The Contrast of Life and Death in the Wasteland Essay Example

T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland creates the ultimate paradox. In a poem of wastefulness, lifelessness, and decay, the appearance of life is highly visible. The title unifies the five parts of the poem and does nothing to disguise its purpose—to criticize an industrialized society. Eliot contrasts decay with the constant appearance of water. “But sound of water over a rock/Where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees/Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop.” His use of sound and imagery work together to create a chaotic atmosphere. Water will save these people if they can only obtain it. It is everywhere, but it is always out of reach. The Wasteland would be less powerful had Eliot only focused on the negative aspects of a society. By intercepting signs of life, we see a greater contrast. He also uses dialogue as a means of transmitting his voice into the voices of the characters. Water is typically seen as a sign of life. In the Bible, for example, we see constant references to water as a form of cleansing or renewal. Life on Earth could not survive without it. Throughout the poem, a society’s need for cleansing becomes evident, and we question whether rain finally comes at the end. He uses dialogue as a means of transmitting his voice into the voices of the characters. What’s important is the fact that the characters he presents are waiting for it. If they were not aware of the presence of water, we might think that there is no hope for them. Instead, they thrive for it. They seek for the water that is not available. “But red sullen faces sneer and snarl/From doors of mudcracked houses/If there were water/And no rock/If there were rock/And also water/And water/A spring/A pool among the rock.” This passage creates the image of a sullen people. They stand on their doorsteps waiting for a storm. They are desperate for anything that might bring them out of this drought. They are deprived of a deeper meaning to life, of a society not grown out of industry. Instead,