Introduction
The Waste Land is one of the major and defining works of the twentieth century. Composed by the poet of high merit, Thomas Stearns Eliot, The Waste Land appears before us as a social document of the darkness and disillusionment of the post-war generation and society. The poem shows the poet's disgust with the aftermaths of scientific achievements, weathering of the values of civilization as well as a practical solution to the problems of the post-war generation. But since we are proving The Waste Land as a social document, we shall focus on its portrayal of the concerned civilization.
Aftermath of War
The Waste Land was primarily written as an aftermath of the first major war of human calamity ever witnessed and waged by humans. The Waste Land literally signifies to the land of ruins after the war. Although the poem does not refer to the war directly, however, it is depicted through a metaphor of rats,
I think we are in rats’ alley
Where the dead men lost their bones.
Perhaps it really was a "rats' alley". During and after the war, the problems of Europe were increased considerably. The establishment of Communist Russia made many people leave after the war. They were scattered in different parts of Europe. They were utterly helpless. Even food was not given properly to them. The poem gives those people a considerable spotlight to those people so that their problems, as well as the bad consequences of the war, must be highlighted.
Love Gets Crippled through Lust
Another "feature" of the modern society depicted vividly in the poem is the passion of love being crippled through lust. Or the worst, temporal relationships based upon physical 'co-operation". This picture is painted through the narration of Tiresias when he or she described the loveless sex between the typist and a worker. This is not a healthy activity by any means as it is a blow of death on the development of true love which is characterized equally through physical as well as spiritual connection. This part of the poem basically tells us the deplorable condition of the people who were dazzled by the cruelty. They sought refuge in sex and sexual activities to calm themselves down from the bloody effects of war.
Loneliness
Another major documentation present in The Waste Land is loneliness felt in the crowds. This phenomenon is richly portrayed in the zombie-march scene in the first section of the poem in which a crowd is moving without the consciousness of themselves and their surroundings. This incident is of great significance as it hints directly at the dull loneliness faced by the people to this day. Keeping ourselves locked in the context of the poem, it becomes clear that war is also a major contributor behind the barren landscapes in the city. The war had vaporized trust among human beings when they witnessed humans killing humans. Therefore, the isolation of humanity within itself has become one of the core documenting points of the modern epic.
Conclusion
The Waste Land by Thomas Sterns Eliot aptly documents the sordid picture of the post-war modern civilization that abandoned social contact, principles of true love as well as universal compassion.
Sources and Suggested Readings
- A portion of this question was prepared by the material sent by Muhammad Wajahat Sultan
- https://www.englishliterature.info/2021/03/the-waste-land-post-war-generation.html
