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Talal Saleh Dheyab
Assist. Prof. Nabeel Mohammed Ali, PhD
Modern English Poetry
30th Sept. 2023
”Themes and Symbols in “The Waste Land
This short study tackles the main symbols in T. S. Eliot’s “The
Waste Land”. These symbols are used to formulate the themes of the
poem. “The Waste Land” starts with the first symbol, which is that of
Sibyl (62). The latter is a mythological illusion in which Sibyl requested
eternal life. She achieved her wish but she forgot to ask for eternal youth.
Then, she is cursed with eternal aging. She wants to die but she is unable
to achieve it. Sibyl could not choose the right wish. Thus, it reflects the
theme of life in death and death in life. Biological death is desirable to
escape from the pain, emptiness, and barrenness of the waste land, but it
is difficult to gain.
Another symbol, Madame Sosostris, is a fortune teller who uses
tarot cards to predict. The first card is about the drowned Phoenician
Sailor who is supposed to be an expert at sailing. Sosostris predicts the
future of the modern world. This prophecy echoes the theme of death by
water, which reflects the fear and anxiety of modern man. Another card,
the man with three staves, is a symbol, connected with the Fisher King.
The latter is a king in Arthurian legend. He was wounded and became
barren. As a result, his kingdom became wounded and sterile. For Eliot, if
the king is lost, the kingdom is lost. This reflects the theme of chaos in
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the modern world. The third card is blank, which could be a symbol of
the meaningless of this life, and there are no solutions to solve the
modern challenges (54).
Two more symbols are “the Wheel” and “a ring”. Both reflect that
time is cyclical in which there is monotony and routine. Such a cyclical
philosophy suggests no solutions or a way to escape from this waste land
(54). Another symbol, Philomel is the sister-in-law to King Tereus. She
was raped by him. He cut off her tongue and hands in order not to tell her
story. The message of Eliot is the inability of the modern man to tell his
story in this waste land (56). This is one of the main themes of modern
life. As a connected symbol, Sweeny stands for obscenity and
promiscuity. He is a character that Eliot uses in other works to deliver the
theme of moral decay in modern life (60).
“Unreal City” symbolizes London, which has become a city of
ghosts, materialism, disintegration, etc. London stands for the modern
world that lost its heritage and traditions (61). It is a polluted city which
has a river full of “oil” and “tar” (63). The last two words could
symbolize that the Thames is no longer used for navigation, and for
marine life, or even as a romantic place where lovers meet. Moreover,
“the human engine” is a symbol of a human heart that is emotionally
hollow (61). It became a machine in this world of materialism. Such a
theme became a common one in modern poetry.
Works Cited
Eliot, T. S. Collected Poems: 1909-1962.New York: Brace & World, Inc.
1963. Print.
