Review on The Waste Land by T.S.Eliot

                  Literature please us, but it is not always necessary, sometimes it hammer, and sometimes even hurt. ‘The Wasteland’ is very popular poem by T.S.Eliot. It was most appreciated as well as criticized work early decades or 20th century. Critics have criticized the poem and even poet also. Other contemporary thinker of him like Nietzsche who confessed in his work that “God is dead” he given importance to human being, for him a man with his will power can do anything and that is the spirit which must be cultivated to fight against the present problems and malice of present world, what really need is to cultivate the spirit of superhuman, this concept also given by Shri Aurobindo.

Critics have criticized Eliot as backward looking and regressive compared to other thinkers like Nietzsche and Freud.

                    Eliot has used very vast numbers of myth that are found in myths of various cultures from Greek, French, Indian, Christen and many other by recalling those of historical myths Eliot created canvas with different images. He was unhappy with the present world in which he was living. He used myth in positive way to show negativity- decayed condition of his own culture. Whereas myths are deconstructed is negative use of myth.

Here Eliot used myths from history to get answer of the present problems. In which he used various myths like Tristen and Isolde, Tierasias, Appollo, Fisher King, Sybil, Phelomel, by all these he wants to convey that spiritual, moral and cultural degradation is not new phenomenon it was there and it repeats time to time. And every time when the spirituality is restored the problem will be solved.

                        The remark made by Gustaf Hell of Swedish academy has its own importance in reading Waste Land from the psychological approach. Generally we know that Eliot has opposite opinion to that of the psychologist.

“For Freud the most profound cause of confusion lie in the unbehagen (discomfort, un easiness) in der culture of modern man in his opinion there must be sought a collective and individual balance which should constantly take into account man’s primitive instincts”

The second comment “you  Mr. Eliot are of the opposite opinion for you salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural condition, which in our mature years lives with the greater vigour within us than does primitiveness, and which we must preserve if chaos to be avoided”

Both the comments are based on psychology, whereas he believed in culture and its preservation, repression of desires, which he thinks will help to preserve our culture and this and only this will lead us towards human salvation.

Whereas Freud and psychology believed in natural instincts, all the suppressed desires in our unconscious mind should be given either free vent to let out or should be displacement. Otherwise those repressed desires will lead to neurotic. What Freud said that to give free vent to primitive instincts is not always possible, when we are living in human society the free vent can only lead to chaos in society. It is good for individual but not for society.

The second comment which I believe very near to previous one but it supports Eliot’s view. One difference in this comment is “the salvation of man lies in the preservation of the culture condition”.. and we must preserve if chaos to be avoided”. Here Gustaf supports Eliot, and if we believe preserve as-to repress our desires and primitive instincts, this is the way through which we can live with harmony in society. And I think that is why he is given Nobel prize than any other. Thus I’m agree with T S Eliot’s view.

                     As we know that Eliot has made use of many myth from different culture and with that he also tries to use and connect different religious thoughts to get the answer and solutions for contemporary Europe’s malice and decaying morality, dying culture, and sexual perversion.

In the third part of the poem he referred to Zen Buddhist philosophy- especially- fire sermon given by Buddha- which is known as fire sermon

                                Burning, burning, burning,

                                O lord thou pluckest me out

                                O lord thou pluckest burning

Other allusions could be found in the fifth part of the poem ‘what the thunder said’ he referred Himvant, then Ganga and in the last two lines of the poem he referred to allusions from Brihdaranyaka Upanishad da…da..da..

"Datta :- be a giver, ready to sacrifice

Dayadhvam:- compassion- sympathy- empathize

Damyata:- control over senses..

     shantih shantih shantih"

                 Eliot was well known with Indian philosophy and he was also interested in it. The poem as we know is a quest of poem to find the best solution, and restore spirituality in man which he has lost. And as a answer of his quest ends in Indian Philosophy-Upanishadic. In which the perfect way of living life is given, which he accept as remedy of the decaying Europe from every corner. We have great philosophy and most apt principles to live life in better way, but it is our misfortune that we rarely recognize or put in practice to our day to day life.