Why is Water So Prevalent in The Wasteland - Essay Example

Why is Water so prevalent in The Wasteland Written at a time when the world had just emerged from a bloody war, and was reeling from its revelations of human cruelty and indifference, The Wasteland reflects the angst and self examination of that era. It is perhaps, modern poetry's most complex work and exceedingly probing, looking deep into humanity's soul and disillusioned by what it sees there. The Wasteland speaks through many voices, through a diversity of people and in its variety of speakers it seems to suggest that it is a metaphor for the collective human soul. It also reflects many faces of society, looking as it does at such a variety of people. Is Eliot speaking of the human soul as a wasteland In this paper I will try to address this question, and thereby also explain why the concept of water is so prevalent in the poem; if one interpretation of the poem is that he is trying to show humanity and its spiritual beliefs have become a wasteland, that it has lost its spirituality, its connection to the divine, then we can look at water as a metaphor for that spirituality and thus the lack of water throughout the poem assumes a greater significance. In terms of religion and spirituality, water has been given an extremely important status, and has been used to denote many things. Broadly speaking, water has been used to represent four major concepts - life, purity, power and death or punishment (Broome, The Bible). Eliot appears to have interwoven all these meanings into his use of water, which seems to imply that he is speaking of humankind's loss of its humanity and its connection to God. To examine the question of how and why water is used so liberally in the poem, I will take each concept and examine it with respect to the poem. Firstly, we deal with Water as life or the bearer of life. This is an aspect that has not only religious significance - being mentioned in the Bible and the Koran- but is also a scientific fact. However in terms of spirituality water has been used to show life. References to water and God's power, and life of the spirit are abundant. For example in the Book of Revelations, it says "...I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely" (Revelations 21:6) Also the longing for spiritual closeness to God has been compared to a longing for water: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."- Psalm 42:1. Scientifically too, water has been predicted to be the bearer of life; theories on the evolution of life generally agree that life arose from the thick soupy oceans in which the world was covered. Water itself is necessary for the propagation of life. Eliot would also have been aware of these theories as the period in which he lived was one ripe for science. His deep study of religion (Bush) is reflected in the references to the Bible and Hindu texts scattered throughout the poem. Within the very first part of the poem itself, the reference to water as a life-giver becomes evident: ".stirring dull roots with spring rain" and again from the lines of verse beginning at line 19 the landscape is described as dry, and therefore, dead and forbidding : A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, And the dry stone no sound of water. Only There is shadow under this red rock, The lack of water is striking. There appears to be no water, no relief from the burning heat. Perhaps this is a reference to the lack of spiritual strength, the fact that there is no spiritual life as opposed to physical life. If we look at the Wasteland as a metaphor for the soul, then this interpretation is valid. This appears to be borne out later too, as Madame Sostrosis predicts the future from a pack of Tarot cards - "Fear death by water." She says. This could be a punishment for lack of belief, as water has often been used to bring punishment and the wrath of God. For example, the Great Flood in which Noah escaped in his Ark, was a punishment from God. Alternatively, it could also mean that the soul or society has so lost its faith, its ability to love, to trust, to comprehend the truth, that it is drowned by the water of life; the water of life has become a poison for it, rather like a vampire which cannot bear the very sunlight which represents life and happiness for normal men. Given Eliot's deep understanding of religion, the references to this aspect of water do not seem to be an accident. Water also bears with it the meaning of purity, used as it is to cleanse and wash. This aspect is especially clear in Christianity, of which Eliot was a follower. Baptism, the very first ritual in Christianity, is a symbolic washing away of sins: "And now why tarriest thou Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord"- Acts 22:16 Also in John, 13:2-4, the tale is told of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples as an act of love for them. In this context the ditty telling of Mrs. Porter and her daughter washing their feet in soda water, takes on a very different aspect. In light of this, the cheerful little anecdote suddenly appears to be a mockery of a very famous act of humility, love and cleansing. It appears to be a comment on the way he perceived society to be mocking and debasing purity: the use of soda water to wash feet could be a jab at the way society corrupts even pure and wonderful things. It seems therefore to be another indicator of Eliot's loss of love towards life and society. Also, in The Fire Sermon, he speaks of the Thames : "The river bears no empty bottles, sandwich papers, Silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes.." speaking of water in its pure, natural form, unpolluted by humanity's rubbish, the physical form of the refuse also hinting at the rubbish of its spirit; the careless, callous nature of humans who think nothing of leaving