Poem Analysis - Continuing To Live

A Bleak View of Existence

Philip Larkin's "Continuing to Live" presents a stark and somewhat cynical view of the human experience. The poem explores the disillusionment that comes with age and the realization that life is often a series of losses rather than gains. The tone is initially resigned, almost weary, before becoming more contemplative and ultimately concluding with a sense of futility. There's a palpable lack of optimism, making it a characteristic work from a poet known for his bleak outlook.

The Inevitability of Decline

One of the central themes is the inevitability of decline. The poem opens by defining life as a "habit formed to get necessaries," a repetitive and somewhat meaningless pursuit. This repetition is contrasted with the losses that accumulate over time: "loss of interest, hair, and enterprise." The metaphor of life as a game of chess, rather than poker, emphasizes this sense of predetermination. In chess, one cannot simply discard unwanted aspects of the game; instead, the player must navigate the board with what they have, leading to an inevitable checkmate, representing death. Larkin suggests that life is not a game of chance where one can discard and redraw for better outcomes, but a strategic and ultimately limiting endeavor.

The Illusion of Self-Discovery

The poem also grapples with the theme of self-discovery, or rather, the limitations of it. Larkin writes, "once you have walked the length of your mind, what / You command is clear as a lading-list." This implies that self-knowledge is finite and ultimately unsurprising, like a manifest detailing cargo. Anything outside this narrow understanding is dismissed, almost as a defense mechanism against further disillusionment. The "profit" of this self-exploration is only a partial understanding of the "blind impress" guiding our behaviors. However, this understanding is deemed unsatisfying, as it is ultimately unique to the individual and useless in the face of death.

A Green Evening: Symbolism of Death

The "green evening" in the penultimate stanza is a powerful image representing the onset of death. Green, often associated with life and growth, here suggests a fading vitality, the moment when life transitions into something else. The fact that the understanding gained in life applies "only to one man once, / And that one dying" highlights the essential loneliness of death and the ultimate futility of individual experience. There is perhaps a subtle suggestion that even this "confession" at the moment of death might be a self-deception, a way of making sense of a process that is inherently meaningless. The image is ambiguous enough to allow for multiple interpretations, leaving the reader to ponder the nature of mortality.

Finality and Futility

In conclusion, "Continuing to Live" is a pessimistic exploration of aging, self-discovery, and mortality. Larkin uses stark imagery, such as the chess game and the "green evening," to convey a sense of inevitability and the limited scope of human understanding. The poem ultimately suggests that the pursuit of meaning in life is a futile exercise, as death renders all individual experiences insignificant. The overall impact is one of resignation, highlighting the bleak beauty of Larkin's unique and unforgiving vision.