Essay Questions

How is the girl on the poster initially described and what might the description of her mean?

The girl on the poster is initially described as a happy female, though it is done though surprisingly sexual ways. She is kneeling in the sand, laughing with her hands in the air in front of a hotel by a sea coast. Instead of describing it plainly, her posture is revealed through her body parts- “Hotel with palms / Seemed to expand from her thighs” and “Spread breast-lifting arms.” Thus, the poster has a sexual manner, at least through the eyes of the narrator, even though it is only a holiday poster.

What might the reason for the violation of the poster be?

The reason the poster was brutalized may vary from person to person. It might be because the people that walked by didn’t like seeing a happy girl on a poster, if their lives themselves were sad and frustrated. Therefore, they felt a need to expand their hate and anger unto others, thus rendering the poster spoiled. This might all be a planned metaphor written by Philip Larkin for the daily lives of people in the world. As someone succeeds and are happy, someone angry will try bringing them down.

Why was the poster ripped off and what might such a gesture mean?

After the poster was stabbed through with a knife, it was ripped off, leaving only a hand and some blue. This might be an example of the death of the girl in the story, or the freeing of her. In the second verse, the way the girl was brutalized is described. Being removed could be a mercy for her, as she was “too good for this life.” Yet, the word might be a sign that she did, indeed, die.