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Eliot'sTheWasteLand
Date:2002
OnTheWasteLandbyT.S.Eliot
Author:ThomasDilworth
From:TheWasteLand,Bloom'sGuides.

Outofthewindowperilouslyspread
Herdryingcombinationstouchedbythesun'slastrays,
(lines22425)

InwhatmaybetheleastobtrusivelyallusiveepisodeinEliot'spoemand,perhapsforthatreason,
themostmemorable,Tiresiaswitnesses"thetypisthomeatteatime"(line222)having
meaninglesssexwith"theyoungmancarbuncular"(231).Theyoungmanactsmerelyasan
agentoflust,notasanemotionallyandmorallycompleteperson.Thismayaccountforthe
absenceofasubjectinsentencesinwhichheacts:"Endeavourstoengageherincaresses"(237)
and"Bestowsonefinalpatronisingkiss"(247).Owingtothenatureofhismotivation,hedoesnot
evenmeritapronoun.And"sheisboredandtired"(236),notevenanagentoflust.Theword
"indifference"(242)sumsupherfeelings.Emotionally,psychologically,andspiritually,bothof
thesepeoplearemechanical:he,equivalentbeforethesexualact,atleastto"ataxithrobbing
waiting"(217),andshe,merelyanextensionofhertypewriterorhergramophoneasshe
"smoothesherhairwithautomatichand"(255).Exceptforthesignificanceoftheabsent
pronouns,allthishasbeenappreciatedbyinterpretersofthepoem.Butonesignificantwordin
thisepisodehasgoneunnoticedbyinterpreters,awordhalfhiddenbyhumbleserviceasan
adverb.Itoccursintheapparentlyinnocuousstatementthatthetypist's"dryingcombinations"
are"perilouslyspread"outherwindow(22425)"perilously,"becausewindmightdislodgeand
blowawayclothingdryingonaclotheslineoutherwindow.Inthispoem,"perilously"isawordof
profoundliteraryassociation.
InapoemwhosetitlereferstoMalory's"wasteland,"theword"perilously"mustevokeChapel
Perilous,themosthorrificplaceinMalory.InpartVofEliot'spoem,Malory'sChapelPerilousis
reducedtoasymbolofmeaninglessness:"theemptychapel,onlythewind'shome,"aplaceof
"tumbledgraves"where"thegrassissinging"(38790).Theimageofwindandtheword"home"
linkthisdescriptionwiththetypist'sbedsitter.Thewind,whichisat"home"inthechapel,isthe
causeofperilatthetypist's"home"(222).InpartV,thechapelisdescribedbutnotnamed.Ina
sense,ithasalreadybeennamedintheadverb"perilously."Thewordidentifiestheempty
sexualityofthetypistandhervisitorwithoneofthepoem'sprimarysymbolsofmeaninglessness.
Itisasymbolalsooftheabsenceofmeaning,sinceachapeloughttohavevalue,andthisone
doesnot.Itisnoteven,asitisinMalory,aplaceofterrortotestthecourageofaLancelot.
Expectationofmeaningintensifiesmeaninglessness.

Thisisalsotrueofsex,which,inWesternculture,traditionallyhaspsychological,cultural,and
spiritualsignificance.Itsymbolizeslove,happiness,vitality,fertility,andcommunionwithGod.
ThescripturalimageforthislastistheweddingbetweenGodandhumanity.Thetheologicalhope
isbasedonthewidelysharedsexualhopeforordinaryloveandhappiness.Theabsenceofall
suchpositivemeaningmakesthesexualactofthetypistandyoungmanmoreharrowing.
IndifferentsexistherealChapelPerilousofthemodernWasteLand,anactdevoidofmeaning
andifwe,unlikethetypistandheryoungman,wantmeaningprofoundlydisappointing.
As"thewind'shome"where"thegrassissinging"theemptychapelalsoresonateswithtwoother
passagesinthepoem.Oneoftheseisthearidconversationactuallyacombinationof
monologues,onespoken,theotherinteriorandsilentbetweentheupperclasscoupleinthe
overdecoratedboudoir.Thewomancomplainsof"windunderthedoor"andasks"Whatisthe
winddoing?"(11819).Asshebrushesherhair,itislikethesinginggrassofChapelPerilous:
"underthebrush,herhair/Spreadoutinfierypoints/Glowedintowords,thenwouldbe
savagelystill"(10810).Thestaticelectricityofherdryhairincontrasttothe"wet"hairofthe
hyacinthgirl(38)suggestsinfertility.Italsohasitscounterpartinasurrealisticexpressionof
infertilityinpartV:"Awomandrewherlongblackhairouttight/Andfiddledwhispermusicon
thosestrings"(37879).Thepassagegoesontodescribe"batswithbabyfaces,"whichsuggest
abortedfetusesandthearidintercourseofflaccid"upsidedown[]towers"and"emptycisterns
andexhaustedwells"(38385)"empty"likethechapel.Thesepassagesextendandintensifythe
associationoflovelesssexualitywith"theemptychapel,onlythewind'shome."
InitsreferencestoHinduscriptures,theNewTestament,andTheTempest(whereFerdinand's
"seachange"correspondstoProspero'sconversionfromvengeancetoforgiveness),TheWaste
Landisapoemofthepossibilityofpositivechange.Thereadermayrememberthat,inMalory,
ChapelPerilousisclosetotheGrailCastle,wheretherightquestionsaskedcanhealtheFisher
KingandmakefruitfultheWasteLand.Soitmayalsobetruethatsex,evenwhenmeaninglessas
inthispoem,isneverthelesssomehowproximatetothekindsofloveandmeaningittraditionally
symbolizesnearbutrequiringchangeofplace,symbolizingpersonalmetamorphosis.Thechapel
is"onlythewind'shome,"and"thewind"disturbedthewomaninherboudoir,butthereadermay
recallthesymbolismofwindinthescripturalaccountofPentecost,wheretheHolySpiritisan
agentofpositivechange.

WorkCited
Eliot,T.S.SelectedPoems.London:Faber,1954.

CitationInformation

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ChicagoManualofStyle

Dilworth,Thomas."Eliot'sTheWasteLand."TheExplicator61,no.1(Fall2002).Quotedas
"Eliot'sTheWasteLand"inBloom,Harold,ed.TheWasteLand,Bloom'sGuides.NewYork:
ChelseaHousePublishing,2007.Bloom'sLiterature.FactsOnFile,Inc.Web.2Aug.2016.

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