Poem Analysis - Arrival

Initial Impression: A Cautious Welcome

Philip Larkin's "Arrival" presents a complex and ambivalent encounter with a new city. The poem initially offers a sense of promise and new beginnings, evoked by images of light and openness. However, this initial optimism quickly gives way to a more cautious and introspective mood. The speaker seems both drawn to and wary of the city, suggesting a deep-seated fear of losing innocence or succumbing to its influence. Ultimately, the poem explores the tension between the allure of novelty and the inevitable corruption of experience.

Themes of Innocence and Experience

One of the central themes in "Arrival" is the contrast between innocence and experience. The speaker expresses a desire to maintain a state of ignorance, viewing it as a form of innocence. This is evident in the lines "For this ignorance of me / Seems a kind of innocence." The city itself, at least initially, is perceived as a "milk-aired Eden," suggesting a place of purity and potential. However, the speaker anticipates a future where this innocence will be "wounded" and "impounded" by their own life, implying that experience inevitably leads to a loss of this initial purity. The poem therefore suggests that such innocence is necessarily temporary and fleeting, forever threatened by the realities of life.

The City as a Dual Symbol

The city functions as a powerful and ambiguous symbol throughout the poem. In the first stanza, it is depicted as a place of promise and opportunity, with "white shelves and domes" that "travel / The slow sky all day." The opening windows and flying curtains symbolize an enthusiastic welcome, a sense of openness to the speaker's arrival. However, the city also embodies a more oppressive and alienating force. The speaker seeks refuge from its overwhelming presence, wanting to "lie down, under / A wide-branched indifference" and desiring that the "cluttered-up houses / Keep their thick lives to themselves." This duality reflects the speaker's conflicting feelings: a desire to connect with the city's energy and a simultaneous need to protect themselves from its potentially corrupting influence.

Images of Transformation and Decay

The poem employs vivid imagery to illustrate the speaker's internal struggle. The image of the "past dries in a wind" suggests a shedding of old identities and a move towards a new beginning. Yet, this image also hints at a sense of loss and detachment. The description of "shovel-faces like pennies / Down the back of the mind" is particularly striking, evoking a sense of anonymity and the dehumanizing aspects of urban life. The final image, of a "style of dying only," is perhaps the most poignant, suggesting that the speaker's arrival in the city is not a true beginning but rather a slow process of decay and assimilation. This bleak outlook underscores the poem's overall sense of apprehension and resignation.

Concluding Thoughts: An Inevitable Loss

In conclusion, "Arrival" is a nuanced exploration of the complex relationship between an individual and a new environment. The poem captures the initial allure of novelty and opportunity, while simultaneously acknowledging the inevitable loss of innocence and the potential for alienation. Through vivid imagery and carefully chosen language, Larkin creates a powerful portrait of a speaker grappling with the challenges of adaptation and the fear of succumbing to the pressures of urban life. The poem's enduring significance lies in its ability to articulate the universal human experience of confronting change and the accompanying anxieties of self-discovery and potential disillusionment. The final lines underscore the sense that any 'arrival' is also a form of 'dying', wherein one's past self is slowly lost to the present.