Assignment 106: T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: Anticlimax of Modern Life in a Claustrophobic World

T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: Anticlimax of Modern Life in a Claustrophobic World

* Table of contents:

• personal Information 
• Assignment Details
• Abstract
• Introduction 
• Postwar Disillusionment and Crisis of Modernism
• Analysis of the Five Sections
• Crises of Modern Life in the Poem
•  Eliot's Proposed Eastern Solution
• Conclusion
• Reference 

* Personal Information:

• Name: Maruniya Jay B
• Batch: M.A sem 2(2023-2025)
• Enrollment No: 5108230027
• Roll No: 13
• Email ID: maruniyajay2018@gmail.com

* Assignment Details:

• Topic: T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: Anticlimax of Modern Life in a Claustrophobic World
• Paper and subject code: 106( The Twentieth Century Literature : 1900 to World War 2)code: 22399
• Submitted To: smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavanagar 
• Date of submission:26-04-2024

Abstract:

The postwar disillusionment of the 1920s led many literary figures to voice out the predicament and moral dilemma that modern life faces. Of many poets of war, T.S. Eliot is a distinguished figure and a leading voice in picturing the crises of the time known as ‘age of worry’. His groundbreaking poem, The Waste Land (1922) appears like an earthquake and deconstructs the structure of modernism and everything it offered. It portrays a claustrophobic world where regeneration and hopefulness seem far-fetched. This ‘disease of the age’ becomes the core issue of the poem. Eliot follows the ‘mythical method’ in the poem and connects existing panoramic setbacks of modern life to antiquities. Thus, it implies a reproachful question on modernism. Exposing a picture of mundane wasteland that symbolically suggests the spiritual death of modern men, Eliot ties the malaise with the eternal human problem and looks East for a possible remedy.

Keywords: age of worry, claustrophobic world, postwar disillusionment, T.S. Eliot, The waste land

Introduction:  

T.S. Eliot's groundbreaking poem "The Waste Land" published in 1922 is widely regarded as one of the most influential works of modernist literature. The 434-line poem incorporates fragmented scenes, esoteric references to history, religion, mythology and other fields, reflecting Eliot's pioneering "mythical method." As the article states, "This poem is universally viewed as one of the influential works of modernist literature, and in this classic poem Eliot incorporates many isolated, esoteric references to history, religion, literature, mythology, and other schools of thoughts."

The publication of "The Waste Land" brought Eliot, one of the 20th century's preeminent literary figures, to wider acclaim. The article notes "Because of this comprehensiveness and all-inclusive tendency of Eliot, the 434-line poem became famous, and he as a poet received rave reviews and wider popularity." Eliot himself held the poem in high esteem, calling it "the most important expression which the present age has found" in its innovative blending of "contemporaneity and antiquity."

While modernist writers often celebrated the new era, Eliot's landmark poem exposed the disillusionment and spiritual crisis underlying modern life, especially in the aftermath of World War I's catastrophic impact. The Waste Land deconstructs modernism's promised paradise, depicting instead a barren "wasteland" symbolic of the modern human condition.

The Postwar Disillusionment and Crisis of Modernism:

• Impact of World War I:

World War I was a really big war that ended in 1918. It caused a lot of damage and sadness. About 20 million people died, and many more were hurt. The people who lived through this war, especially young men and women, felt very hopeless about the future. They saw terrible things during the war and lost faith in humanity. This group of people is called the "Lost Generation." They felt like the world was a bad place, and they didn't have much hope for the future. The world was changing very fast because of new technology and lots of people moving around because of war and other reasons. This made everything feel uncertain, and people didn't know what to believe in anymore.

• Modernism's Challenge to Traditional Assumptions: 

The postwar period saw the rise of modernist movements that accelerated the questioning and rejecting of long-held traditions and beliefs. Rapid technological advancements and social changes challenged the "traditional stabilities of society, religion, and culture" that had provided structure and meaning. Modernism with its re-evaluation of reality "profoundly challenged traditional ways of structuring and making sense of human experience." Stable assumptions about one's identity, community, humanity's place in the world, and even the divine were now open to doubt. This apocalyptic-feeling ushered in a kind of spiritual crisis, as the article suggests the materialistic modern lifestyles contributed to a "spiritual darkness."

• Eliot as a Voice Against Predicaments of the "Age of Worry": 

Amid this backdrop of postwar disillusionment and modernism's deconstructive forces, T.S. Eliot emerged as "a leading voice" confronting the predicaments of what he termed the "age of worry." His groundbreaking 1922 poem The Waste Land is identified as ushering in the modernist era in English poetry, while also dismantling modernism's promised utopia. The poem "deconstructs the structure of modernism and everything it offered," exposing the "disease of the age" and seeming "spiritual death of modern men." By connecting these modern agonies to ancient myths and the "eternal human problem," Eliot sounded a harsh critique of modernity's claims. As the article states, "Eliot expresses 'the worries' of modern times boldly, and makes a psychological journey of the human mind to find significant meaning in this mental experience and to integrate it into acts of human moral choice and vision."

