Inspirational Aspects and some Archetypal Images in “The Old Man and the Sea”

Siddharth G. Desai

Roll no. - 07

SEM - III

Paper no.E-C-303

Year – 2011

Topic: Inspirational Aspects and some Archetypal Images in “The Old Man and the Sea”

Submitted to Dr. Dilip Barad

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University.

The Noble prize winning book “The Old Man and The Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway, is an inspirational story of the old man which shows the indomitable spirit of its protagonist, the old man. Ernest Hemingway is an American writer, who also won Pulitzer Prize for fiction. His other works like, “Three Stories and Ten Poems “in 1923, “In Our Time “in 1926, “The Torrents of Spring” in 1926, “The Sun also Arises” in 1926, “A Farewell to Arms” in 1929, “Men Without Women “in 1927, “Winner Take Nothing “in 1933, “Death in the Afternoon” in 1932, “The Green Hills of Africa” in 1932, “For Whom The Bell Tolls” in 1940. His “The Old Man and the Sea” is a parable-novella about man’s struggle against Nature. Hemingway is known for his laconic writing. Hemingway worked for “The Kansas City Star” for sometime. There he learned some stylistic lessons that later those all things reflected in his fiction. The newspaper advocated short sentences, short paragraphs, active verbs, authenticity, compression, clarity and immediacy. Hemingway later said: “Those were the best rules, I ever learned for the business of writing. I have never forgotten them.”

Hemingway committed suicide in 1961. He is remembered as one of the greatest stylistic innovators of Modern American Literature. Before discussing the inspirational aspects, let us see the origination of the American Literature in brief.

Prose, Fiction and Non-fiction of the American colonies and the United States written in the English language from about 1600 to the present time captures America’s quest to understand and define itself. From the beginning America was unique in the diversity of its inhabitants; over time they arrived from all parts of the world. Although English quickly became the language of America, regional and ethnic dialects have enlivened and enriched the country’s literature almost from the start. Today, American prose encompasses a variety of tradition and voices that share a common context: the geographical region now known as the United States. Native American Literatures which were largely oral at the time of colonial settlement stand apart as a separate tradition that is itself strong and varied.

For its first two hundred years American prose reflected the settlement and the growth of the American colonies, largely through histories, religious writings, and expeditions and travel- narratives. Biography also played an important role especially in America’s search for native heroes. Fiction appeared only after the colonies gained independence, when the clamor for a uniquely American Literature brought forth novels based on events in America’s past. With a flowering of prose in the mid 1800s, the young nation found its own voice. By then fiction had become the dominant literature genre in America. In the 20^th century, American Literature took its place on the world stage and began to exert influence on other literatures.

The First American Fiction:-

        American fiction became formally established only after the American Revolution. “The power of sympathy (1789)”, a tragic love-story by William Hill Brown, is generally considered the first American Novel. Charles Brockden Brown is among the best remembered novelists of the period. His “Wieland; or The Transformation” (1798) is a cleverly plotted horror story that emphasizes dark, supernatural visions. Other notable novels of the time include Susanna Rowson’s “Charlotte Temple” (1791), a tragic romance that involves a young woman’s journey from England to the colonies during the revolutions; Gilbert Imlay’s “The Emigrants” (1793), the story of an English family whose life improves in America; and Hannah Foster’s “The Coquette” (1797), a novel; in the form of letters.

(- From Microsoft Encarta)

In the novella, “The Old Man and The sea”, the writer, Ernest Hemingway has put a picture of the old man which shows unbeatable courage of the Old Man that suggest us not to quit our efforts towards our struggle. Another thing in this novella that Hemingway has put the names: “Santiago” and “Sea”, both shows their strength. It can be considered in this way also. Santiago shows his indomitable spirit and the sea as name suggests, shows its strengths also. In this way, we can say that Hemingway has drawn the similarity between the sea and Santiago to show Santiago’s unshakable spirit.

In this novella, Santiago has become an inspirational character for readers. Santiago is a skilled and talented fisherman in Cuba. The novella starts with the words like: “He was an old man who fished alone in his skiff in the Gulf Stream, and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” Now, we can, here, see that Santiago has failed to fish for eight-four times. He is also tagged as “Salao” which is known as the worst form of unlucky. Then even, he never leaves a hope to get success in his life. This spirit has made his character immortal in his reader’s mind. He tells to the boy, Manolin,

“Tomorrow is going to be a good day…”

And also he says to Manolin,

“Eighty-five is a lucky number…”

Santiago always encourages himself and his efforts for his success, as well as the readers. From these two quotations, we can sense about the Old Man’s spirit. That’s how a reader can learn a lesson that you success depends on your attempts, how well you can do, if not then, never lose your courage. You should keep trying to achieve your goal. All these things are motivated by the incredible character, Santiago to his readers.

Santiago also shows his calm nature in this novella. When the other fishermen make fun of him, he never gets angry. This shows his Excellencies in behaving with society. But when he returns back with Marlin, Nobody makes fun of him. Everybody is surprised by watching Marlin in the boat of Santiago. In a way, he inspires us that if you fail to achieve something, people will perhaps make fun of you, but you should not concentrate on that thing. You should concentrate on your goal then and then you can achieve it. When Manolin asked,

“But are you strong enough now for a truly big fish?”

At that time, the Old Man replies,

“I think so. And there are many tricks?”

