‘Hitcher’ By Simon Armitage

LO: to understand the poem ‘Hitcher’ using TSLAP.

Hitcher I'd been tired, under the weather, but the ansaphone kept screaming: One more sick-note, mister, and you're finished. Fired.

I thumbed a lift to where the car was parked.

A Vauxhall Astra. It was hired.

I picked him up in Leeds.

He was following the sun to west from east with just a toothbrush and the good earth for a bed. The truth he said, was blowin' in the wind, or round the next bend.

I let him have it on the top road out of Harrogate - once with the head, then six times with the krooklok in the face - and didn't even swerve.

I dropped it into third and leant across to let him out, and saw him in the mirror bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.

We were the same age, give or take a week.

He'd said he liked the breeze to run its fingers through his hair. It was twelve noon.

The outlook for the day was moderate to fair.

Stitch that, I remember thinking, you can walk from there.

What Is the poem About?

The poem is about a person, who is stressed out at work. He gets a lift in a hire car and somewhere near Leeds, picks up a hitcher who is a hippie.

He takes out all his frustration on the hitcher by hitting him with a ‘krooklok’ and then throwing him out of the moving car to his death.

Themes

The themes that feature in the poem are:  Violence – when he hits the hippie with the krooklok.

 Death – when he kills the hippie and lets him bounce off the kerb.

 Jealousy - when he picks up the hippie and realises he is not tied up with work like him. He is ‘free’.

 Loneliness – when he is stressed out with work and stays off sick on purpose by himself.

 Anger – when he flips and kills the hitcher.

Language

The poem is written in the first person which gives it a realistic voice.

Colloquial language is also used, such as ‘stitch that’ which adds to the realism – as does the lack of imagery in the poem. The repetition of the personal pronoun ‘I’ helps us understand how psychotic and self centred the character really is.

First person narrative; immediacy enjambment

Hitcher

Fed up with his job?

I'd been tired, under the weather, but the ansaphone kept screaming: One more sick-note, mister, and you're finished. Fired.

I thumbed a lift to where the car was parked.

A Vauxhall Astra. It was hired.

Matter of fact tone Why the unusual spelling?

People putting pressure on him Why the use of italics?

Sounds romantic. The hitcher has freedom and no responsibilities

I picked him up in Leeds.

He was following the sun to west from east with just a toothbrush and the good earth for a bed. The truth he said, was blowin' in the wind, or round the next bend.

Echo of Bob Dylan song “blowin’ in the wind”

Takes his frustrations out on the hitcher. The narrator envies him

I let him have it on the top road out of Harrogate - once with the head, then six times with the krooklok in the face - and didn't even swerve.

I dropped it into third

Stark violent images Enjambment

and leant across to let him out, and saw him in the mirror

Echo of the Hitcher’s voice, different language from the narrator

bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.

We were the same age, give or take a week.

He'd said he liked the breeze

Why are the similar ages interesting?

to run its fingers

Personification, what effect does this create?

Colloquial

through his hair. It was twelve noon.

The outlook for the day was moderate to fair.

Stitch that, I remember thinking, you can walk from there.

Return to normality, details of time and weather

Close Text Analysis

   “saw him in the mirror bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.” This quote shows the character casually reporting on his violence, which shows how psychopathic he is. He also uses the word ‘bouncing’ in his description, which gives the poem a casual, almost humorous tone. This makes the report of the violence even more chilling.

Alternative Interpretation

In the poem, Armitage uses italic writing to make the poem seem like the subject’s boss is speaking to him on an ansaphone recording “one more sick-note, mister, and you're finished. Fired.” This could show his frustration with work because he takes days off. However it could also show his jealousy of the hippie because he doesn’t have to worry about work. “He was following the sun to west from east with just a toothbrush and the good earth for a bed. The truth, he said, was blowin' in the wind,”

Structure

 I let him have it on the top road out of Harrogate - once with the head, then six times with the krooklok in the face - and didn't even swerve.

I dropped into third and lent across to let him out, and saw him in the mirror bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.

We were the same age, give or take a week.

He'd said he liked the breeze The enjambment between the stanzas keeps the tone calm and relaxed – making the report of violence even more chilling.

to run its fingers through his hair. It was twelve noon.

The outlook for the day was moderate to fair.

Stitch that, I remember thinking, you can walk from there.

In comparison

 ‘The Laboratory’ – depicts a psychopathic character who uses an inappropriate tone to report on violence.

 ‘Havisham’ – violence depicted towards the man who has jilted Havisham.

 ‘My Last Duchess’ – this depicts calculated, cold violence.