the rubbish behind. Though the rubbish here is small, it also may represent the rubbish of ideas and the spiritual pollution that humanity is leaving in its wake for the ones who follow after us; future generations. Water has also been used to show power in Christianity. The best-known example of this is Moses parting the Red Sea for his people. Parting the water could stand for a control of the soul. Another equally famous example is Jesus calming the storm and then walking over the surface of the water. All these miracles involve controlling and calming a mighty power; water. But also perhaps another metaphor for the soul - after all, when Peter fails to believe and therefore cannot walk the waters, he is admonished by Jesus saying "o ye of little faith", implying that it is faith and spirit that controls power. Perhaps it is the power of the soul that is controlled and directed, towards good or evil, or the strength of the soul that controls destinies. In the part What The Thunder Said, Damyata (control) said "The boat responded /gaily to the hand expert with sail and oar,/ The sea was calm, your heart would have responded,/ gaily, when invited, beating obedient /to controlling hands". The theme of controlling a powerful force comes here, through the use of water, the sea and the boat. Death or punishment by water is also a theme in Christianity. In the Bible, the most well known use of water as punishment from God is the Great Flood, from which only Naoh and his family escaped. And in that story too, one can relate it to water being used to purify the land of evil men. However it appears to be sparingly used in the poem. The fourth part of the poem, Death by Water, does not appear to carry a very punitive meaning. The death of Phlebas seems peaceful and calming, in its tone. In fact, it appears to be a release; he no longer feels the pull of "profit and loss". He has left the world and its attractions behind and his dead body is at peace. The water here appears to have released him from the mad wheel of life. This fits in with the idea of water being used here as a symbol of spiritual strength, as the pull of the water (the intensity of spiritual wellbeing) would turn the soul away from the madness of life and its horrors and bring him peace. The only place where it might be a reference to punishment is when Madame Sosostris says to fear death by water. However, we could also look at it as meaning that the water has purified him of all his worldly ills and worries, purged the pettiness from his soul and released him, thereby rendering this particular usage of the symbol of water as a purifying, cleansing one. The idea that the lack of water represents a spiritual drought is also forcefully used in the fifth part of the poem "What the Thunder Said". From lines 331 to 358, the landscape is described as barren and dry, and there is the pleading refrain, "If only there were water" which punctuates his search. The thunder is described as sterile as it brings no life-giving rain with it. However the poet notes after much searching "but there is no water" and there is a tone of hopelessness in it, which not only reflects the physical anguish of the drought but could also be the poets own despondency at the state of the spirit. The search for water is also therefore the search for faith, for strength. "If only there were some solace in this life" the words seem to say. The religious undertones here are more noticeable when one reads the following lines, which makes reference to the falling towers of Jerusalem, Athens and Alexandria, cities that were strongholds of their respective faiths for Jews, Christians, and Greeks and from which came men of wisdom and faith. Their fall could also depict the crumbling of faith in modern society as they lost the faith that kept their temples and wisdom alive. In further elaboration he describes empty chapels, and dry cisterns and wells, connecting the idea of religious faith, spirituality and water. The emptiness of the chapels resonates with the dryness of the wells. The loss of faith is therefore inextricably bound up with the concept of dryness, again reiterating the idea of water as the bringer of life, the life of the soul. An abundance of water represents the richness of the soul. Simply, Eliot seems to be speaking of the collective human soul as a waste land. That is, the soul as represented by the morals, the behaviour and actions of humanity in those times. As they had just ended a bloody and immense war, the likes of which the world had never seen before, and which took a huge spiritual toll on men, this seems extremely likely. Two interpretations to the "wasteland" are possible. One is the idea of a land droughted and dry, with no spiritual growth. The other is the idea of a land flooded by destructive waters and laid waste by the corrupted poisoned flood waters. From all indications in the poem, it is the former interpretation which is the most obvious. However, the second meaning underlies the poem as well. It is not at all obvious as there are no references to a flooded land anywhere. However, when we look at the inclusion of the story from the Upanishads, (What the thunder said), this seems to be as valid. The words Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata mean "Give, Be compassionate, Be self-controlled". Eliot seems to be exhorting us to remember the humanity that sets us apart from animals. He seems to be holding out the hope that humanity can still extricate itself from the poisoned floods of selfishness and superficiality that it has drowned in. Give. Give yourself, your time, your faith, your love. Be compassionate. Another reminder of the words of Christ lie there. Be self controlled. The mention of control also brings to mind the use of water as a metaphor for control and power. It is clear that he