The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot summary and analysis

 

The Waste Land is a modernist poem by T.S. Eliot, was published in 1922. The first section of the poem is titled as The Burial of the Dead. This section sets the tone for the entire poem and explores themes of death, decay, and spiritual desolation.

The poem begins with an epigraph from the Satyricon of Petronius, an ancient Roman work. The epigraph talks about the Sibyl, a prophetess, and her encounter with a man who asks her to reveal what the future holds. The Sibyl responds by saying that she wants to die.

 "For once I myself saw with my own eyes the Sibyl at Cumae hanging in a cage, and when the boys said to her 'Sibyl, what do you want?' she replied, 'I want to die.'"

April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.

 

The section then opens with the famous line "April is the cruellest month," suggesting a sense of irony  as April is traditionally associated with rebirth and renewal. The speaker reflects on the desolate state of the contemporary world, using vivid and fragmented imagery. The land is barren, and the mixing of memory and desire only intensifies the sense of emptiness.

Tiresias (In Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years.) and his girl friend were travelling in Germany, when they were overtaken by summer rain. They took shelter under the columns of the trees and thereafter walked in the sun-shine to the Hof-garten, where they drank coffee and gossiped for an hour. Marie says: "I am not Russian at all; I come from Lithuania; I am a real German." When Marie was a child, she stayed with her cousin, the Arch-duke. He took her out on a sledge and she was much frightened. He asked her to hold the sledge tightly and they travelled down together. They felt quite free when they wandered into the mountains. Now, she spends her time reading till late in the night. During winter, she goes to the south to enjoy her holidays.

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow

Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,

You cannot say, or guess, for you know only

A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,

And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,

And the dry stone no sound of water. Only

There is shadow under this red rock,

(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),

And I will show you something different from either

These lines disturbingly exhibits Chaos in the modern Wasteland. What kind of trees and fruits grow out of barren and dead waste land ? The answer is in the negative. Nothing spiritual can grow in the barren land. Man can find only broken images which are the remains of old cultures and values, since abandoned by man. There is no shelter from the heat of the sun, under the shade of dead trees. The singing cricket gives no entertainment and there is no sound of water to provide relief or hope. There is only one refuge namely the red rock of the Christian faith. (Man can find a shelter in the message of Christ). The shadow of faith is immortal and much different from the shadow of man who is mortal. Human kind is haunted by the fear of death and the anger of God. Essentially man is handful of dust who is in fear of death.

Madame Sosostris, the famous fortune teller was suffering from a bad cold. She is known as the wisest woman in Europe, because she tells the fortunes of people with her pack of cards. To one of her customers, she said: "Here is your card, the drowned Phoenician sailor. Look at his eyes. They are like pearls. Here is another card Belladonna, the Lady of the Rocks, and the lady of sex situations. Here is yet another card of the man with three sticks. Here is another card representing the Wheel. Here is another card of one-eyed merchant. Here is yet another card, which is blank, which indicates something which the merchant carries on his back and which I cannot forecast. There is no card of the hanged man (Christ). I must be very careful these days. (The fortune teller practised an ill-legal business, and therefore she is afraid of the police).

Unreal City,

Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,

A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,

I had not thought death had undone so many.

Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,

And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.

London city is Under the blanket of a brown fog on a winter morning, a crowd of people passes over the London bridge. There are so many people that they cannot be counted. I never thought that so many people were spiritually dead. As these people walk, they give forth short and occasional sighs. Each man walked mechanically with downcast eyes. 

The poem then shifts to a scene where the speaker encounters the "unreal city," likely a reference to London. The city is described as filled with a crowd of people who are spiritually dead. The image of the city is bleak, filled with industrialization and decay.

The speaker recalls a vision of a lush, mythic land, possibly symbolizing a lost paradise. This contrasts sharply with the present wasteland. The section concludes with a speaker mourning the loss of beauty and vitality, expressing a sense of despair and longing for renewal.

The Burial of the Dead reflects the disillusionment and despair felt by many in the aftermath of World War I. The use of the epigraph and references to mythology and literature emphasizes the breakdown of traditional values and the disconnection from the past.

