A load of "Toads" makes for a cynical theme

For something sufficiently toad-like
 Squats in me, too

The poem "Toads" by Philip Larkin is both strange and depressing. Why Larkin uses the

image of toads to represent work, I'm not sure. However, he still manages to get his point

across clearly. At the beginning it almost seems that he is mocking those who attempt to live

off wit and not work, by expressing their poor living conditions and lack of money. But as the

poem goes about it seems that he is actually almost jealous of those. The theme of his poem is

that even though one wishes to live freely and without work, that person is always trapped by 

the necessity of worldly comforts and lifestyles. He expresses how he feels trapped by things 

like "the fame and the girl" which makes it impossible for him to break away from the routine 

of work that he hates so much. He longs to be free of it, and to live life on the edge but

knows that it comes with the risk of losing everything, and so he chooses to stay in the same

pattern of work. The theme comes off as cynical but in truth it is very realistic. A majority 

of the world feels the same frustration Larkin feels, but, like Larkin, chooses the comforts 

that are offered from the work over the excitement but inevitable risk of tossing work to the 

wind. We all have "toads" inside us squatting that keep us from branching out and fulfilling

our wildest dreams. This is the point Larkin is trying to make with his toads.