This poem is Larkin's critique of weddings as he is on a train journey in the main wedding season-Whitsun, witnessing different wedding parties. He undercuts marriage with his pessimistic views of the wedding guests, the repetitiveness of the ceremony and the 'frail' relationships.
Larkin's negative tone is introduced in the first stanza as he says 'I was late getting away' which introduces his opinion that weddings are something to escape. This pessimism is continued as he describes the train as 'three-quarters empty'. This also demonstrates the fact that he is not travelling at a peak time, reiterating the relaxed feel of the Whitsun bank holiday as he says 'all sense of being in a hurry gone'. The idea of a laid back bank holiday is also presented through the heat, as 'all cushions hot' reminds the reader of the uncomfortable heat associated with that time of year, setting the scene. The first stanza also introduces his train journey and the land he is travelling through. His use of 'we ran' demonstrates his stronger bond with objects, as opposed to people, reinforced as he judges others throughout the rest of the poem.
Stanza two introduces Larkin's negative views towards modern urbanization, which he is against, as he describes the landscapes he passes. Canals are described as having 'floating's of industrial froth', demonstrating Larkin's views of how industry is ruining the countryside. This is reinforced by the 'acres of dismantled cars', 'acres' not only connoting how Larkin feels that modern life consumes everything, but also creating a contrast been 'dismantled cars' and what 'acres' would normally be used to describe, fields, in turn juxtaposing the two. To add to this the towns are described as 'new and nondescript', through this alliteration Larkin links these two words to convey his view that modern things are bland and age adds character, as well as expressing his opinion about the monotony of urbanized areas, as nature is where his interests lie.
In stanza three Larkin begins to talk about the weddings he is seeing, initially describing them as a 'noise', introducing his feelings against them. He then begins to critique the wedding guests, describing the girls as 'pomaded...parodies of fashion' which suggests they are cheap fakes, trying hard to attract men and attention. As Larkin continues to mock them, he describes them as being 'posed irresolutely' which suggests they are uncertain of themselves, trying hard to get attention and look nice but just come across desperate.
Larkin begins to introduce more characters in the forth stanza, which he continues to mock. The fathers have 'broad belts' and 'seamy foreheads', which demonstrates Larkin is just looking at appearances and categorizing them as ugly. Despite this 'broad' suggests power, particularly when contrasted with 'fat' which the mothers are described as, which demonstrates Larkin as a clear misogynist as his description of men is much more flattering compared to women. Continuing through this stanza Larkin reinforces his judgmental and superficial nature by focusing on what people have, commenting on 'nylon gloves' and 'jewelry substitutes' in a snobbish manner to present his views of the tackiness of weddings.
This snobbish attitude towards weddings is continued in stanza five, as he begins to undermine the venues chosen, such as 'cafes' and 'bunting-dressed coach party annexes' by making them appear cheap and unappealing with no description to redeem them. He also describes the married couple leaving the wedding, stating 'confetti and advise were thrown'. 'thrown' suggests they don't take it, and also comes across quite violent connoting that the guests are more jealous of the couple than happy for them. Larkin goes on say 'children frowned at something dull', undermining the whole wedding by summing it up in one word-'dull'.
The oxymoron of 'happy funeral' in stanza six sums up Larkin's views of weddings as he suggests marriage is an end rather than a beginning and it should not be a celebration, reiterated as it is described as 'farcical' suggesting this celebration is ridiculous. Furthermore, the marriage is described as a 'religious wounding', reinforcing these points and as the wedding finishes the guests are 'free at last' which suggests they are nothing but a burden. At the end of this stanza Larkin focuses back on the landscape, as 'poplars cast long shadows over major roads' which reintroduces his ideas about nature and industry, this line suggesting he feels nature has the power.
In stanza six Larkin refers to other train passengers as 'they' which reinforces his isolation from other people, after previously referring to himself and the train as one ('we'), which may derive from the lack of understanding he has for others. This is made clear as he demonstrates his views about how marriage shuts off possibilities, but they don't see this as 'none thought of others they would never meet' which shows how Larkin feels they don't know what they are missing. The confinement he feels is tied to marriage is reinforced as he says 'packed like squares of wheat'. This also links to how he feels nature should not be suppressed.
In the final stanza Larkin sums up his pessimistic view of marriage. Larkin demonstrates his opinion that marriage changes people, is 'frail', and using a paradox of 'swelling' and 'falling' suggests that marriage is a disappointment, as well as meaning you are out of control. The end of the poem describes marriage as 'somewhere becoming rain'.'Rain' having connotations of sadness, demonstrates Larkin's view that marriage always ends badly, 'somewhere' connoting how the ceremony is a big event in front of everybody, but all that follows it is a private deterioration of this relationship, kept out of sight. The reference to rain also links to the water cycle, therefore Larkin is showing through this how repetitive and common he feels marriage is.
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