The poem begins with Larkin providing us with a question on the very first line.'What are days for?' represents the theme of the poem, which is life and death. Larkin is questioning the audience, what are we supposed to do with our days to make them memorable? What we are supposed to do with our days until we don't have them anymore? Larkin then expresses how days 'wake us Time and time over' which suggests how life is unpredictable and how reality never fails to shock and 'wake us' from our dreams. Moreover, the final line in the first stanza asks 'Where can we live but days' presents a religious element. Larkin questions what events happen after death, can we possibly live anywhere unless it's 'days' which represents life. This represents Larkin's belief as an atheist, we can only live on this world, in other words Larkin believes there is no heaven.
In the final stanza, 'the Priest and the doctor in their long coats' are presented. The religious and medical figure are of great importance because they both see us through the beginning and end of our lives. Larkin may be suggesting that it's more beneficial to have faith in a doctor who can preserve life, rather than a priest who relys on the presence of God. The poem ends on an optisimic note with 'running over fields' which appears to be peaceful and calm, suggesting that their is a place to go after death. Larkin conveys the message that we should make the most of our days because we are unable to live forever, before we know it 'the preiest and the doctor' will be in our company for the end of our journey.
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