Concerning: Philip Larkin's 'No Road'

This is made obvious by the use of personal pronouns like “we” and “us” occurring already in the first line. By dealing with a topic common to most people, the persona not only attracts the reader’s attention but also evokes his empathy. Without this feeling, the author would not be able to communicate the emotion of suffering, as it would be a purely intellectual and associative idea. What makes the reader understand and appreciate the subject matter conveyed in the poem is his capacity to experience another’s feelings. If the reader did not develop this empathy in the course of the poem, he is almost forced to do so in the last three lines. Here, the triple repetition of the pronoun “my” deeply stirs the reader, making him see the persona’s degree of affectedness. In other words, the narrative could be seen as an objective correlative of the universal subject of suffering caused by the conflict between ratio and emotion. The persona’s feelings symbolize the emotion the author wants to express, thus evoking an emotional response in the reader. Without the narrative, the poem would simply be an enumeration of facts that do not necessarily affect the reader. In this way, then, it is the narrative framework that immerses the reader into the subject matter.

The language used in the poem is full of imagery. This mostly negative imagery serves the purpose of making the reader perceive the atmosphere of the poem through association with commonly known things and situations. It evolves around the metaphor of a road which stands for the bond that used to connect the lovers. This metaphor appears already in the title and is referred to in every stanza. As the title “No Road” already suggests, the connection between the persona and his former partner has broken down. Having ended their commitment in mutual agreement, they have gone separate ways. The author stresses the finality of this decision by using the metaphoric image “bricked our gates up” (l.2). This image of deterioration stands for the shutting down of any possibilities of communication, which is again stressed by the image of the creation of a natural barrier between the former lovers (“planted trees to screen us” l.2). The picture created especially by the first picture is a very sad and desolate one. Whenever entrances are sealed, it means that there is no hope for recovery. Bricking up doors is the final action when a building is being closed down permanently.

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This gloomy atmosphere created already in the metaphorical title and the first stanza is brightened by the image introducing the second stanza. Here, the author pictures a decaying garden that has been neglected to emphasize the persona’s hope of not losing his partner. Even though the scene that is being portrayed is that of neglect and decay (“leaves drift unswept”, “grass creeps unmown” l.7), it also conveys a feeling of hope as the current state could still be revoked. The same way as it is not too late to save the garden if it is looked after again (“so little overgrown” l.9), the former lovers’ relationship could be as it was before their separation. The road mentioned before is still open but it will break down eventually if no measures are taken against the process of deterioration. The last stanza depicts a gloomy view of a future in which the connection between the persona and his former partner has broken down completely. Here again, the author uses the negative metaphor “no road” (l.13) to underline the persona’s final loss of his partner. The recurring use of this metaphorical image stresses that the idea of losing that person seems unbearable for the speaker. It also makes the reader picture the situation and actually realize its gravity. To put it in a nutshell, one of the main devices used to vividly illustrate the meaning of the poem is imagery.

The persona portrays the world without his partner in the paradoxical simile “like a cold sun” (l.15). By comparing two essentially unlike things the author draws the reader’s attention to this contrast, making it extremely graphic to him. No one can survive without the power of the sun. If it stopped shining all creatures on earth would be doomed to extinction. Like every living creature depends on the warmth of the sun, without which life is not possible, the persona cannot live without his partner. He feels that if he cannot be with him, there is no reason for him to survive as it would only mean endless suffering. Despite this, he hesitates to make a decision. The final position of this stylistic device in the poem suggests that he has already given up. Even though he knows he is facing enormous pain, it seems that any other decision would not ease his suffering. He prefers to choose a way which he has got a clear picture of, as the elaborate simile shows. It might be painful, but at least he knows what to expect. In this way, it is this simile that not only communicates the subject matter but also makes it graphic for the reader.

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