How does Larkin explore ideas of inequality between social classes?

NOTES
Proletariats shop in there but get cheap clothes as they can not afford expensive clothes.
The proletariats make the clothes.
Bourgeoisie owns it and they are very wealthy. They get a percentage of the income but proletariats get a small amount. This keeps them in there social class.
Larkin uses straight forward style of his writing. He is rude may be because of his class.
'Simple sizes plainly' represents that the proletariats are all the same as they are all in the same social class.
all would be equal if we all wear nice clothes.

In this text Larkin explores ideas of inequality between social class as he speaks about being alienated in the social classes and the only way of being un trapped is if they stop working. This is all to do with the superstructure as they have no education as the proletariats that work in The large cool store. They feel as if they are forced to go and work as they just need money so that they can live. But he also discuss the facts that the working class do not have the same rights as the higher class as they are controlled by the higher class and they are exploited in the large cool store.
The title of this text is called 'the large cool store.' The name of this has different meanings. 'cool' could mean that it is cold therefore they are heartless and emotionless. The author may put it like this because it shows that the bourgeoisie is heartless as they make the proletariats work. The other meaning that it could have is that it is "cool" and they look good. This mans that they are trying to make people think the store is good. We can also see that the bourgeoisie has hegemony over the proletariats as they have control over all of the proletariats that work. The base of the superstructure is also used as the proletariats resemble the means of production. We can see this as the proletariats have to get up early and go to work. A quote that supports this is 'who leave at dawn. This shows that they have to wake up early, then leave fore work and work hard whilst the bourgeoisies boss them around. They are also alienated in the working class as they are isolated and they can not leave there work as they are not at strong financial point.
In the text The Large Cool Store, Larkin explores ideas of inequality between the different social classes. He does this by using an easy structure. This is done because it reflects the monotonous life's of proletariats in a capitalised society.  For example the basic rhyme scheme of ABABAB, this then shows how dull and boring those peoples life's are. An example of this is 'clothes... plainly... hose...navy.' This shows inequality between the social classes because it demonstrates how the bourgeoisie controls the proletariat through there repetitive life's and the sense of false consciousness.

Larkin is middle class in the social system. this shows through the work by the fact that the "the large cool store" is in reference to middle class shops like Marks and Spencer's. This illustrates that Larkin acknowledges the fact that a proletariat lifestyle is to work and then spend. Something that he can relate to as he is a proletariat himself. ' set out in simple sizes plainly.' This shows that they are all simple and plain and they are all the same.

The work in this text supports the economic and status quo because Larkin refers to how the proletariats live in society and how they are alienated through consumerism in the society which then makes them think that they can only feel good about themselves in the clothes of the bourgeoisie. The text supports this with the line 'synthetic, new and naturless in ecstasies.' This shows that men and women want to be fake and that they want to mascaraed as something that they are not but they believe themselves to be.
The class system plays a big role in work. This is because the proletariat are working for the bourgeoisie as they are the working class. The class also shows that the lower class have to work so that they can afford to go out. But the bourgeoisie just boss around the proletariats telling them what they are supposed to be doing. Therefore this shows the class system as there higher class have power over the lower and working class. Larkin has presented the work with a class system because that may be how he feels as he is the middle class. A quote that supports this would be ' dawn low terraced houses.' This shows that it is the morning and they are going to go and do unskilled labour for the bourgeoisie so that he can earn lots of money and be rich, whilst the proletariats earn little money and work really hard. Then they are only able to afford to be able to go out at night and that's it. This shows that there is a class system in the work place.
The work is seen as propaganda as they make it seem as if working is good and exciting, but it actually isn't they are just being exploited by the bourgeoisie.  But they also use propaganda as they make it seem ;like now you've got money you will be able to go out. But Larkin describes them going out and the mood seems to change as they are all happy and it is colourful. A quote that supports this is ' Lemon, sapphire, moss- green, rose Bri- nylon baby- dolls and shorties flounce in clusters.' This shows that it is colourful at night time as they all dress up to go out. It also shows that there life is only exciting at night when they are not working. therefore they use propaganda as Larkin has set an image that it is colourful when they go out and they can only go out because they have worked.

The role that class pays in work is that proletariats live in 'low terrace houses' this means that they have small houses and they are run down as they are doing unskilled labour and they do not get paid very much. But they still go and spend there money even if it is on clothes or going out drinking. This is due to materialism and consumerism. They believe that they will be better people if they have nice clothes and dress well.
The author demonstrates how the bourgeoisie and the proletariats both want to make money. But the bourgeoisie are already rich therefore they have power over the working class. But the bourgeoisie can also force the proletariats to make things especially clothes because if they did not make these then they would not be able to survive as they would not have any money. 'timed for factory, yard and site.' This shows that they go to work to earn money and they are forced to get up early for there unskilled work. As the proletariats are forced to work and make the clothes the bourgeoisie is just planning on selling them back to them when they buy them. But because of materialism nobody questions it as they think that is the normal and it is all okay. This shows a sense of false consciousness because they are desperate to be rich so they just work.
The characters do not overcome oppression this is because they are stuck in there social cycle. As they can not escape as they would not be able to survive with no money. But if they do get out of that social class then they will just get trapped into another social class and they will then be in the same situation again. The only way that they are able to escape is if they stop working. This is shown by the women at the end of this text as they are shown to be wearing bright colours. This shows that there life is much happier and brighter whilst they are nit working or stuck in there social class cycle. The quote that shows this is ' lemon, sapphire, moss green.' This shows that there clothes are now brighter as they are not working and there is no social class as they have escaped.
The work does not propose a utopian vision. This is because they believe that if you wear nice clothes then you will be seen to be as a bourgeoisie. But that is not necessarily true that is just what they believed. 'heaps of shirts and trousers.' This shows that men only have one thing to wear and it shows that men are calm as they do not mind that there clothes are not neat. But society is actually the opposite due to the capitalist society. There is nobody that is free in the society as they are all trapped in there social classes.
This piece of literature does show that it reflects the authors class because he was middle class and it also reflects his attitude as he hated women. This shows that he is a misogynist as he had bad views about women. It reflects his own class as he is also part of the class that he writes about therefore he is talking about possibly his own problems that he has.
To conclude in this text Larkin explores many different ideas about inequality between social classes. This is done by using gender as a problem but also the fact that the bourgeoisies force the proletariats to work but they all have a simple and repetitive life.