By analysing precisely the content and style 'The Whitsun Weddings', consider how far you would agree with the notion that Larkin believes marriage offers happiness.

As he travels he is at first unaware of the people: "At first, I didn't notice what a noise / the weddings made / Each station that we stopped at." Once aware, however, he takes careful interest in all of the people connected with the wedding parties. He describes the grinning girls with "pomaded" hair and their "parodies of fashion," standing on the station platform. Other characters include the fathers with "seamy foreheads;" and "mothers loud and fat;" and "an uncle shouting smut." The persona is very observant and manages to take in a brief detail about everyone their. It also appears all the weddings seem to have a common look to them. To this he notes the cheap and tawdry dress that marks off "the girls unreally from the rest."  The clothing they all wear is that of working class folk and is cheap but made to look expensive; “jewellery substitutes”. Larkin seems very intrigued by the clothing the people are all wearing. Yet rather than adopt a sceptical view of these weddings, the persona finds in them a declaration. He muses that for the fathers weddings are "huge and wholly farcical." While the women share "the secret like a happy funeral." The girls from stanza three, presumably brides-maids, are removed from their earthly setting, the station platform, and placed “out on the end of an event” saying good-bye not to their newly married friends but to “something that survived” the event. 

It is difficult to see whether or not Larkin sees marriage as a form of happiness because although he never married himself he might still have wanted to. He seems interested by the sights but at the same time appears sceptical about whether or not marriage will last and also this one day where it becomes an extravaganza could be the only moment of celebration of the perfection of marriage.

        In verse 2 he personifies the heat by describing it as sleeping and tall. Throughout the poem Larkin describes many things he can see and smell, this helps the description because it appeals to our senses as well as being his. He talks about light many times in the poem; “sunlit Saturday”, “blinding windscreens”. As well as description he uses it to philosophize; “sun destroys the interest of what’s happening in the shade”. The focus on this lovely summer’s day is the weddings and this celebration has become the centre of everyone’s mind, everything around it is shaded by this day of happiness.

Rather than believing marriage brings happiness it could be that Larkin sees the wedding day as the happiest point in the marriage.

The poem ends with a visionary moment;  

“We slowed again,
And as the tightened brakes took hold, there swelled
A sense of falling, like an arrow-shower
Sent out of sight, somewhere becoming rain.”

The poem is ironic because it ends with a beginning. It seems incomplete. The shower of arrows mentioned could represent Cupid's arrows which would show Larkin believes you can be struck by love. It is possible he wishes he had been struck by one of Cupid’s arrows. The poem also finishes with the end of the journey for the train as they arrive at their destination.                                                                    Larkin believes that marriage does bring happiness in some respect as long as the person you marry you truly love. He also seems to have a view that marriage can be a big show and maybe fake in some cases. It is not possible to completely determine Larkin’s view on marriage because he does not expressly give it. He was not a Christian but he did write a few religious poems like ‘Water’ which is a view on making his own religion and ‘church Going’. This is significant because he is talking about a Christian holiday.