A Brief Interpretation of the Key Elments In The Waste Land.docx

A Brief Interpretation of the Key Elments In The Waste Land.docx

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ABriefInterpretationoftheKeyElmentsInTheWasteLand

ABriefInterpretationoftheKeyElmentsInTheWasteLand

　　Abstract:

TheWasteLandwasapoemofdespairforthe1920sand1930s,anditisfullofimagesofsolitude,ugliness,bleaknessanddeath,whichunfoldstousthecrisisofthewesterncivilationaftertheworldwarI.Thecollapseofthetraditionalvalues,reflectingthedisillusionmentandmentalbrokendownofthewholegeneration.Allkindsofhumanactivitygeneratesuffering,anxiety,ordisappointment.Thispaperwillhaveabriefinterpretationofthisgreatpoembyfocusingonservealkeyelements:

seasons,deathandrebirth,lust,waterandtheirinternalmeanings.

　　Keywords:

crisis;disillusionment;symbol

　　I.Introduction

　　T.SEliotwasconsideredoneofthemostinfluentialwritersofthetwentiethcenturyforhiswide-rangingcontributionstopoetry,criticism,andprose.TheWasteland,amilestoneoftheBritishandAmericanmodernpoetry,isthemostrepresentativeworkinthesymbolicliterature,andisalsoEliot'smostfar-reachingmasterpiece.Infact,thepoemissocomplexinitssymbolismthatEliotevenaddedhisownfootnotestoguidethereader,whichisahighlyunusualmoveforapoet.Thefivepartsofthepoemdonothavedirectconnectionsbetweenthem.Yet,althoughthepoemisobscure,criticstriedtoidentifieditsinspirationandmeaningswhichthewriterwantstoexpress.ManyexpertsseethepoemasareflectionofEliot’sdisillusionmentwiththemoraldecayofpostWorldWarIEurope.Inthework,thissenseofdisillusionmentmanifestsitselfsymbolicallythroughatypeofHolyGraillegend.Anattempttoexamine,linebyline,thespecificmeaningofeveryreferenceandallusioninthepoemwouldbetoughforus.Instead,itismorehelpfultoseetheovertonemeaningofthesefivesections,highlightingsomespecificlinesasexamples.

　　Firstlet’shaveadiscussionofthepoem’stitle“TheWasteLand”.ThetitlereferstoamythfromFromRitualtoRomance,inwhichWestondescribesakingdomwherethekinghasbeeninjuredinsomeway.Thisinjury,whichaffectstheking’sfertility,alsoaffectsthekingdomandthelanditself.Withitsvital,reproductionpowergone,thecountryhasdriedupandturnedintoawasteland.Nothingcanbegrownoutthereandpeopleareallsuffering.Tomakeeverythingbackinorder,aheromustaccomplishseveraltasks.ThusthestoryoftheFisherKingandthequestoftheHolyGrailservesasthegoverningmythofTheWasteLand.

　　II.TheSeasons

　　Thepoembeginswithadescriptionoftheseasons.Intheopeninglines,EliotdescriblesAprilas“thecruellestmonth”,andthelovelyimageoflilacsinthespringishereconnectedwith“thedeadland”.Inspring,“memoryanddesire”mix.AlltheseexpressionsarequitedifferentfromthesameseasoninChaucer'sCanterburyTales.ThosefamiliarwiththelatterwillrecognizethatEliotistakingChaucer'sintroductorylinefromtheprologue―whichisoptimisticaboutthemonthofApril.EverytraditionaldescriptionaboutAprilisalwaystheseasonofspring.Itcanregenerateseverythingandisasymbolofhopeandlives.YetEliot'sdarkwordsinformthereaderthatthisisgoingtobeadarkpoem.Incontrast,winterinthispoemwasbetter.Inthemodernages,winter,thetimeofforgetfulnessandnumbness,isindeedpreferable.Summerhereperhapsisthetokenofthosegooddaysandmemorieswhichthespeaker―Mariehadlostnowadays.Thesimpleworldofcousin,sledding,andcoffeeintheparkhasbeenreplacedbyacomplexsetofemotionalandpoliticalconsequencesresultingfromthewar.Mariereadsformostofthenight:

exiledbypolitics,sheisunabletodoanythingelse.Thereisnohopeandmeaninginherlivenow,andallwecanseeisthementalblanknessanddesperation.Readingisalsotheonlywaytorememberthebetterpast,whichcanneverbebackagain!

　　III.DeathandRebirth

　　TheopeningwordsofTheWasteLandsetsthetoneforthepoemasawhole―darkanddespair.Sibyl,oneoftheoldestprophetessesknowntotheancientRomanworld,whoaskedtheApolloforeternallifebutforgottoaskforeverlastingyouth.Asaresult,sheisdoomedtodecayforyears,andpreservesherselfwithinajar.Havinglivedinpainagesandagesandseeingherselfwither,shefindsthatwhatshemostwantsisdeath.Deathalonecanofferherescapingandcanpromisetheend.Herwishtodeathislinkedtoherdesiretogetridofthepainfulimmortallife,justlikethewalkingdeadofthemodern"UnrealCity".Theyhavenothingtolookforwardtoinlifebutdeath.Eliot,perhaps,suggeststhatweareallabouttobeledintoakindofDantean"hell"ofthemodernwasteland.Andthepervasivenessofdeathandlossissurelyinpartduetopost-cataclysmicsorrowandexhaustionbecauseofthewar.