The contrasting images of fertility and barrenness, life and death, highlight the theme of spiritual decay in the modern world. The speaker's journey through the cityscape serves as a metaphor for the fragmented and alienated nature of contemporary society.

Eliot employs a variety of literary and cultural allusions, making the poem highly intertextual. These references range from ancient mythology to modern literature, showcasing the poet's erudition and emphasizing the continuity of despair across different time periods.

The fragmented structure of the poem, with its abrupt shifts in tone and imagery, reflects the disorienting and chaotic nature of the modern world. The use of multiple voices, perspectives, and languages contributes to the sense of disintegration and loss.

 

 

Section 2

The game of chess

A Game of Chess. The title is borrowed from Middleton's play Women Beware Women. A game of chess is played to distract the attention of an old woman, while her daughter-in-law is seduced by a lustful Duke. The implication is that violation of sexual discipline brings frustration and spiritual decay. The second implication of a game of chess is a situation of checkmate where the game enters a blind alley. The third implication of the title is a life of emotional starvation in the process of mechanical routine. The moral of the section is that the foundation of healthy society is a disciplined sexual relationship. When sex is free from restriction or control, it leads to perversion and creates a sense of frustration and failure in married life.

The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,

Glowed on the marble, where the glass

Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines

From which a golden Cupidon peeped out

 

A Game of Chess is set in a luxurious and decadent atmosphere. The speaker describes a scene in a room where a woman is entertaining a man. The room is lavishly decorated, and the woman is preparing for a sexual encounter. The imagery is rich and filled with references like Antony and Cleopatra, Othello and women beware of women by Thomas middleton .

The first part of the section describes the physical setting, emphasizing opulence and sensuality. The woman, who seems to be a modern-day Cleopatra, is getting ready for the encounter. The scene is filled with erotic undertones, and the woman is portrayed as both alluring and manipulative.

The second part shifts to a different scene, focusing on a conversation between two women in a pub. The dialogue is fragmented and disjointed, reflecting a breakdown in communication. The women discuss a third woman, Lil, who has had an abortion. The conversation is marked by a sense of disillusionment and despair.

 

 

The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king

So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale

Filled all the desert with inviolable voice

And still she cried, and still the world pursues,

These lines expresse the mythological story of poor and helpless little lady, Philomela. She was rudely raped by the barbarous king and later cut off her toungue. Philomela who was transformed into a nightingale filled the desert with a sweet music. Even till today she continues to cry and still the world listens to her, but her cry has been interpreted as the reaction of her rape to the dirty ears of the modern man.

The section concludes with a return to the luxurious setting, where the sexual encounter seems to be disrupted or unsuccessful. The speaker reflects on the fleeting nature of pleasure and the emptiness that follows.

The section is rich with allusions to mythology, literature, and art. The reference to Cleopatra suggests themes of seduction and power. The chess game itself can be seen as a metaphor for power dynamics and manipulation.

‘My nerves are bad tonight. Yes, bad. Stay with me.

Speak to me. Why do you never speak. Speak.

What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?

I never know what you are thinking. Think.’

 

  I think we are in rats’ alley

Where the dead men lost their bones.

 

The fragmented and disjointed nature of the dialogue in the second part reflects the general sense of fragmentation in modern society. The breakdown in communication highlights the difficulty of establishing meaningful connections in a world that seems increasingly disconnected.

The mention of Lil's abortion and the overall tone of disillusionment in the conversation between the two women in the pub may be interpreted as a social critique. Eliot seems to be commenting on the moral and spiritual decay of society, where personal choices and relationships are tainted by a sense of despair.

The section is structurally complex, with shifts in perspective, time, and setting. This complexity mirrors the fragmented and disorienting nature of the modern world.

 

Section 3

The Fire Sermon

The third section  is titled as The Fire Sermon. It is heavily influenced by Eastern philosophy, particularly the Buddha's Fire Sermon, which addresses the nature of desire and the cycle of suffering.

The Fire Sermon begins with a quote related to the Buddha's Fire Sermon, emphasizing the destructive nature of desire. The section then presents a series of disjointed and fragmented scenes that depict a modern wasteland. The speaker describes a desolate landscape, polluted rivers, and decaying urban environments. The imagery reflects the spiritual and moral decay of society.

