The reflection of the Modern Age in The Waste Land

Topic: The reflection of the Modern Age in The Waste Land.

Name: Baraiya Sonal Rameshbhai

Class: M.A. Sem-3

Paper No.: 9- The Modern Literature

Submitted to: Smt. S.B.Gardi, Mkbu,

                          Department of English


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Introduction:

‘‘The Waste Land’’ written by T.S. Eliot. Eliot is very well-known writer.  For the Waste Land he got award. Sometimes his poem the waste land put into the category of Modern Epic Poem. It is divided into five parts.

The literary features of the age:

1. The breaking down of established values:

The Modern Age is extremely different from all the ages. One of the reasons is that this age is breaking down of established values. It is not followed the values which were created. Established values like spiritual, religion and social. Not only these but modern literature are not followed the rules which were given before. Instead of that they tried to breaking down old values and create something new.

For example - ''The Waste land'', in which T.S.Eliot breaking the rules of poetry. There rarely find out figure of speech. People were not interested in the religion and social rules and regulations. That's the reason of spiritual degradation, sexual perversion, and fragmented relationships in human beings.

2. Variety of technical experiment:

This age produced revolutionary developments. All the writers do experiment with the form. They don't like to follow the tradition. They are always in the search of new values and for a new vital tradition was the desire for new forms and methods of presentation.

T.S.Eliot one of that. He also experiment with the form of poetry. And put new form of poetry in front of readers. He tried to collect everything and organized in one composed. So, it's just like fragmented poem. One of the reasons was that modern people were interested in ''NEW'' things. That's why their writers lead towards such things.

3. The impact of the two world wars:

The impact of the world wars had a devastating influence on the mind of the people. They were very disturbed externally and internally also. People were come into ''depression''. They mentally and physically tired. Due to world wars their relationship also breaking down. They loss their faith in human beings.

In ''The Waste land'' - the second part ''A Game of Chess'' also find out the impact of wars.

For example-

   Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart.

   He'll want to know what you done with that money ha gave you

   To get yourself some teeth. H did, i was there.

   You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set,

   He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you.

   And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert,

   He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time,

   And if you don't give it him, there's others will, i said.

The discussion between two women.  And the discussion about Lil's husband who is ''coming back'' from the war. The most important is their discussion which is highly suggested the impact of war on the mind of the people. In their discussion we should find out various things like broken relationships, unfaithful and sexual tribulations. They try to cheat each other. They constantly in depression. Both are mentally disturbed. They are having multiple tensions in their life.

4. Anxiety and interrogation:

It is called the age of anxiety and interrogation. Industrial revolution happened at that time. New inventions came into the life of modern people which was turn people into machine. They were not considered as a ''human being'' rather as a ''human engine''.

   ''The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,

     The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,

    From satin cases poured in rich profusion.

   In vials of ivory and colored glass

unstopped, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes,

unguent, powdered, or liquid--troubled, confused

and

   The sound of horns and motors, which shall bring

   Sweeney to Mrs. Poter in the spring.

  They wash their feet in soda water

and

  At the violet hour, when the eyes and back

turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits

   Like a taxi throbbing waiting,

and

The time is now propitious, as he guesses,

 The meal is ended, she is bored and tired, 

These lines suggested the mechanical and artificial life of modern people. And these two things lead human being into anxiety, frustration and depression. People loss their faith. People have doubt on each other. In between the interrogation take place.

For example -

''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.''

and

''Do you know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember nothing?''

Through these lines we came to know the broken relationship. Relationships just like broken words. People were not interested in each other. Even they don't like to speak with each other. They remain busy in their individual life. They haven't time to spend with each other. They have doubt but don't try to remove the gap.

5. Psychology and Literature:

The modern literature highly influence by new psychological researches. Freud put great emphasis on the power of the unconscious to affect conduct. Intellectual convictions appeared to be rationalizations of emotional needs. The modern age may be rational view of sex rational view of sex rationalization in sexual behavior. All modern people were mentally disturbed. Their problem can be solved only through psychological researches. And one reason of that was sexual perversion. This new theory of psychology and sex gave us the ‘‘stream of consciousness’’.

In ‘‘The Waste Land’’, we all are in the mind of Tiresias. Tiresias having both experiences of man and woman. So, Tiresias explains the psychology and sex of the modern people through various mythical examples such as:

  Tristan and Isolde, myth of Philomela, myth of Fisher king, etc.

All are the examples of sexual degradation and spiritual draught. Each characters should read in psychological way. They are alive or not is question.

‘‘Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?’’

At this mental level they reach that one cannot guess even that they are alive or not.

6. International character of literature:

In the Victorian era things were surrounded only with England. Later on in the twentieth century literature has variety of subjects, international characters.

For example -

Waste Land covered with variety of subjects and international characters. It is not merely christian poem instead of that it is spiritual poem. Because it is covered with variety of spiritual aspects. For example – Spiritual aspects of India.

  The instruction for salvation of Prajapati, give alms, be compassionate, be controlled, and ends three times repeating the Hindu word ‘‘Shantih’’, which Eliot states in his notes signifies ‘‘the pease which passeth understanding’’.

