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Analysis of Talking in Bed

Synopsis= Larkin begins this poem with an intimate moment between a couple that is talking in bed, and this moment is carried through the entire poem to highlight that even in our most intimate moments we can feel isolated and lonely. Events such as talking in bed only makes an individual blatantly aware of our solitude and insignificance in such a vast world.

 Key Quotations + Analysis
1.) "Talking in bed ought to be easiest"

  • The opening line of the poem may mark the realisation of the speakers loneliness, it is only when they are in such an intimate moment that they realise how isolated they are from the rest of the world.
  • "ought" is an expression of doubt, this connotes that the speaker is confused by their conflicting emotions, they perhaps feel as if their conversations should flow easily but their realisation is blocking them from being so intimate.
  • It could also highlight that perhaps the couple have grown apart over time and gradually they have ran out of things that they can talk about together. Therefore perhaps this lack of intimacy is due to distance in a relationship and consequently has triggered feelings of isolation. 
2.) "More and more time passes silently" 
  • Shows the common nature of  adult relationships, many couples get caught amongst their family life, children and work and forget to value their partner. This could imply that according to the speaker, talking in bed is an integral part of any relationship to maintain their connection. The verb choice "silently" reinforces this as it portrays that most couples don’t notice how much distance is between them until it is too late, if they do not talk in bed they are "silent" and lack any companionship.
3.) "Words at once true and kind, Or not untrue and not unkind"
  • Larkins use of a double negative in the final lines of the poem is successful in placing the reader in the same confused state that the couple within the poem are in, they are confused by their feelings of loneliness despite being so vulnerable to one another.
  • Perhaps Larkin is critiquing faithfulness within a relationship. The tone of this stanza is rather bitter which could imply that the speaker is resentful of the vulnerability of talking in bed, as they have once expressed this vulnerability only for it to be taken advantage of.

Links to Duffy poems
Disgrace= Both poems explore the decaying of a once intimate relationship "thickening cyst of dust and gloom". Both poems highlight their immense loneliness and confusion at how the relationship has spiralled out of control. 

The Windows= The speaker in this poem suffers from immense loneliness, similarly to the speaker in Talking in Bed who Is confused by their own solitude


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