Whitsun Weddings

Whitsun: start of wedding season at the beginning of spring.

Quotes
The first stanza
"three-quarters-empty" This quote shows the narrator is pessimistic, he is seeing the negatives in life instead of the positives.
"we ran" This quote shows that the narrator is bonding with inanimate objects, in this quote he is saying that he is one with the train.

The second stanza
"we kept" This quote backs up the fact that the narrator bonds with inanimate objects.
"industrial froth" This quote shows us that the narrator sees industry and modernization as a corruption of sorts, it is taking over the countryside that he loved so dearly.
"reek of buttoned carriage-cloth" This is could be narrator being a bit snobbish about other people's clothes smelling a bit odd or it could be him pointing out how hot it is on the train.

The third stanza
" I didn't notice what a noise the weddings made" This quote tells us that he is disapproving of the weddings, he says that he didn't notice what a noise they made showing us that he is surprised by the loudness, not to mention they are ruining his view of the countryside, this could be because the narrator is extremely isolated and lonely.
" sun destroys the interests of what's happening in the shade" This quote is quite sinister being as it shows us that Larkin is completely uninterested in what happens in the light, the darker stuff is more interesting. This could also be Larkin predicting the separation of the couple which just got married as a result of a dark secret.

The fourth stanza
"The fathers with their broad belts",The mothers loud and fat" This quote shows us that Larkin is very misogynistic, he purposely finds a way to say that the fathers are quite large in a nice way, however when it comes to the mothers he quite bluntly says that they are 'loud and fat'.
"the nylon gloves and jewellery-substitutes" This is once again Larkin being snobbish about his economic level, he feels the need to point out the nylon gloves are not lace, and the jewellery is only substitutes, this could also show that Larkin is someone that sticks to the traditions of wedding.

The fifth stanza
"Fresh couples climbed aboard" This quote links to the quote from the first stanza 'three-quarters-empty' in the sense that it shows the narrators isolation when it comes to his social life and relationships.
"The last confetti and advice were thrown" This quote shows us that the wedding has came to an end and that the people that attended are giving the couple advice to make their marriage to go smoothly, this could be Larkin showing us that relationships and people can't be perfect, it is impossible.

The sixth stanza
"the secret like a happy funeral" This quote shows,once again, that the narrator is a pessimist, he has managed to link the happiness of a funeral into the negative atmosphere of a funeral.
""now fields were building-plots" This quote is a reminder of the corruption of the Earth's beauty as a result of modernization.

The seventh stanza
"and none thought of the others they would never meet" This quote shows that Larkin is being a pessimist about relationships, he is under the impression that there is always something that is better than what you currently have being as nothing is perfect.

The eighth stanza
"somewhere becoming rain" This quote references to the water cycle, a cycle that could be representative of Larkin's emotions in the sense that he is stuck within a constant state of depression.