How Larkin perceives his own and our collective process of aging and the subsequent inevitability of death in ‘The Old Fools’ and ‘Ambulances’
In ‘The Old Fools’, Larkin discusses the gradual decline of life in old age, emphasizing the loss of dignity as the initial aspect that diminishes. He marvels at how the elderly are able to disregard the terrifying prospects of death. ‘Ambulances’ delves into the actual process of dying and how we, as humans, react to it. The poem focuses on the somber experience of being transported in an ambulance when nearing the end of one’s life and how the public remains passive to the personal upheaval of the patient inside. Towards the end of ‘The Old Fools’, senility is depicted as a “reversed childhood,” serving as a poignant conclusion to this stage in one’s existence. In the first stanza, Larkin ironically questions whether the elderly perceive “wetting themselves” and suffering from senile dementia as more mature, highlighting their lack of embarrassment regarding these unmistakably childlike humiliations.
The tone of his questioning suggests that he views them as naive, like inverted children. He patronizes them as if they were children. Later in the stanza, he cynically questions whether they believe they can repeat the past, expressing his disbelief that they are not screaming since it is impossible to do so. The final image accurately portrays how we perceive old age from an external perspective – a horror so incomprehensible that we would scream, but knowing its inevitability, we endure the horror in silence. In the second stanza, Larkin describes death as our components dissolving into oblivion, with no one to witness the fragments that were once us speeding away forever. His statement that he cannot pretend that there will be anything else affirms his agnostic belief that death is the end.In the second stanza, the author remarks that our destination is described as ‘only oblivion’, which we had already experienced before. This refers to how, prior to birth, we were also in a state of oblivion, but with the difference that back then, it was going to come to an end. The author highlights the fact that in this previous state of oblivion, we still had the notion of life awaiting us, something which is no longer the case in this so-called second oblivion. This concept serves to emphasize how this death will be unlike anything we have ever encountered before. Moving on to the third stanza, the author ponders on how ‘being old’ is reminiscent of memories replaying in one’s mind. Essentially, the elderly dwell in the past, not living in the present but rather in a place where everything once occurred.
This perspective on old age is clearly pessimistic, disregarding any potential interest or meaning in the aging process. It characterizes old age as a painful waiting period until our lives inevitably decay and end. This view aligns with the author’s overall pessimism about death itself. He portrays old age as being trapped beneath the mountain of extinction, oblivious to its proximity, and suggests that this is what keeps the elderly quiet – the constant fear of approaching death. Similarly, he describes death as an ever-present, rising ground that is always in the back of our minds, but for the elderly, it becomes the dominant and most prominent thought in their consciousness. The poem’s final lines brilliantly convey Larkin’s attitude towards death. He raises questions about what the elderly truly comprehend, whether they never fully grasp the finality of their last breath during this stage of losing dignity and reverting to a childlike state. He then stoically declares that “we shall find out.”Larkin’s poem ‘Ambulances’ reveals a personal and eerie perspective on the inevitability of death. He suggests that all the things he has said about death will come true for everyone, highlighting the unanswerable question of why the elderly remain calm despite the presence of death. Larkin contends that the answers to these questions will only be revealed when one finds themselves in a similar miserable situation. In the first stanza, Larkin uses the line ‘They come to rest at any kerb’ to convey the idea that death can strike anywhere. This line exudes a menacing quality, as if the ambulances choose where to rest and who will perish, without regard for the individual.
This passage illustrates the capriciousness of death and its indiscriminate impact. In the next verse, the poet depicts people observing the ambulances as they transport a deceased individual, noting that “children strewn on steps or road… see a wild white face… carried in and stowed.” The use of the term “strewn” to describe the children, without immediately clarifying their role as voyeurs, suggests that they themselves may be victims, highlighting the universal nature of mortality regardless of age or other factors. The phrase “wild white face” evokes an impersonal and cold image, underscoring how easily these deaths are categorized and emphasizing the insignificance of each individual’s demise to the broader population. This notion is reinforced in the final line of this stanza, where the poet describes the corpses as being “stowed,” likening them to objects or animals—a stark reminder of how unimportant death is to society at large, treating deceased bodies as mere unwanted waste to be disposed of. In the concluding stanza, Larkin mentions how observers whisper “poor soul” upon witnessing the removal of the deceased.
However, instead of symbolizing sympathy or empathy, Larkin suggests that people whisper condolences to themselves in the face of death, indicating that the sight of death primarily evokes a sense of sadness because it reminds us of our own mortality. Ultimately, this reveals our selfish nature, which becomes most evident when confronted with death since it is a situation where we have nothing to gain and everything to lose. In the final two stanzas, Larkin characterizes humanity as a unique blend of families and fashion trends, implying that our uniqueness is limited to the choices we make in following cultural trends rather than being truly distinctive on a personal level. He refers to this blend as “loosening” as we approach death, as if it is a finely crafted object that falls apart, wasting all the effort put into its design. Larkin suggests that the dying are isolated “far from the exchange of love” and exist in an unreachable room, highlighting the stark contrast between life and death. This separation from the ability to experience love or happiness when facing death creates a profoundly lonely and dread-inducing existence throughout our lives.
The traffic in the third final line of the poem symbolizes how the public accepts the person’s death without resistance or panic, reflecting humans’ selfishness when facing mortality. Larkin presents a bleak view of human demise, seeing old age as the decay of our being and leading to complete separation and loss in death. However, I have a question: In contrast to this oblivion, during our nine-month development from nothing to everything in the womb, we were technically alive but unaware of the outside world. We may not have even known that there was anything beyond the womb. Our existence during those months was confined to the womb while something more intricate unfolded around us, with our purpose being to grow. So why do we immediately dismiss the idea of a broader spectrum?
We perceive our current existence as the entirety of our reality, but in reality, our lives are constantly growing. The question arises: what is the purpose of this development? Is it possible that we are evolving from our current state into something more intricate, like being in a metaphysical gestation period? Although I find reincarnation unlikely, it is hasty to dismiss the possibility of individuals having memories of past lives. After all, during our previous existence in the womb for nine months, no one recalls those experiences. Therefore, it is worth contemplating that there might be something more advanced awaiting us beyond life’s confines – not as a replacement but preceding our next state of oblivion.
