It is a common concept that T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ has little structure when regards to its content and fragments; however, this is far from the case. ‘The Waste Land’ can appear to be a distorted selection of voices, each with his or her own feels and emotions about life and what it is like for different people who are used as vessels to describe one mans point of view. However, it has often been described as a jumble of confused images, used to distort a view on life and the human condition.

‘The WasteLand’ follows several storylines during the progression of the poem and approaches poetry with a near algebraic attitude which is nearly impossible to solve. It is a conceivable idea to state that Eliot must have had a concept that he was trying to explore when he started writing ‘The Waste Land’, even if he never revealed it for the public knowledge. If ‘The Waste Land’ is approached with a systematic method of analysis then it is possible to read all sorts of over-arching harmonies and structures in the poem; however, there are several themes which run throughout with precise and well placed emphasis at several points throughout the poem.

Eliot uses different sets of imagery throughout ‘The Waste Land’ which all have interlinking themes and references. An example of this is the use of images to do with water; in ‘The Burial of the Dead’ it is seen with a negative aura, being something to fear[1]; however, later on in the poem, ‘The Fire Sermon’ also portrays a water scene between a man and a woman who drift down a river on a barge.  This scene is also portrayed in a negative way due to amounts of pollution in the river and surrounding area. Eliot states “Unreal city under the brown fog of a winter noon” and “The river sweats oil and tar”. These are not images of a typical romantic cruise but rather images of an unpleasant nature. In part five of ‘The Waste Land’ Eliot’s persona begs for water[2] only to answered by thunder uttering the basic sound of “Da”.

This aquatic cohesion shows that there is some harmony within ‘The Waste Land’ and, it is agreed by most critics of the poem, one of the two recurring themes throughout. However, like a lot of Eliot’s poetry, the themes are double edged. If the poem is taken as it is seen then water is seen as a life giving source to the literal waste land; however, once it is read into more deeply this harmonic relationship between water and life seems to be pulled apart bit by bit, allowing cracks to become larger gaps which, in turn, become horrific and vulgar images of death and destruction. This, it has been suggested, can be used to confuse the reader, meaning they misinterpret the use of water, believing that because it is used as a source of life in some parts of the poem and an accomplice of death in other parts that it is disjointed. This is not always the case at although the individual images suggest different things they are still under the umbrella term of ‘water’. This allows the poem to be interpreted in hundreds of different ways but to still have some cohesion. This can be explained with a pyramid analogy. If ‘The Waste Land’ (the first tier of the pyramid) can be divided into themes then it could be said that it encompasses religion, life, death, sex, family, friends, and elements. Each of these form the second tier of the pyramid. Then these can be divided. Water, for example, can be divided into something symbolic of death and something symbolic of life. These two options help for the third tier.

Depending on how deeply ‘The Waste Land’ is analysed depends on how easy it is to see coherences between the different parts and stanzas. If the third tier is analysed then it is possible to see water as two (or more) different things, however, if a step is taken back and the second tier is analysed then it is easier to see the poem as a whole and so it is easier to see harmony between certain sections.

Another example of this is when there are parts in ‘The Waste Land’ about God. The poem itself was written on the brink of Eliot’s conversion to Christianity in the early twentieth centaury. Eliot talks about God several times in the piece, although he refers to God in many names though out the poem. It has been made obvious by other critics that ‘Part V – What the Thunderer Said’ is about Eliot’s discovery of religion and search for the right belief for him. ‘Da’ has been said is a reference to the basic sound, suggested by Buddhists as Om[3], leading on to it being the base syllable for ‘Datta’, ‘Dayadhvam’ and ‘Damyatta’ – meaning compassion, giving and self control. These show religion in a very positive light – a light involving ethics and moral values which every person is meant to uphold. However, earlier on in the poem[4], Eliot screams ‘O Lord Thou pluckest me out/O Lord Thou pluckest’ which suggests suffering (as plucking is a negative verb to use in association with a human being) and an ascetic way of living life. If Eliot believed in hedonism then this could be seen as ironic although no one but Eliot himself can be sure of this.

This shows that, once again, Eliot uses a common theme before fragmenting it into a million little jigsaw pieces. If he gave us all the pieces in between the two images of God then it would be simple to place them together and state that he went through a transition whilst writing the poem, or indeed that God is what the poem is about. Alas, he does not do that. Instead he gives us the start of the story and the end but leaves the reader to decide about the climax of the story and the highlights amid the glimpses we are allowed to know about. An analogy for this is if Beethoven gave his audience the first ten bars and last ten bars of the Moonlight Sonata but decided everyone has to hum the middle bit – everyone would come up with different notes.

There are examples of this all the way through the poem, religion and water are not the only running themes (no pun intended). Eliot expresses views on sex, twisting his view between beauty and vulgarity[5] and supporting it with either love or duty. He also discusses the past, relationships and time – showing the difference between a positive and a negative but deciding on something in the middle. Eliot is presenting a black and white world, allowing the reader to fill in grey. However, like black and white are the two extreme shades of grey, the reader is given the extremes of a situation and needs to decide which medium to take.

Eliot explores one theme by making sure that the readers feel it as well, through his writing. He explores the inability to connect which appears throughout the poem as simple fragments of a sentence here or a line there. This is what gives ‘The Waste Land’ fragmentation and the other themes fill in the excess parts and pieces which surround them.

The conclusion which can be drawn form this is that even though ‘The Waste Land’ may seem like it is fragmented and a destroyed script, it is actually provides an umbrella of themes which act as guide. This provides cohesion for underlying themes, allowing enough space for the reader to decide what he/she wants to read into it.

The main conclusive point is that there is cohesion and harmony in ‘The Waste Land’ leaning over the fragments and acting as guides for the fragments. This makes the poem both complex and delightful to unfold.

[1] “With a shower of rain…and I was frightened”

[2] “If there were the sound of water only”

[3] Or Aum, depending on the sect.

[4] Part III – The Fire Sermon

[5] Part II – A Game of Chess