‘The Whitsun Weddings’ is referring to England during a time of spiritual rebirth. Larkin is referring to another journey, he is traveling south through England observing differences. The first stanza shows the poet is escaping from the urban district into the seaside which like ‘Here’ mirrors his personal issues, escaping the pressures of present life. The changing location illustrates Larkin’s requirement for change in his own life. At first the mood is unhurried ‘sense of being in a hurry gone’ but as the train journey continues the mood quickens to show his interest in what he is encountering. As the poet travels through the town and sights all the weddings taking place on this Whitsun weekend he views them as almost cliché, the people reflect the location they are in which Larkin believes to be distasteful. By using a train journey Larkin is able to demonstrate the changes within locations and what you might expect from these areas. The industrialisation of many of these places reflects the changing generation, ‘grinning and pomaded girls’ he views these girls as being false and attempting to change their appearance just like industrialisation can modify an area. When his journey comes to a stop the poem slows down significantly due to the use of punctuation, the poet is detaching himself from this world of industrialisation and the use of negative connotations such as, ‘past standing Pullmans’ and ‘blackened moss’ demonstrate this. Larkin feels it was a ‘traveling coincidence’ that he ended up on this journey which would reveal so much about life and fill him with so much inspiration.
‘Mr. Bleaney’ is another poem with references to location and place however, a more enclosed space is described. A room is the primary focus of this poem, ‘Mr Bleaney's room. He stayed the whole time he was at the Bodies, till they moved him’. The room is described as an impersonal setting which is rather bleak; the reference to ‘they’ that moved him has connotations of death which creates further eerie surroundings. Bleaney’s character is represented within the content of the room, empty and dull however, these qualities are able to attract certain people as the house of Mr. Bleaney is re-purchased. In this poem the place is used to symbolise the primary character suggesting how people shape their surroundings. The room is used to simplify a position for life ‘Bed, upright chair, sixty-watt bulb’ Larkin has excluded the indefinite and definite article in order to create further tension, is this the situation everyone will eventually find themselves in, indistinct?
Larkin spent a period of his life living in Ireland; however this area felt alien to him. Although he was still in the United Kingdom, accents were different and he experienced a constant reminder of being outside his own comfort zone. ‘The Importance of Elsewhere’ represents all these feelings yet it also explains how he can in fact feel comfort in change and difference as it can be used for inspiration. Larkin was able to write some of his best poetry in the periods he was away from his home of England. Isolation within location is a theme explored in this poem, Larkin does not feel at one with the country when he is in Ireland yet he views this as being tolerable while he feels when in England he needs to feel accepted. ‘The Importance of Elsewhere’ describes the scenic area of Ireland ‘draughty streets, end-on to hills, the faint archaic smell of dockland’ the poet finds the environment inspiring as it possesses Romantic elements within its remoteness. This has been his journey into difference in both location and feeling.
Larkin uses location and place to represent issues within his life. He feels inspired by changes in locations through movement as well as time. Larkin’s journeys show his reaction to different places and how the changes reflect his personal experiences. Places can reflect people and vice versa and this is how particular societies are formed. The change of place due to industrialisation also reflects the situation of Britain at the time and represents Larkin’s views on these issues. He does not seem particularly enthused with change which reflects the issues with time and movement concerning personal concerns. Place is significant for addressing further matters thus it is used considerably within Larkin’s poetry. Locations and place can also be concealed within false advertising as shown in ‘Sunny Prestatyn’ however Larkin clarifies that it is harder to conceal society than place especially when you visit these areas. Change in location can also give you freedom within society which can be a positive visit these places. Change in location can also give you freedom within society which can be a positive aspect; Larkin demonstrates this in ‘The Importance of Elsewhere’ as he shows how different places generate mixed feelings. Larkin’s poetry shows how location and place shapes many different aspects of life and influences his inspiration for writing.