International characters in ‘‘the waste land’’ are:

1.       The Cumaean Sibyl – Roman

2.       Roman Soldiers

3.       Ezra Pound – American poet

4.       Cleopatra – Egyptian Queen

5.       Prajapati – Indian God

6.       The prince of Aquitaine is a character in a poem by Gerard de Nerval, an early nineteenth century French poet, etc.

7. Impact of socio-economic conditions on literature:

The literature of the twentieth century has been greatly influenced by economic and social changes. Marxism was the most powerful influence on literature. Various manifestations of socialism came into existence and influenced the authors.

In ‘‘The Waste Land’’ the second part – ‘A Game of Chess’ and third part – ‘The Fire Sermon’ highly talked about socio-economic conditions. Second part open on a scene of frustrated sensuality inside a luxurious but claustrophobic salon. She is economically and socially well but mentally very depressed. So,

               ‘‘What is the usage of that wealth if it’s not gave the mental relief?’’

‘‘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.’’

‘‘Do you know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember nothing?’’

‘‘The sound of horns and motors,

At the violet hour, when the eyes and back

Turn upward from the dark, when the human engine waits

Like a taxi throbbing waiting.’’

These all are the examples of social decay. It’s represents the mechanical life of human being as a human engine. These all things leads towards eroticism of the person. Social decay also find out in the life of Clerk and typist. Like the machines they have become, their intercourse is mechanical. The life of Clerk and Typist, was the life of people of England.

The broken or half broken communication represent their broken relationship. Their artificial look and behavior. All the matters leads towards deep frustration and depression. They are mentally ill. That’s why we find out the decay in their life. Particular goes with general. So, the decay we find out individually to generally.

8. Fragmented and non-linear:

Is it true that because of the people land became fragmented?

Or

Is it true that because of the land people became like that?

At the beginning of the poem question is asked that

1.      ‘‘What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow out of this stony rubbish?’’

This is the central question of the Waste Land. The roots and branches connected with land. And land symbolically used as a stony rubbish. Whereas branches and roots used as a people’s lives and tradition/culture.

Branches and roots are connected with land. But land itself is stony rubbish. So, How can ‘‘branches grows’’ if ‘‘roots’’ cannot ‘‘clutch’’ because the soil is ‘‘stony rubbish’’? How can people live well if culture is broken, barsh, and cannot support them? Or, just as troubling, what sort of ‘‘branches’’ can ‘‘grow’’ in a barren culture? How can there be a civilization worthy of mankind and how can mankind itself be whole, wholesome, and create a worthy culture, if the environment in which it grows undermines life rather than nurtures it? The branches that do grow, what sort of branches can they be? The lives that are lived, what kind of lives can they be?

So, all the questions leads towards one thing is that the land itself became barren or fragmented that’s why the life of people are in fragmentation.

But the thing is that ‘‘How can rootlessness or unrootedness be repaired?’’ Eliot gave the answer of this question that if people wants to remove this fragmentation, darkness and decay, they must have Son of Man.

2.      How far people are responsible for Waste Land?

The land is cursed because people killed Son of Man and hanged him. So, it’s cursed on the land. People are not happy. Darkness, decay, fragmentation and death are because of that cursed.

‘‘A rat crept softly through the vegetation

Dragging its slimy belly on the bank

While I was fishing in the dull canal

 On a winter evening round behind the gas house

Musing upon the king my brother’s wreck

And on the king my father’s death before him.’’

Second thing is about Fisher king. Fisher king was responsible for the barrenness of the land.

In short we cannot say that definitely that whether people are or land itself is responsible for wasteland. Because both are interwoven. Both are responsible for each other.

Some other examples of fragmentation and non-linear also find out in the poem. The waste land itself, a fragment open to interpretation. The waste land seems to lack coherence because of its fragmentation. All the images are broken, not well organized that’s why it’s look like fragmented images/poem.

‘‘Goodnight Bill. Goodnight Lou. Goodnight May. Goodnight.

Ta ta Goodnight. Goodnight.

Goodnight, Ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night.’’

‘‘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.’’

These lines not goes into linear way rather these are remain uncompleted, abstract or in fragment way. These lines indicates the life of modern people. They think in a fragment way. They speak in a fragment way. They lived life in a fragment way. This is the reason of fragmentation of culture which is leads towards despair, nothingness, and hopelessness.

Conclusion:

In short the waste land at every angle reflected as a modern poem. Poem is feather on the hat of modern literature and also of modern people. But the poem has its own pros and cons. Pros in the sense it is gave the direction to the people. And cons in the sense that poem first announced as a depersonalizing of the poet but later on the secret was revealed that poem is totally depends on poet’s own experiences. Poet and his personal life fully reflected in the poem. Though it’s not the life of only T.S.Eliot instead of that it is reflected all the life of modern people.

work cited:

Bloom, Harold. "Bloom's Literary Criticism." Bioom's guide T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land. Ed. Harlod Bloom. New York, 2007. 26.

 

Nayar, Pramod K. "A Short History of English Literature." 2009. 314.