Larkin's poetry cynically portrays a society in which the proletariat "are deluding themselves" rather than presenting a hopeful picture of a society where "they [go] beyond the limits which society sets for them" To what extent do you agree with this statement? Make close reference to FOUR Larkin poems.

Phillip Larkin was an English novelist, poet and librarian. He usually portrays the lives of the proletariat in his poems as miserable and hopeless. He also presents a society in which the proletariat are in a false consciousness and are manipulated by the upper class. In his different poems the working class are described as victims of consumerism and a capitalist society.

In his poem the large cool store the proletariat are driven by consumerism. The poem is about a clothing store that make affordable clothing for the working class. He represents the proletariat as deluding themselves by buying in to trends at a useless attempt at social mobility. The title the large cool store has a dual meaning 'cool' could mean in fashion but it also sounds heartless and harsh. Popular culture is used to delude and distract the proletariat from the way they are being exploited by the bourgeoisie. Materialism is used by the bourgeoisie to pacify the proletariat.  The proletariat 'leave at dawn' and do hard work in institutions to benefit the bourgeoisie 'factory, yard and site'. The proletariat would have done factory work probably producing the clothing they buy back from the store this makes the proletariat appear to be deluding themselves as by doing this they are continuing a cycle of inequality to which they are the victims. In the weekdays the proletariat wear more dull colours 'Browns, greys, maroons' its likely the working class would have worked in the week and used these clothes to assume that identity to fulfil their dull work. Whereas on the weekend they buy more vibrant clothes to allude themselves into thinking that they can look like the bourgeoisie 'lemon, sapphire'. The proletariat are deluding themselves in this poem as they believe that by purchasing these clothes its giving them a chance at social mobility and that through contributing to a capitalist system they can become more in control of their identity when really they are doing the opposite - providing the upper classes with control over their identity. The lower classes want to look like the upper classes who set the trends that the lower classes follow obediently. By believing that buying these clothes gives them control and improves their social status further identifies that the proletariat are in fact deluding themselves as they are really being exploited further through capitalism.

One of Larkins other poems 'Mr Bleaney' also describes a man who conforms to the limits society has set him, His poems reflect his own life and experiences as a working class man. The poem narrates a working class man's life in which he lives in a bleak room containing on the basics 'bed, upright chair,sixty watt bulb..'  The room is very basic and only adequate but he accepts to live there anyway showing his is desperate and probably threatened by poverty and limited by his social position. Mr Bleaney is also spoken about as if he is property of the bourgeoisie 'they moved him' because they had to the power to move him and control him as if he were an object. But because he accepts his situation it could show the proletariat are happy to conform just like they do in the cool store by buying clothing they seem willing to accept their position. Mr Bleaney remains in the room living a life or routine like the proletariat in the cool store did ,working in the week and shopping at the weekend. Mr Bleaney encourages consumerism ' egged her on to buy' and lives a repetitive life 'I know his habits - what time he came down' most members of the proletariat lived repetitive lives working and contributing in lower culture or consumer culture in their spare time. Mr Bleaney doesn't live a very happy life and wouldn't have much to lose if he rebelled against society but he is obedient anyway because its easier as stated in the communist manifesto 'the proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains'. Mr Bleaneys life is lonely and social interactions sound like he only does them out of obligation and desperation not out of enjoyment 'who put him up for summer holidays, and Christmas at his sisters house in stoke.' When Mr Bleaney dies he leaves nothing but 'one hindered box' this creates the idea the working and lower classes leave nothing useful or important behind - they live the whole lives for the bourgeoisie leaving behind nothing of any significance. It can also be said that the working class don't have many important material possessions and dont leave any kind of legacy and even if Mr Bleaney had children they would have just lived unhappy lives as they were born proletariat  and they would have had no chance at social mobility and would have also suffered a life of poverty. At the end of the poem it says ' He warranted no better' Phillip Larkin suggests the proletariat deserve the quality of life they have and are deluding themselves if they think they deserve more or attempt to gain more.  

His poems all have a similar structure they are told in chronological order and are written like short stories. 'The Whitsun Weddings'  describes a long boring weekend. The description in the poem creates a boring dull atmosphere 'industrial froth' 'reek of buttoned carriage cloth' 'dismantled cars. ' Those sort of things would also be associated with the proletariat creating a negative image of them. The bourgeoisie in the poem are described 'wearing broad belts under their suits'. They would most likely have high status professions.The protagonist was also 'late getting away' showing they weren't looking forward to the event. Like in the cool store he describes the clothes brightly 'lemons,mauves' this contrast with the way he describes other aspects of the wedding 'children frowned at something dull' ' happy funeral'. Phillip Larkin never married in his own life. He describes marriage in the poem as a bad thing a means of distracting and controlling the proletariat and seems to be pessimistic towards marriage. The poem also uses enjambment to make the weekend seem like its dragging on and that It's boring him.Lower class people would marry lower class people and higher class people would marry higher class people. Marriage can be viewed as another institution used to delude the proletariat into excepting their social position.

Days by Phillip Larkin is another poem In 'Whitsun weddings' that doesn't create a hopeful picture of society.  Its simple repetitive and easy to understand. The tone in the poem sounds sarcastic. he says '
 'They come, they wake us Time and time over.' Which could refer to the lived of the proletariat they work long hours and live repetative lives doing the same work over and over again he contrasts this image with 'They are to be happy in'. The proletariat are meant to spend their days being happy in a society they are allowed to thrive in but they are limited by their class. This creates an image of and unfair society with little hope of improvement. But he provided the question 'where can we live but days?' The proletariat live that way because they cant see and alternative. 

Comparing Larkins poems it can be seen the proletariat don't go above the limits that society sets for them and rarely try too they accept their situation as they see no hope in changing it. They are deluded by the bourgeoisie into never challenging the way they are exploited and contribute in a culture designed to manipulate them. Larkin also creates the image of a society that is impossible to change.