Analysis of the Five Sections:

• "The Burial of the Dead":

In the opening section "The Burial of the Dead", Eliot establishes a tone of pessimism and suggests the burial of human consciousness and wisdom in modern society. The famous opening line "April is the cruellest month" stands in stark contrast to Chaucer's celebratory depiction of April, conveying a sense of disillusionment right from the start. The people are portrayed as being lost in ignorance, blindly relying on figures like the fortune-teller "Madame Sosostris". Ultimately, the section ends with the haunting image of a buried "corpse" in the garden, which symbolically represents the way human consciousness and wisdom have been buried and left to rot. As the article states, "Corpse here represents human wisdom that is no more visible. The consciousness does not see light because of ignorance and foolishness."

• "A Game of Chess":

The second section "A Game of Chess" lays bare the failure of human relationships and sexuality in the modern age. On one hand, we see an upper class woman plagued by neurotic issues, desperately questioning "What shall I do now? What shall I ever do?", unable to find purpose or happiness. On the other hand is the working class couple Lil and Albert, whose sexual relationship after Albert's return from war is depicted as utterly devoid of intimacy or love, merely a biological function. As the article summarizes, "Lil already has lost her charm, because she has had five children. Moreover, she takes pills to control birth, and this makes her weaker; consequently, she has lost her teeth and glow of face."

• "The Fire Sermon":

Entitled after a Buddhist sermon warning against the "fires of lust", this third section highlights the pervasiveness of lust and sin in modern society. Eliot shockingly depicts a scene of prostitutes or "nymphs" openly carrying out their trade on the River Thames at night. The river's current washes away all "testimony" of these sinful acts once morning comes, allowing the cycle to perpetually continue unabated. As the article puts it, "This section ends with the word, 'burning.' This one word line refers to the Buddhist sermon that gives the section its title, and which conveys the message that London is burning out of brutal sexual desire, so does the whole Europe."

• "Death by Water":

The briefest of the sections, "Death by Water" serves to remind that despite everything, death remains inescapable as the ultimate equalizer of the human condition. Eliot presents visceral imagery of a dead sailor's body being consumed by the sea currents, with the warning to "Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you." The article confirms, "This section finishes off warning the reader to "Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you." This suggests that whoever you are, famous or unknown, death will meet you unmistakably."

•  "What the Thunder Said":

In the last part of The Waste Land, Eliot offers hope and solutions to the problems he discusses earlier in the poem. He starts by mentioning Jesus but doesn't stick to Christianity. Instead, he looks to Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism for answers. He talks about the "Thunder" in a symbolic way, echoing three Sanskrit words from Hindu texts: "DA", "Datta", "Dayadhvam", and "Damyata". These words mean giving, sympathizing, and controlling desires. Eliot suggests that if we follow these teachings, we can overcome the modern problems in our lives. By being generous, understanding others, and managing our own desires, we might experience a spiritual renewal. The repeated word "Shantih" at the end means peace, hinting that finding inner peace is the main aim.

Crises of Modern Life in the Poem:

• Disillusionment and Unhappiness:

One of the central crises Eliot portrays in "The Waste Land" is a pervasive sense of disillusionment and inability to find happiness in modern life. The article highlights how in the poem's opening lines depicting crowds on London Bridge, the people exhibit a distinct unhappiness - "Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,/ And each man fixed his eyes before his feet." This overpowering disillusionment sets the tone, reflective of the postwar cynicism and loss of faith in humanity following the catastrophic losses of World War I that had shaken Eliot's generation to the core. As the article states, "For the generation of men and women who came across the horrible experience of the war and started living a new life after the war, it was not easy to start for them. Life seemed bleak, and many of these young men and women became highly disappointed and unpromising about their own futures and the sanctity of humanity."

• Moral/Social Corruption:

In addition to disillusionment, the poem exposes the underlying moral and social corruption that had taken hold in Eliot's view of modern society. In Section III "The Fire Sermon", he shockingly depicts a scene of open prostitution along the River Thames each summer night. The river's currents then wash away all "testimony of summer nights" like "empty bottles", allowing this immorality to continue unabated. The article confirms "Eliot suggests that London city is burning out of lust and desire." This imagery of London "burning" with desire symbolizes the broader spiritual decay and moral corruption Eliot saw infecting modern civilization.

• Sexual Disorders:

Closely tied to the moral failings, another crisis area Eliot zeroes in on is disordered human sexuality and the failure of intimate relationships. Section II "A Game of Chess" juxtaposes the sexual problems across social classes - an upper-class woman psychologically plagued with questions like "What shall I do now? What shall I ever do?", and the working-class wife Lil fearing her returning husband's physical needs after wartime separation. As summarized in the article, "Lil already has lost her charm, because she has had five children. Moreover, she takes pills to control birth, and this makes her weaker; consequently, she has lost her teeth and glow of face." These vignettes illustrate the sexual crises and inability for genuine intimacy.

