"Why should I let the toad work Squat on my life?" Lines 1-2
Larkin cleverly uses a toad as a representation of stress. Stress, like a toad, "Squats" on everyone's lives. It uses its "sickening poison" to take up the days of our week, just to "pay the bills". the "Folks who live on their wits" are intellectuals who seemingly overcome the struggles of stress. In reality, is this true? From the poor working man's perspective, it certainly seems that way. They don't feel the stress of a low income job. On the other end of the spectrum, those who live "up lanes", who live simply and quietly in the country, seem to live without toads bothering them. This man, caught in the middle of the two worlds, is obviously bitter about it. He feels it deep in his soul, "cold" and "hunkering". It restricts him from finding life's real luxuries and inhibits his success. What a cynical poem this is.
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