　　Yetwhatcomplicatesthemattersisthatinthispoemdeathcanalsomeanlifeandanewbeginning.Inotherwords,bydying,peoplecanpavethewayfornewlives.Inmanyancientlegends,peopleadoretheGodofproduction,theworldbecamebleakandlivelessafterthedeathoftheGod.ThereforetheyputtheplantsinthewaterandbelievethattheGodwillresurrecteinthenextspringandmaketheworldobtainnewliveagain.AccordingtotheBible,humanbeingscomesfromthedustandwillturndustafterthedeath.Similarly,Christ,alsosavethehumanityandofferthemsalvationsby“dying”andresurrection.Here,deathisapremiseoflifeandrebirth.

　　IV.Lust

　　Whendepictingthestatementofthemodernworld’sdisillusionmentandmentalbrokendown,Eliotisalsothinkingaboutthecauseofthissituation.Hefoundthatthereisastrongpowerwhichbrokethebalanceofhumanbeings’mentalstatement-lust."TheFireSermon"describlesthethemeofsexualmisery.Thetitle,borrowedfromBuddhism,suggeststhefireoflust,fireofdesire,whichobviouslyrevealedhisidea.FromthelastlinewecanseethatpeoplelosttheirfaithinreligionandthesymbolofpurityorChrist-nymphshasgone.Whatleftisonlythespiritualsterilityandendlessdesire.Sexualityrunsthrough"TheWasteLand".Nonetheless,sexandlustarenotestablishedonthebaseofloveoremotions,onlyforthehedonism.Thesexualencounterbetweenthe"carbuncular"manandanunresistingfemaletypist,whoseinternalcommentafterhisdeparturehasbecomeoneofthemostfamousepisodein"TheWasteLand".

　　TherearemanyvoicesinTheWasteLand,butnointerchanges:

evenwheretwoormorepeoplearetogetherandspeak,theirwordscomeoutasmonologue.Thereisnocommunicationbetweenwifeandhusband,evenbetweenthetypistandher“carbuncular”man.Sexualactivityhereisdebasedandugly,strippednotonlyofpassionandtenderness,butevenoflustandsatisfactionatthemostbasiclevel.Lustisasin,andthejoylesssexmaybetooeasyandtoorampantinEliot’sLondon.

　　V.Water

　　TheWasteLandlackswater:

　　IntheWasteLand,theFisherKingisimpotent,whatisneededisanewbeginning.Onlywatercanbringaboutthatrebirth,butherethecanalandtheplainisdullanddry,thereisnowater,whichsymblizessterility.Thehopeisgone,despairanddoomhavesetin.Thevisionisessentiallyofaworldthatisneitherdyingnorliving.Inthethirdpart“THEFIRESERMON”,wecanalsoseethesamedescriptionoftheThames.

　　TheThamesshouldbethesymboloflive,butheretheriverwasfulloffilthsandrubbish,theonlyfittingsymbolofwhichisthelivinghell.Modernmenliveinsterilityandmeaninglessnessandfutility.Inthisoccasion,humanbeingsmuststruggletoescapefromtheoceanofdesireordrylandiftheywanttogobeyondofthedeathandobtainimmotality,soEliotinthepoemisintenselycallingforwater―theoriginoflife!

Waterhereisasymbolofsalvation,hopeandrebirth.

　　Whentherainfinallyarrivesatthecloseofthepoem,itdoessuggestthecleansingofsins,thewashingawayofmisdeeds,andthestartofanewfuture.Thewaterhereperhapssymbolizesholywater,whichistheonlyhopeformen,andthatmeansreligion.InEliot’sview,whatthethunderstatesas"Give,Sympathize,Control",orself-surrender,andsubmissiontoGod'scontrolistheonlyhopetomaketheworldbacktolifeagain.Hewouldliketohelptorehabilitatethosebeliefswhichpeopleknowbutshrinkfromanddiscredit.

　　VI.Conclusion

　　Thepervasivesenseofdisillusionmentwasillustratedinthepoeminseveralways,themostnotableofwhicharereferencestofertilityrituals,joylesssexandrampantdeath.Nevertheless,althoughthepoemisfulloffeelingofdesperation,therestillisanunderlyingdesireofthepoettohelpcreateorderandsenseoutofadisorderlyandsenselessexistencebyconversiontothechristianity.Ontheotherhand,becauseofitstightlycompressedandcomplextexture,exploringtheWasteLandisarduousandalwayswas.Layersofmeaningonlycanbetakeninbyrepeatedreadings,symbolicimagesgraduallyacquiringdepthandfocus,butitstillpossessesaverbalmagicwhichhaveattractedthousandsofreadersfromthestartandkeptthemunderthepoem'sglamourforyears.

　　Bibliography:

　　1.T.S.Eliot,TheWasteLand,HoughtonMifflinHarcourtPress,1997

　　2.CleanthBrooks,TheWasteLand,CritiqueoftheMyth,inhisModernPoetryandtheTradition,TheUniversityofNorthCarolinaPress,1939

　　3.GroverSmith,T.S.Eliot’sPoetryandPlays,AStudyinSourcesandMeaning,TheUniversityofChicagoPress,1956

　　4.EloiseKnappHay,T.S.Eliot’sNegativeWay,Cambridge,MA:

HarvardUP,1982

　　5.常耀信，美国文学简史，南开大学出版社，1990

　　6.王恩衷编译，《艾略特诗学文集》[C]，国际文化出版公司,1989

　　7.紫芹选编（查良铮赵毅衡张子清译），《T.S.艾略特诗选》

　　[M]，四川文艺出版社,1992

　　【责编郭