•  Ignorance and Lack of Wisdom:

 Underpinning all these other afflictions is a fundamental ignorance and lack of wisdom pervading the modern era, according to Eliot's vision. The very first section ends with the haunting line about a buried "corpse" in the garden that represents human consciousness and wisdom itself lying dead and dormant. The article explains "Corpse here represents human wisdom that is no more visible. The consciousness does not see light because of ignorance and foolishness." Eliot also mocks the modern penchant for superstition, highlighting how people rely on figures like "Madame Sosostris" the fortune teller, considered "the wisest woman in Europe." This descent into ignorance forms the root cause of the other societal and spiritual failings proliferating.

Eliot's Proposed Eastern Solution:

• Turning to Hinduism:

After laying bare the myriad crises and desolation of the modern West, Eliot looks East for potential answers and spiritual renewal. As the article states, "Though it begins with Jesus, Eliot does not rely on Christianity to cure the crisis; rather he goes to Eastern Hinduism and Buddhism to attain a possible cure." Dissatisfied with the arid spiritual landscape of post-Christian Europe, Eliot turns to the ancient philosophies and religious traditions of India and the East in search of wisdom that could help salve modernity's afflictions.

• The Three Principles:

Specifically, Eliot incorporates a symbolic scene from Hindu scripture, the Upanishads, where "the "Thunder" replies with three 'DA'" when asked how to resolve the crisis. Each 'DA' represents a principle or ethos that Eliot proposes as a path forward. The first is "Datta" which "means 'to give'", advocating for charitable self-sacrifice and generosity toward others. The second is "Dayadhvam" meaning "to sympathize", calling for the cultivation of empathy and compassion. Finally, "Damyata" denotes "to control" - here urging control over selfish yearnings and cravings. As the article summarizes, "If these three pieces of advice can be followed, according to The Waste Land, we will be able to overcome the modern crises that have infected our life."

• Call for Spiritual Rebirth:

By embracing the trio of giving, sympathizing, and controlling one's impulses drawn from Hindu thought, Eliot implies that modern society can undergo a form of spiritual regeneration and rebirth. The final lines reinforce this, repeating the Sanskrit word "Shantih" three times, which "means 'peace' which is a formal ending to an Upanishad." In advocating for these Eastern spiritual principles as a remedy to the moral, psychological, and existential sicknesses he diagnosed, Eliot was issuing a call to completely reorient the spiritual priorities and ethical frameworks that had led the West to its current nadir. As the article puts it, "Eliot viewed West and its soul-shivering materialistic lifestyles as motionless that made it like a wasteland where regeneration and hope seem far-fetched." 

Conclusion: 

In conclusion, pioneering modernist poem "The Waste Land", T.S. Eliot delivers a searing indictment of modern civilization as a spiritual and moral wasteland beset by disillusionment, corruption, sexual disorder, and ignorance in the aftermath of World War I. However, Eliot's innovative synthesis of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions, proposing Hindu ideals of giving, sympathy, and self-restraint as a path to rebirth, positioned the poem as a direct challenge to modernism's hubristic promises. Nearly a century later, "The Waste Land" endures as a poetic compass warning against soulless pursuit of progress disconnected from spiritual foundations, while pointing humanity towards the possibility of renewal and wisdom. Eliot's masterwork remains profoundly relevant in its timeless depiction of modernity's crisis of meaning.

Resources:

Alam, Mohammed Sarwar, and Hayati Ismail. “Navigating Cultural Desolation: Exploring T.S. Eliot’s Depiction of Anxiety and Fragmentation in the Waste Land.” Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), MJSSH, msocialsciences.com/index.php/mjssh/article/view/2464. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024. 

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "The Waste Land". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Waste-Land. Accessed 23 April 2024.

Brazil, Kevin. “T.S. Eliot: Modernist Literature, Disciplines and the Systematic Pursuit of Knowledge.” Being Modern: The Cultural Impact of Science in the Early Twentieth Century, edited by Robert Bud et al., UCL Press, 2018, pp. 77–92. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv550d3p.10. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Menand, Louis. “T. S. Eliot and Modernity.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 69, no. 4, 1996, pp. 554–79. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/366554. Accessed 23Apr. 2024.

Sufian, Abu. “T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: Anticlimax of Modern Life in a Claustrophobic World.” Galaxy Journal, Galaxy Journal , 1 Jan. 2014, www.academia.edu/8140988/T_S_Eliot_s_The_Waste_Land_Anticlimax_of_Modern_Life_in_a_Claustrophobic_World. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.