Wants by Philip Larkin

                 

Beyond all this, the wish to be alone:
However the sky grows dark with invitation-cards
However we follow the printed directions of sex
However the family is photographed under the flag-staff -
Beyond all this, the wish to be alone.

Beneath it all, the desire for oblivion runs:
Despite the artful tensions of the calendar,
The life insurance, the tabled fertility rites,
The costly aversion of the eyes away from death -
Beneath it all, the desire for oblivion runs.


The poem ‘Wants’ is based on the theme of melancholy of the modern world. Philip Larkin took anti-romantic stand in his poems. Larkin in his poetry portrays even childhood as dull and interesting which is earlier romantic poems were celebrated as golden and ideal period. He reacted against the poetry of T.S Eliot and W.H Auden only because he thought that their poetry was highly intellectual and not written for common people. Philip Larkin is an English poet, novelist and critic.

Wants is a modern poem based on the theme of the strong desire of the poet’s  “Wish to be alone” amidst the mechanical life of men in the 20^th century. Philip Larkin belongs to the group of Movement Poets of 1950.The important poems of Philip Larkin include ‘The Less Deceived’(1955), 'The Whitsun Wedding’(1964) and ‘ High Windows’(1974).The Whitsun Wedding is considered to be one of the best poems written so far in this century.

The poem Wants has been extracted from the collection of the less deceived. The poet expresses his deep desire for loneliness and death. Larkin is a keen observer of society. He treats the theme of growing old and death in ‘Wants’. The poems opens with the glimmering sky becoming dark and people are invited to the party with invitation cards and members of the society are photograph together. There is a kind of meeting of the individuals and togetherness involving collective activity. Inspite of all this there is an active and nagging desire to be left alone, “The wish to be alone”. According to Larkin the social activities of the modern world cannot obliterate our deep desire to be alone. People are aware of the shallowness of the hearts of the modern people like Alfred Prufrock and Mistah Kurtz.

Philip Larkin say-

"Beyond all this,the wish to be alone

However the sky grows dark with invitation card 

However we follow the printed direction of sex

However the family is photographed under the flagstaff

Beyond all this,the wish to be alone"

According to Michael H. Short- “The phrase printed direction of sex” could refer to book on sexual positions and instructions, on contraceptive packets or how to calculate female ovulation periods in order to avoid or ensure conception. The poet presents the love making as a matter of mechanics.

There is a plethora of invitation cards like heavy clouds darkening the sky. Their appears to be some pleasure in attending the social functions watching the women passing by and the meeting of the eyes. There is printed information available to beget small families to reduce expenditure and responsibilities and to increase happiness. Artificiality had invited the spontaneous and emotional social life, This reminds us of what T.S Eliot says about the mechanical nature of sexual relationships in the Wasteland. There is even relationship between the carbuncular young men and the lady typist. The family photographs appear to be symbol of modern, happy ideal, social life. But the poet emphasize that all our social, sexual and domestic activities cannot eradicate our desire to be alone.