What are the symbols used by the poet in “The Waste Land?”

Answer

 What are the symbols used by the poet in “The Waste Land?” [NU: 2018]

A symbol in literature is a word, image, or object that stands for a deeper meaning. Writers use symbols to express big ideas in a simple way. T.S. Eliot’s (1888–1965) poem “The Waste Land” (1922) is a famous modern poem. It shows the sadness and hopeless life of people after World War I. Eliot uses many symbols to explain the broken life, lost culture, and search for new faith. Below are the main symbols in the poem with short notes.

The Waste Land: The title itself is a symbol. It shows a spiritual and symbolic land that is dry, dead, and hopeless. It means modern life after the war. People have no unity, no meaning, and no spirit. The land is like the people: broken and tired. Eliot shows this with many dry and dead images in the poem. The first section of this poem describes, 

“A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,

And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief.”

Water: Water is used again and again. Sometimes it brings fear, sometimes it gives hope. In some lines, water means death by drowning. In other words, it means new life and rain. A perfect quotation to support this point is:

“Here is no water but only rock,

Rock and no water and the sandy road.”

This shows the fear of dryness and death without water, while in other parts of the poem, water brings hope of renewal.

The Fisher King: The Fisher King is an old legend. He is a sick king, and his land is also ill. Because he is weak, his land becomes dry and empty. Eliot uses this symbol to show modern people. They have lost their power and their connection with the spirit. Like the Fisher King, the world becomes barren and hopeless. The king’s wound is like the wound of society.

The Tarot: