This poem has a sense of sarcasm about it, the poem is about Larkin's friend(Arnold) who married a women to stop her getting away. Larkin feels if your single you are allowed to be selfish but as his friend is married he can't be.
He describes the women as being "there all day" this has a claustrophobic feel about it and a desire to be alone. In this poem marriage is presented in a cynical view, the idea you can never be alone again and you need to be careful for what you wish for. "Put a screw in the wall" this line is put in italics to symbolise an order, implying women are always nagging and therefore 'Arnold' has to do the DIY. Women are presented in a negative view, they are selfish and needy. Larkin also points out that his money "she takes as her perk" when really she is spending it on things that are needed (laundry, children)
The tone in this poem is quite casual, making you agree with the writer and their life experiences. Making the poem more realistic. The 6th stanza uses the word 'but' this gets the reader thinking that both the persona and Arnold are both selfish.
The conclusion in this poem is that they are no different as they are both selfish as Arnold's life was selfish before marriage as he "still did it for his own sake" Larkin isn't married because he knows what he can put up with.
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