‘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
Hitcher
I'd been tired, under
Fed up with his job?
Why the unusual
spelling?
the weather, but the ansaphone kept screaming:
enjambment
One more sick-note, mister, and you're finished. Fired.
I thumbed a lift to where the car was parked.
Why the use of
italics?
Sounds romantic.
The hitcher has
freedom and no
responsibilities
A Vauxhall Astra. It was hired.
People putting
pressure on him
Matter of fact
tone
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
Stark violent
images
with the head, then six times with the krooklok
in the face - and didn't even swerve.
I dropped it into third
Enjambment
and leant across
to let him out, and saw him in the mirror
bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.
Echo of the
We were the same age, give or take a week.
Hitcher’s voice,
different language He'd said he liked the breeze
from the narrator
Personification, what effect does
this create?
to run its fingers
through his hair. It was twelve noon.
The outlook for the day was moderate to fair.
Colloquial
Stitch that, I remember thinking,
you can walk from there.
Why are the
similar ages
interesting?
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
The enjambment between
the stanzas keeps the tone
calm and relaxed – making
the report of violence even
more chilling.
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
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.