'The Whitsun Weddings' poem by Phillip Larkin

The Whitsun Weddings is based on an actual train journey between Hull and London which Phillip Lsrkin was on in 1955 at Whitsun. Larkin most probably saw a lot of weddings on his journey because it was Whitsun which meant that it was the middle of spring and good weather for a wedding. Also, in the 1950s honeymoons didn't tend to be as long as they are now and were often only to London, so Whitsun Weekend being a long weekend was an opportune time to fit in a wedding and a short honeymoon away.

The first two stanzas seem fairly relaxed with "all sense of being in a hurry gone" and the speaker describing the landscapes they see on their journey. The stanzas are probably relaxed because the speaker no longer has to rush to get the train anymore. I thought it was interesting how the speaker says that their train was "three-quarters empty" as instead they could have said that it was a quarter full, suggesting pessimism in their persona. Fricative language such as "slept", "slow", "stoppings" and "floatings" is used which shows how relaxed the speaker is. The "windows down, cushions hot", the windows are down to release the heat. Also there was "tall heat" on the train, I think these suggest that the heat on the train was almost oppressive and suffocating, which although is realistic for a train on a hot spring day, could be a metaphor for one of the possible outcomes of marriage - feeling trapped. The town at the end of the second stanza is the town where the speaker notices the weddings, it is described as "new and nondescript". I think this is metaphorical for the new start and the huge potential which marriage holds, showing that although the speaker is aware of the negative sides of marriage, they are also aware of the potential greatness.

In the third stanza there is a shift in focus and the speaker starts to notice the "noise" that the weddings make instead of the landscapes that he passes. The word "noise" suggests that the weddings are making an unpleasant sound. This is interesting because firstly, weddings are thought to be full of happy sounds and secondly the rest of the stanza describes "larking" and "whoops and skirls" which are happy sounds. Perhaps this could be suggesting that the speaker dislikes the sound of other people enjoying themselves and shows negativity or maybe thinks that the noise and extravagance of the weddings is unnecessary. Also, the use of the word "larking" instantly made me think of Larkin, maybe purposely used in the poem to suggest that Larkin is the speaker of the poem. The speaker says that the girls were "in parodies of fashion" suggesting that the girls all looked the same. Also, the girls were posing "irresolutely", meaning they are uncertain, perhaps they're uncertain about the idea of marriage, or maybe nervous because they realise that one day they're probably going to make the same huge commitment at some point in the future.

 Going on to the fourth stanza, the girls are "waving goodbye" which I think could be an implication from Larkin that with marriage comes loss, loss of things such as independence, freedom and youth. The people on the train "survived" the wedding, I thought it was quite strange to say somebody survived a wedding, almost as if it is something which is life threatening. This could perhaps be suggesting that once somebody gets married it's like a death sentence. But also because they survived it, it shows that they've overcome something which suggests a new start to the rest of their life and has potential to be positive or negative. Near the beginning of the stanza, the speakers language becomes more alert as they were "struck", "more prompt" and "more curious" of the weddings. With this, they saw the weddings on "different terms". The language used has vulgarity, the fathers having "broad belts under their suits" and "seamy foreheads", suggesting they're fat and sweaty instead of the smart looking fathers that are expected to be at weddings. The mothers are "loud and fat" and the uncles are "shouting smut" giving a less pristine and holy image than expected of a wedding. Guests at the weddings are wearing "nylon gloves" and jewellery-substitutes" which are cheap and are made to look like something expensive, but it's clear that it's not. The fact that the speaker has made a point of this could suggest they feel elite to certain people. They could also be a suggestion that weddings are a facade, like the cheap materials because they're made to look like something they're not. The "lemons, mauves, and olive-ochres" create a vivid image of all the colours at the weddings.

The fact that the bright colours "marked off the girls unreally from the rest" could suggest that the girls' futures are bright and unpredictable because they're not yet married, whereas once married your future is basically decided, or this is one outlook on marriage. As the weddings come to an end "the last confetti and advice were thrown", this shows a final action of excitement and celebration, but because the advice is paired with excitement, perhaps it isn't listened to. The word "thrown" I think suggests that the newly married couples are thrown into their marriage, like being thrown in at the deep end of a swimming pool, showing marriage is hard work and can be a struggle but also has great potential to be something wonderful.

The fathers felt "success so huge and wholly farcical" suggesting they were over the top and exaggerated. Perhaps because they have now technically given away their daughter and have less responsibility for them and also traditionally the father of the bride pays for the wedding, so the fathers may be showing off. It's interesting how the "women shared the secret like a happy funeral", the oxymoron "happy funeral" again suggests that marriage is like a death sentence, but perhaps the women are also happy because they once had the hope and optimism which the newly married couples have and miss it but also feel happy for them. Perhaps they feel bittersweet about their memories of the start of their own marriages because they can't go back. The "happy funeral" also suggests that in marriage there is a lot of disappointment. The women probably kept this a secret because it would be cruel to take away the newly weds' excitement and happiness and tell them that they're probably going to be disappointed with their marriages. The unmarried girls were "gripping their handbags tighter" and "stared at a religious wounding", making them seem fearful but also excited. In the 1950s sex before marriage wasn't socially acceptable, so the "religious wounding" could be referring to the newly wed brides' first time having sex on the night of their wedding, perhaps being a loss of innocence. The "religious wounding" could also be referring to the upset and pain that can be caused by marriage and "wounds" people. The word "wound" is a very vivid and almost gruesome way to explain emotional pain and I think is suggesting that it scars you forever, as wounds leave scars. The "building plots" on the fields that the train passes I think are suggesting that now the wedding is over, the marriage is now something to build on, again showing that it has great potential.

The newly wed couples were "sitting side by side" but "none thought of the others they would meet or how their lives would all contain this hour". I think this suggests that the couples are now self obsessed and the rest of their life is going to be revolved around their marriage. I thought it was also interesting how London had "postal districts packed like squares of wheat", as this is a very natural, rural image to create when London is actually urban and manmade.

In the final stanza, it's almost like the speaker has an epiphany and realises the "frail travelling coincidence", when the train journey is over, the journey for the newly weds' marriages begins. The married couples were "stood ready to be loosed with all the power that being changed can give", showing that marriage is a huge transformation in somebody's life, but the couples are "ready" for this change and with the "power" it can go far. The final words of the poem I think conclude what the speaker has to say about the weddings and marriage, "like an arrow-shower sent out of sight, somewhere becoming rain." The "arrow" could be suggesting that the couples are being shot with power into the rest of their lives and the future, but also I think it could be a reference to Cupid's bow and arrow. I think the couples are "sent out of sight", meaning that their future together is unpredictable. I think "rain" is ambiguous and is a metaphor for how the marriages could turn out, the rain could mean tears or a link to pathetic fallacy, or it could mean something more positive as rain can cleanse, help things grow and is a relief from heat. Ultimately marriage is the start of a huge journey between two people and has the potential to be something beautiful but could also be something painful.