The first part of the section presents a scene of sexual encounter in a modern urban setting. The encounter is devoid of genuine emotion or connection, emphasizing the emptiness and degradation of modern relationships. The imagery is often grotesque, portraying a world devoid of spiritual meaning.

The second part of the section introduces Tiresias, a figure from Greek mythology who was both a man and a woman. The androgynous nature of Tiresias symbolizes a merging of opposites . The section concludes with a vision of the Thames River, which is polluted and lifeless. The speaker reflects on the industrialization and degradation of the environment, tying it to the spiritual malaise of the time. The Thames is described as a "sweet Thames, run softly," echoing a sense of mourning for the loss of purity and vitality.

The title draws heavily from the Buddha's Fire Sermon, which addresses the destructive nature of desire and the quest for enlightenment. Eliot uses this Eastern philosophical framework to critique the excesses and materialism of Western society.

Similar to the previous section, The Fire Sermon explores the theme of degraded sexuality. The sexual encounter presented is mechanical and devoid of genuine emotion, reflecting a sense of spiritual emptiness and decay.

The imagery of the polluted Thames River reflects not only the physical degradation of the environment but also serves as a metaphor for the moral and spiritual decay of society. The polluted river symbolizes the consequences of human greed and exploitation.

 

 

 

 

Section 4

Death by Water

Death by Water is a brief and enigmatic section. The section begins with a description of a drowned sailor, Phlebas the Phoenician, whose death by water is the central theme. The speaker recounts the sailor's demise and describes his decay in the water. The imagery is like a painting of the sailor's lifeless body floating in the ocean.

The section is often seen as a meditation on the transience of life and the inevitability of death. Phlebas, once a vibrant and active individual, is reduced to a mere corpse, highlighting the fragility and fleeting nature of human existence. The drowned sailor becomes a symbol of mortality and the ultimate fate that awaits all living beings.

Despite its brevity, Death by Water carries a significant weight within the thematic framework of The Waste Land. It serves as a moment of reflection on the destructive power of water and the inexorable force of death.

Water is a recurring motif in The Waste Land, often symbolizing both life and death. In Death by Water, water takes on a destructive aspect as it engulfs and ultimately claims Phlebas. This can be interpreted as a representation of the relentless and uncontrollable nature of mortality.

This section invites contemplation on the impermanence of life. The contrast between Phlebas's vibrant past and his lifeless present emphasizes the transitory nature of human existence, echoing the larger theme of decay and disillusionment found throughout the poem.

 

Section 5

What the Thunder Said

What the Thunder Said is the culminating section of The Waste Land. It opens with a series of fragmented and disjointed lines that seem to depict a chaotic and apocalyptic landscape.

The speaker describes a thunderstorm, and the thunder itself begins to speak in a cryptic language. As the thunder speaks, the text incorporates a variety of linguistic and cultural references, including Sanskrit, Latin, and biblical allusions. These references contribute to the complex and multilayered nature of the poem, inviting readers to engage with a diverse range of cultural and religious traditions.

The final lines of the poem express a sense of hope and renewal. The speaker suggests that out of the destruction and chaos, there is the potential for rebirth and transformation. The thunder's words are associated with a vision of a new world where life can flourish again.

The opening lines of What the Thunder Said evoke an apocalyptic imagery, portraying a world in chaos. The storm serves as a metaphor for the disintegration of society and the breakdown of traditional values.

Eliot incorporates a variety of cultural and linguistic references, including Sanskrit and Latin. This multicultural approach adds depth and complexity to the poem, emphasizing the global nature of the crisis depicted in the poem.

Despite the bleakness and despair presented in much of the poem, the concluding lines of What the Thunder Said offer a glimmer of hope. The suggestion of rebirth and renewal suggests that, out of the wreckage, there is the potential for a new beginning.

The poem concludes with a cyclical structure, suggesting that the world is caught in a perpetual cycle of destruction and renewal. This cyclical theme echoes the mythical and historical elements explored throughout the poem.