Explore the Presentation of Marriage in Wedding Wind by Philip Larkin

Example Exam Question (including 3 paragraphs) - Explore the Presentation of Marriage in Wedding Wind by Philip Larkin.

Firstly, Philip Larkin's Wedding Wind (1955) presents marriage in a positive manner. This is proven when the narrator talks about how ‘The wind blew all my wedding day’. The pathetic fallacy of the wind usually symbolises change. This may have been done purposefully by Larkin in order to display how marriage is an opportunity at a new beginning. This suggests that marriage can provide renewal and redemption for many newly-wedded couples. This is important as Larkin had written this poem after the second world war, and the idea of having a new, fresh start in order to redeem themselves was a concept many people longed for. This poem may have been written with the intention to provide Larkin’s contemporary audience, the Everyman, with hope for the future. By presenting marriage in a positive light, Larkin is successfully able to introduce the idea of a brighter future.

Secondly, Larkin also presents marriage in an ambiguous way in Wedding Wind. This is presented when the narrator reveals how “I was sad / That any man or beast that night should lack / The happiness I had”. Through the use of the end stop line, Larkin is ankle to subtly suggest that the narrator is no longer happy through the use of the past tense. The end-stop line introduces the fact that she may not get her happiness back as it implies finality and permanence. However, the narrator also expresses her displeasure through the use of simple language, ‘I was sad’, which reveals how all the emotions that the narrator experienced could be condensed to sadness. However, the sadness that she experiences is not directed towards herself but rather toward everyone but herself. This sadness is caused by her happiness not being shared. Larkin could have purposefully done this to emphasise to the reader that although marriage can result in happiness, it is superficial and temporary as it could fade after the wedding. This is significant as during that period, marriage was censored and only the good aspects of marriage were acknowledged. Larkin challenges the overall societal expectations about marriage by displaying the narrator's conflicting emotions.

Thirdly, Larkin views marriage through a cynical lens in ‘Wedding Wind’. This is evident when the narrator complains about how “Shall I be let to sleep / Now this perpetual morning shares my bed?” Through this rhetorical question, Larkin is able to show the reader how the narrator is reconsidering the marriage. The metaphor ‘let to sleep’ reveals how the narrator believes that the only acceptable way she can escape and leave the marriage is through death. This shifts the tone of the poem as the narrator begins to discuss a darker, more pessimistic theme. This is relevant as England at the time had a majority Christian population, and the traditional wedding vows include the phrase ‘till death do us part’. This reveals that the narrator feels trapped by the marriage due to religious confinements and expectations. Larkin also utilises an alternative metaphor in order to display the narrator’s uneasiness ‘this perpetual morning shares my bed?’. The adjective ‘perpetual morning’ is a reference to the narrator's husband, implying that the narrator feels exhausted by the marriage and that it feels like an obligation to be married to him. This is significant as at the time, it was frowned upon for women to discuss such negative opinions regarding marriage and their spouse, which is why Larkin is able to freely explore the restriction of marriage.