T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land: A Deep Dive

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot

1. Sections and Summaries

This poem comprises five sections:

• The Burial of the Dead

  Part I conveys a sense of apprehension and incomprehension among various characters in different situations. Madame Sosostris, a fortune-teller, adds to the confusion with enigmatic pronouncements that only gain clarity later in the poem. The city, particularly London, is depicted as a grim place inhabited by people unable to live fully or escape their deadness.

• A Game of Chess

  Part II presents two scenes showcasing the desolation of people's lives. The first depicts a richly decorated room where a wealthy lady's constant questions reveal her anxiety and lack of control. The second scene unfolds in a London pub, where two women discuss the rich woman's predicament.

• The Fire Sermon

  Part III explores the theme of sexual dissatisfaction. Eliot illustrates how human aspirations for a higher, more spiritual existence are perpetually thwarted by subservience to bodily appetites and self-centeredness.

• Death by Water

  Part IV describes a drowned merchant's decomposing body in the sea, symbolizing a life seemingly devoid of accomplishment.

• What the Thunder Said

  Part V begins with a depiction of Jesus's death and recounts a grueling desert journey to an empty chapel. The poem's final section hints at the arrival of rain, and the thunder's voice offers three pieces of advice: give, sympathize, and control.

2. Modernist Elements

The Waste Land is considered a modernist poem due to its use of techniques such as symbolism, natural imagery, thematic and structural indeterminacy, dramatic monologue, a break from traditional poetic perspective, and cubism.

3. Symbolism

• Broken images (line 22): Alludes to God's command to Ezekiel to break the idols erected by the Israelites to false gods.

• The Hanged Man (line 55): Represents death, referencing the tarot card.

• A Handful of Dust (line 30): Symbolizes fear and the biblical concept of man's body originating from and returning to dust.

4. Dramatic Devices

Eliot employs the dramatic monologue, featuring shifts in voice where a character may assume different identities, acting as both protagonist and spectator, human and mythical, judge and critic.

5. Cinematic Technique

This technique, used by modernist writers, enhances reader comprehension through layered and juxtaposed images, creating a sense of movement akin to film.