Student Question

What occurs in the final stanza of Church Going by Philip Larkin?

Quick answer:

In the final stanza of "Church Going," the speaker shifts from skepticism to acknowledging a persistent human desire for deeper meaning. Despite his initial cynicism, he recognizes that people will always feel a "compulsion" to seek purpose beyond earthly life, often turning to religion. This "hunger" for seriousness and spiritual fulfillment leads individuals to visit churches, suggesting that such quests for meaning are enduring, even if the speaker remains agnostic about their validity.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The last stanza of Church Going by Philip Larkin, as is often true with his poetry, expresses a sort of turn or change in attitude. At the beginning of the poem, we encounter a cynical sophisticated secular narrator, who is "bored", "awkward", and "uniformed", obviously not a believer, and equally obviously not entirely familiar with the rituals of the Church of England. Nonetheless, as we progress through the poem, we get a sense that there is still an echo of knowledge and reverence and a sense that the narrator has lost something in being part of a secular age. In a sense , the dimly understood promptings to visit the churches are gradually revealed as a sort of spiritual longing and a deep respect and nostalgia for  the religious past. Eventually, the narrator in a sense undergoes a conversion, recognizing:


…  that much never can be obsolete,
Since someone...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access


will forever be surprising
A hunger in himself to be more serious,
And gravitating with it to this ground, …


Thus the narrator in this stanza finds the very wisdom and, in a sense, salvation, in the last stanza, of which he is initially sceptical at the beginning.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The final stanza of Philip Larkin's poem "Church Going" seems to recognize that others will always visit churches to try to find deeper meaning in their existence than simply being born, living for a set amount of time on earth, and then dying.  Dictionary.com's third definition of compulsion is "a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will."  The speaker states that "compulsions" are recognized in the church and given higher purpose, or "robed in destinies".  This clearly refers to the Christian belief that if you accept Jesus Christ, your life will not end on earth but will continue in heaven for eternity.  This would clearly justify the challenges they encounter on earth, giving their lives more purpose. 

The speaker implies that humans will innately have a need to justify their lives, yet he points out that only dead people "lie round." (Graves and cemeteries surround churches.) The author's agnostic beliefs are clear in this final stanza, yet he does recognize that others will always search for more meaning through religion.  The tone of this final stanza implies that, while this need to justify is foolish, it will nonetheless continue as long as people inhabit the earth.

Approved by eNotes Editorial