The post-war period of the 1950s and 1960s was a time of affluence when society and social values were changing.
The poem follows one child in a typical nuclear family from birth through a rushed life, where he has little time for reflection, to his early death in an accident.
The father is described as an "Anthony Squires-Coolstream-Summerweight Dad" and the siblings as being "straight off the Junior Department rack".
Watching television, game shows, drive-in cinemas, and shopping are the activities of the people in this poem.
The morticians gives him back the smile he lost in life and in addition gives him a "healthy tan".