Talking in Bed

'Talking in Bed' presents a portrayal of Larkin's own relationship, and how the future of him and his partner is hopelessly doomed. The connotations of this particular poem are intimacy and romance - when in fact it is the lack of these factors which has created the pessimistic tone of the poem.
     In the first line, Larkin states that "Talking in bed ought to be easiest" - the word 'ought' tells the reader straight away that it is not easiest, creating a sense of tension and friction from the start. The rest of this first stanza supports this point; "Lying together there goes back so far, / An emblem of two people being honest." 'Lying' could refer either to the couple lying down, or to untruths, and this creates a paradox with the presentation of an 'emblem of two people being honest". In the first line of the second stanza, Larkin depicts the uncomfortable and awkward nature of his relationship by using the word 'silently'. This lack of noise is contrasted with the image of "the wind's incomplete unrest" outside; the reader can imagine the tense atmosphere of the silence.
     Throughout the poem, Larkin uses pathetic fallacy; the miserable and uncontrollable weather represents the building tension between the two people. "Dark towns" are also described as "heap[ing] up on the horizon", depicting something coming towards them, a reality for their futures which is ever looming, and cannot be avoided. The wind "builds and disperses" - this presents a slight build of hope which is suddenly and momentously crushed, something which Larkin presents often in his poetry (any optimism or hope for the future is destroyed). He uses a short, abrupt sentence and a caesura in the third stanza; "None of this cares for us." This is blunt, possibly reflecting any conversation that they do have, and disrupts the structure of the poem - this upset in continuity could portray the abrupt pauses which invade the couples' conversations, and the way the routine of their relationship seems to have decayed over time. Larkin's use of the word 'unique' in the final line of the third stanza suggests that the couple is abnormal, and lack what healthy, 'normal' relationships obtain.
     The final stanza presents a concluding image of pessimism and a doomed future. He describes how he and his partner cannot find "Words at once true and kind, / Or not untrue and not unkind." The fact that the best they can think of is something that is not altogether nasty, and not altogether a lie, but is still not the truth and not kind, displays a complete tone of gloom and a decay of intimacy/love. Larkin suggests that he uses tact and evasion to avoid choosing between telling the truth and hurting his partner, or telling a lie. It is left to the reader to decide whether this is a poem which demotes women/is complaining about females, or whether it is a poem about loneliness.