In the first stanza the persona is talking to his old professor from back when he was at uni Within this stanza the professor also tells him that Dockery one of his former friends son now studies here.
This links well to stanza two where Larkin begins to reflect back on Dockery. It seems as though he is shocked about the aspect of Dockery having a son. This is represented through the quote 'good lord'. Within this stanza the persona changes trains at Sheffield. From then on Larkin presents to us a change to his thought and tone. The 'joining and parting lines' gets Larkin thinking about life in general. As we know, there are never many joining's on railway tracks, so this acts as a metaphor for the life choices that Larkin himself has made.
Through this within Stanza three Larkin begins comparing himself to Dockery. This is presented to the reader through the quote 'To have no son, no wife, no house or land seemed quite natural'. Larkin describes a 'numbness' to this shock. This symbolises the realisation that he has hit the middle-aged mark and also the realisation of how fast his life has actually gone by. It also represents the fact that each and everyone of us have different life choices in life. Larkin also comes to realise that this is what Dockery really wanted in life was to marry and have a child. This is presented to us through the quote 'he must have taken stock of what he wanted'. We also learn that why Dockery did this was to add to the family of Dockery's. 'Convinced he should be added to! why did he think adding meant increase'. The word 'dilution' represents Larkin's lifestyle choice as a poet. This acts as an interesting perspective on children. Larkin can't think if he had children. This also fits in nicely with one of Larkin's other poems 'Here'.
Lack of freedom in life is represented within stanza four. 'we think truest, or most want to do'. Larkin is suggesting that the life choices that we make will just bring us back down. This links back to the children aspect, that if you do decide to have a family then this will limit the choices and opportunities that you can actually achieve in life. It's as if the majority of us don't actually have a choice in life, we are literally a product of the choices that we make. The quote 'tight shut, like doors. They're more a style our lives bring with them: habit for a while, suddenly they harden into all we've got' suggests this. This further reinforces the fact that as you get older there are fewer doors to choose from, that you can't go back and make major life decisions. The quote basically symbolises your life choices as a person. 'Like sand clouds thick and close' suggests that within the moment people in general aren't aware of the life choices that they are making, that later on they may come to regret some of them. Larkin feels he has gained nothing, however Dockery a son. Larkin's view of life within this stanza comes across as very depressing. He says life is 'boredom' and then 'fear'. This paints a gloomy picture in the mind of the reader about what life actually represents. Larkin describes life as 'it' which adds to it's gloomy nature and insignificance as a positive thing. Larkin ends the poem with 'end of age' representing the fact that death will always come to each and everyone of us, no matter what you have done or achieved in life.
The main three epiphany's of the poem are life goes quickly, the choices the you have determine your life and that you can't go back on your choices in life.
Critical opinions about Dockery and Son
I have come to dislike the laddish comedy of Jake Balokowsky, Dockery and Son, and so forth. The more I read Larkin, the more he seemed like one of the uncles 'shouting smut' in his poem 'The Whitsun Weddings'.
But the chief quality from which I felt estranged was his need to tell the reader what to think. 'Life is boredom, then fear'. Well, speak for yourself, matey. Or, at best, 'discuss'. (A.N.Wilson, The Daily Telegraph, 2008)
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