stanza 6:

• 'sand-clouds' connote dreams, memories and experiences not being what you expect.
• 'looked back on' reinforces the idea of the past. 
• 'nothing' repeated shows how little Larkin both has and gets from belongings. 
• 'Life is first boredom, then fear. Whether we use it or not, it goes' shows whether its fulfilled or not it still leaves. 
• 'age' being the last word of poem reinforces it being the main theme.