Oh, what a beautiful toad you have there!

In "Toads" by Philip Larkin, I think the toads carry a special symbolism.  When I think of toads I think of an ugly and slimy animal.  I think if disgusting croaking noises and warts.  Do I need to go on?  Toads are not seen as pretty, delightful animals.  The symbol of a toad shows disdain for the things they represent.  Clearly Larkin does not admire these things.  This is slightly ironic, given that he admits to one of the toads living inside of him.  If you examine the poem, the first toad is clearly stated to be work.  The other is not as clear.  I found my interpretation of the second toad in line 35 "But I do say it's hard to lose either, When you have both."  Based on this contradiction and the knowledge that the second toad is an internal problem of his, I believe that the other is laziness.  While Larkin doesn't like to work, seeing it as a boring, painful task that he endures only to pay his bills, he also despises his own laziness that causes him to hate the work.  His own sense of honor in his work contradicts his laziness.  Work and laziness are both ugly toads, but unfortunately, Larkin seems to be stuck with both of them.