Read the following poem, and answer the question that follow (96-100)
‘This was Mr bleaney’s room he stayed
The whole time he was at the bodies, till
They moved him, ‘flowered curtains, thin and frayed,
Fall to within five inches of the sill.
Whose window shows a strip of building land,
Tussocky littered. ‘Mr bleaney’s took
My bit of garden properly in hand.’
Bed, upright chair, sixty-watt bulb, no book
Behind the door, no room for books or bags—
‘I’ll take it. ‘So it happens that I lie
Where Mr bleaney lay, and stub my fags
On the same saucer-souvenir, and try
Stuffing my ears with cotton, wool, to drown
The jabbering set he egged her on yo buy,
I know his habits——what time he came down’
His preference for sauce to gravy, why
He kept on plugging at the four aways__
Likewise their yearly frame: the Frinton folk
Who put him up for summer holidays
And Christmas at his sister’s house in stoke
But if he stood and watched the frigid wind
Tousling the clouds, lay on the fusty bed
Telling himself that this was home, and grinned,
And shivered, without shaking off the dread
That how we live measures our own nature,
And at his age having no more to show
Than one hired box should make him pretty sure
He warranted no better, I don’t know.
Philip Larkin

The poem ‘Mr. Bleaney’ deals with the portrayal of his_________

The correct option is: Ordinariness.

Explanation:
Philip Larkin's poem "Mr. Bleaney" depicts the lives of two men: the former tenant, Mr. Bleaney, and the speaker who has recently moved into the same rented room. Throughout the poem, Larkin uses mundane, everyday details to paint a portrait of Mr. Bleaney's life, highlighting its narrow scope and lack of fulfillment.
Let us analyze these details step-by-step to understand why they point to "ordinariness":

1. The Material Possessions and Environment:
The room is described as having "flowered curtains, thin and frayed," a "sixty-watt bulb," and "no room for books or bags." There is a "saucer-souvenir" used to stub out cigarettes. These sparse, cheap, and worn-out items suggest a life devoid of richness, luxury, or extravagance.

2. Daily Habits and Routines:
The speaker notes Bleaney's simple habits: "what time he came down," "His preference for sauce to gravy," and his habit of "plugging at the four aways" (referring to standard weekly football betting). These choices and routines represent the typical, monotonous lifestyle of an average, ordinary working-class individual of the era.

3. Social Life and Holidays:
Bleaney's yearly routine is highly predictable and modest, spending his summer holidays with "Frinton folk" who put him up, and Christmas at "his sister’s house in Stoke." This routine lacks any adventure, status, or luxury.

4. The Final Reflection:
The poem culminates in the speaker wondering if Bleaney looked around this "one hired box" (the room) and realized that "how we live measures our own nature." The concept of having nothing more to show for one's life at an advanced age than a small, rented room represents the ultimate state of insignificance and absolute ordinariness.

Therefore, options like "Richness," "Extravagance," and "Luxuriousness" are entirely incorrect as they are the exact opposites of the bleak, humble, and mundane life described in the poem. The poem is a quintessential study of human ordinariness and the dread of living an unremarkable life.