considers religious death as one of the major causes of the rot in the human spirit when he says : "He who was living is now dead We who were living are now dying" It seems to be a reference to Christ (annotated notes, http://members.chello.nl/a.vanarum8/EliotProject/Waste_notes/Waste_A.htm_). Indeed there are many Biblical references, including "Son of man" , a phrase from the book of Ezekiel, a title that Christ used for himself. This reference to Christ, seems to portray him and his teachings as dead in the hearts of men, where he once was revered, and as a result man himself is now dying spiritually. This theme is quite consistent throughout the poem. Even though many people speak and different stories are told, there is a common thread of hopelessness, despair, moral degradation and superficiality in their stories that underline the poem. For example, the story of Philomel's rape is brought in, showing the brutality and violence that has dogged man from ancient times. Then there is the story of Lil and Albert, her husband who impregnates her callously and yet will look for other women if he is not satisfied with her, with no thought for faithfulness, or the feelings of his wife. Lil herself has had an abortion after she nearly died with her last child. It is a common and ugly little tale which seems to be a sign of society's loss of respect and love for life and each other. Then there is the typist who sleeps with her young suitor, even though she really has no wish to and says "Well now that's done and I'm glad it's over". There is no love, or tenderness in the act, and though a small, even petty, incident is reflective of the lack of feeling in mankind itself. These two incidents are more symptomatic of modern life, unlike the rape. Therefore he stresses: "Give, Be compassionate, be controlled." All these stories show human folly and its small uglinesses which are perhaps what he sees as symptomatic of a greater spiritual rot. Water therefore, gathers more significance as a life giver and a purifier for the soul. However Eliot's disillusionment with life and society does not seem to be one completely devoid of hope, that is to say, it does not appear that he thinks the spiritual rot in society is totally irreversible. His use of the words from the Upanishad : Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata, can also be interpreted as an exhortation for people to turn their lives around. It is a simple message but also a powerful dictum. Its inclusion in the poem can be interpreted as a reminder of the things that make us human and connect us to the divine; the generosity of spirit, the control of our desires, and compassion towards others. It seems to be no accident that he chooses these words, echoed by Christ ("Love thy neighbour as thyself" is his commandment and he told a rich man to give up all his worldly goods if he wanted to follow Christ). By bringing in the same teachings in two different religions seem to suggest that Eliot is making a statement on the universality of the divine spirit. Water therefore seems to be the unifying thread to the various facets of spirituality. The one symbol carries many different interpretations, and is used to represent varied things with equal strength. Perhaps this very multi-faceted feature is why Eliot chose to use it so liberally; it can be twisted to suit many purposes without losing any of its meaning. Though all four connotations: power, purity, death and life are used in the poem, the predominant representation of water here seems to be that of life-giver and purifier. Life, meaning the life of the spirit, more than that of the body. The lack of water throughout the poem therefore is the lack of spirituality, the loss of faith and the essence of humanity. It is a sterile world without water, and a barren soul without faith and purity of thought and action. The multitude of voices throughout the poem would suggest that this is not a purely personal loss or lack that he speaks of but a broader one, encompassing the whole of his society. As mentioned earlier, the poem was written and published soon after the end of World War I. It was the first war of such massive proportions and took place at a time when scientific invention allowed the use of newer and deadlier forms of warfare, thus introducing massive casualties and cruelty. Also society was beginning to break away from the traditional norms and upbringing of the past - for example the single young typist living alone with her sexual freedom in the poem would never have been allowed in a decent middle class family earlier. Also, the sexual unfaithfulness displayed by Albert and the open reference to abortion would have been quite a common occurrence in the period. All this would have had a profound influence on the poet. The physical drought in the poem is representative of a larger spiritual drought. The spirit deprived of the purity and the faith which nourishes it, waits longingly for rain, pleads for it. There are indications of it not being a vain waiting though; the lines from 385 to 394, where the empty chapel waits, "only the wind's home" - no human inhabits it, is suddenly visited by a gust of rain; a hope perhaps the soul may yet be refreshed by the water it desperately needs to grow and flourish. REFERENCES 1. The Holy Bible (King James Version) 2. Fiona Broome http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/spiritual_philosophy/117769 3. Ronald Bush http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/life.htm 4. http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/eliot01.html 5. http://members.chello.nl/a.vanarum8/EliotProject/Waste_notes/Waste_A.htm 6. Swami Krishnananda; The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Chapter 5,http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/brdup/brhad_V-02.html Read More