What Eliot’s Vision of the World is as Expressed in “The Waste Land”?

"The Waste Land" is a very important land mark in the twentieth century literature. The poem reveals the disillusionment caused by the First World War. It vividly illustrates the complexity and machine like activity of modern man comparing with the glorious past of spiritual and moral highness.   

 

Eliot’s vision of the world is as expressed in "The Waste Land":

Sex is an important aspect of life. It is an expression of love and means of procreation. But today, sex has been perverted from its

proper function and is being utilized for animal pleasure. It has become a source of moral degradation. For instance, we find in the poem the picture of three Thames daughters who live on being the objects of sexual enjoyment in exchange of money. The mechanical sex relationship is also found in the love affair of the typist girl and her boyfriend. Not only has that Eliot also drawn the picture of a homosexual relation exemplified through Mr. Eugenides. Eliot observes that the whole Europe is destroying by the fire of sex. He sums up it by the words of St. Augustine:

To Carthage then I came

Burning burning burning burning.

 

In the past the source of inspiration for life and achievement was faith. But values have been changed nowadays. Spiritually people all over the world have become barren. The people begin their work at nine o'clock which was the time of Christ's crucification. It indicates that in the modern mechanical and commercial world, Christ is no more. Besides, the modern waste-landers consider April (which is a sign of rebirth) as the cruelest month because they have no desire for re-birth and spiritual life.

In "The Waste Land" Eliot shows that the conception of family and of human relationships is being shattered down day by day. People of modern age are out-going; they do not feel comfort in their houses. For example, Mr. Eugenides, a modern businessman, is fond of homo-sex, and he fulfills his desire with hotel boys. Similarly, the company directors and executives enjoy their leisure time with the beautiful girls of riversides.

Psychologically, the modern people are not satisfied with their getting. They seemed frustrated. For example Lil is frustrated because she is a woman of thirty-one and fails to fascinate her husband who wants to enjoy life. Similarly, the fashionable society woman, the Lady of Situation is bored with her own life. Her lover, too, suffers from mental exhaustion; and he says:

 

I think we are in a rat's alley

Where the dead men lost their bones.

 

To conclude we may say Eliot vividly portrays in the poem the picture of disorder and decay of modern civilization. Eliot observes that the past glory of man has flown away and everyone who thinks of peaceful co-existence has been suffering from frustration. To Eliot:

He who was living is now dead

We who were living are now dying

With a little patience.