The Waste Land as a representation of modern world, is the most suggestive and discussed poem of T.S. Eliot. The poem illustrates the complexity and machine-like activity of modern man in comparison to the glorious past of spiritual and moral highness. The theme of the poem is the disillusionment of the post-war generation.
T.S. Eliot
We know that after the industrial revolution, people started to get apart from each other and move towards a materialistic world. However, the scenario got worse post world war where lots of youth lost the direction of their life. We even get its instance in The Sun Also Rises, where they do not care about anything and just does things to pass their time – drinking and getting into sexual relationships without any true emotion. In The Waste Land, we find the typist girl who leads a mechanical sex relation with her lover with no passion or emotion related to it. Sex is something which should come out of love and not just for need. Furthermore, she even feels relaxed the moment her lover leaves, signifying how meaningless and lifeless relationships have become to the modern people.
She thinks; “Well now that’s done; and I’ am glad it’over”.
Alas! How alienated modern people are who enjoys the alienated moment, aiding The Waste Land as a representation of modern world.
Humanity turned to dust
People have become so self centered that they even forgot to value sacred things. Faith and faithfulness has turned to dust.
The Thames river which was so pure at a time, has been degraded by people with loiters where even nymphs are not to be found. Due to more and more inventions, it drew people far from faith and religion as well. The chapels are empty now.
Along with that people have turned so heartless that human suffering doesn’t seem to fall in their eyes. Like how the Nightangle’s lament doesn’t come to our “dirty ears“. Just how we do in times of trouble, instead of helping we are busy merely captivating the incident’s picture!
The society has persuaded Mrs. Porter and her daughters to choose a life of a whore. Eliot very well observed that the past glory of man has flown away. The way people are living now, disappointed him.
“He who was living is now dead
We who were living are now dying
With a little patience
Here is no water but only rock”
Symbols in The Waste Land
Water is the symbol of belief and guidance which has been left out. Thus, leading a life without spiritual and psychological awakening. Now people only can see his own shadow, just thinking about self and nothing else. The condition of the modern world has so broken and devastated that humans die before their death. The world is not meant to be like this; so it further emphasis The Waste Land as a representation of modern world. The world should rather be a place of shantih (peace). It can be established by being datta, dayadhvam, damyata.
Nevertheless, The Waste Land is filled with instances of what the modern world has turned into. Deteriorating with each passing day. Eliot finds the absence of spiritual awakening in modern people and expresses the devastating state of men and the harshness of reality and calls upon them under the red rock for guidance.
Like summer which dries things up, the dryness of the environment symbolizes the harshness of modern life. Even being in a crowd, people remain confused and alienated. They only think about themselves, careless of nature and mankind, making The Waste Land a true representation of the modern world.