This shows the Old Man’s determination for catching a big fish. He has many tricks for fishing and he is, after all, a skilled-fisherman. One thing, here, we must observe that is the old man’s nature. He does not boast for his Excellencies and skillfulness in fishing to Manolin. He just says that I think that I can do it and perhaps, we must also have this “I can do it attitude” in our life. All these aspects of the old man’s character motivate us in our life. Hemingway has created the heroism in the character of the Old Man. In a way that it has become an inspiration for his readers.

Our life is full of struggle and at that time, her, I recall some lines of the poem “Agnipath” by Harivansh Rai Bachchan,

“Agnipath, Agnipath, Agnipath

Tu na Thakega Kabhi

Tu na Thamega Kabhi

Tu na Mudega Kabhi . . .”

The above mentioned lines are somewhere relevant to “The Old Man and the Sea”, by Ernest Hemingway, has presented the story in the terms of the mentioned poem, “Agnipath”. Though Santiago is an Old Man, he tries hard to attain his goal. He struggles to live his life in a dignified manner. The indomitable spirit of the Old Man propels him and gives him courage to cope with the situation like, when he is surrounded by the Sharks in the sea. In this scene, Sharks stand for human predicament, and one must fight to gain something in life.

Santiago has desire to do something that he has never done and his staunchness make for his desire make dream comes true. But it is achieved by striving on your goal that the old man does. This is how, the character is telling us to never give up and be courageous. Your attempt will not fail, if you will try with the determination to accomplish your goal.

Here, in this novella, we can see some archetypal images like, wise Old Man, Sea, journey and Blue color. All these images can be analyzed by archetypal theory. Before we see those archetypal images, let us discuss what is Archetypal Criticism?

Archetypal Criticism:-

In literary criticism the term “archetype” denotes recurrent narratives, patterns of action, designs, character types, themes, and images which are identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature as well as in myths dreams and even social rituals. Such recurrent items are held to be the result of elemental and universal forms or patterns in the human psyche, whose effective embodiment in a literary work evokes a profound response from the attentive reader, because he or she shares the archetypes expressed by the author. An important antecedent of the literary theory of the archetype was the treatment of myth by a group of comparative anthropologists at Cambridge University, especially James G. Frazer, whose The Golden Bough (1890-1915) identified elemental patterns of myth and ritual that, he claimed, recur in the legends and ceremonials of diverse and far-flung cultures and religions. An even more important antecedent was the depth psychology of Carl G. Jung (1875-1961), who applied the term "archetype" to what he called "primordial images," the "psychic residue" of repeated patterns of common human experience in the lives of our very ancient ancestors which, he maintained, survive in ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM the "collective unconscious" of the human race and are expressed in myths, religion, dreams, and private fantasies, as well as in works of literature.

Archetypal Literary criticism was given impetus by Maud Bodkin’s “Archetypal Patterns in Poetry” (1934) and flourished especially during the 1950s and 1960s. Apart from him, the other prominent practitioners of various modes of Archetypal Criticism were G. Wilson Knight, Robert Graves, Philip Wheelwright, Rishard chase, Leslie Filder and Joseph Campbell.

(-From M.H. Abrams “A Handbook of Literary Terms”)

Northrop Frye is a very well-known in the world of Archetypal Literary Theory. His major works “Anatomy of Criticism” deals with archetypes. Now let’s see the image of archetypes.

In this novella, “The Old Man and The Sea”, the first image of archetype is of the old man (Santiago) who symbolizes for his knowledge, wisdom, experience and morality. But somewhere, somewhat the character of the old man of this novella is different from the archetypal image of the Old Man. When he goes too far in the sea, at that time, he thinks that I should have not come too far in the sea. so being an experienced and knowledgeable fisherman, he does mistakes in his fishing and this incident shows his error of judgement.

The second Archetypal image that we can find, that is sea, which symbolizes Death and Rebirth both. After returning from the sea with Marlin, this thing gives rebirth to the old man’s identity. By doing this thing, he washes out the tag of ‘Salao’. Then the Old Man’s journey to achieve or do the thing that he has never done in the sea. By getting Marlin his purpose of journey is attained by him.

Then, the archetypal image is the color blue, we can find in the novella. This blue color symbolizes highly positivity and tranquility. These both characteristics can be found in the Old Man’s character of this novella. As we earlier discussed that he has calm nature.

At last, I would like to write the famous line of this novella which has become slogan of this novella as well as the reader’s life. Hemingway writes,

“A man can be destroyed but can not be defeated”

Hope is a kind of thing that can give a life to those people who have lost the opportunity to attain their goal. After all, a man is a mere creature. You can destroy him but can not destroy his faith, his hope and his courage. The old man always shows a hope that if not today then tomorrow definitely I will achieve my goal.

During the course of text, Santiago raises the level of hope and courage in their reader’s mind. Santiago becomes the inspiration of his readers and they are molded in a way that anyone can say, “Yes, I can do it”.

Conclusion:-

In conclusion, I would like to say that, Hemingway starts this novella with the words like “He was an old man…” but when he ends the text, the character achieves the definite article ‘The’ as “The Old Man” and then it becomes the SPECIFIC character in the novella. So, the character’s journey is like from the Ordinary to Excellent.

Vocation of a Scholar

Siddharth G. Desai

Roll no. - 07

SEM - III

Paper no.E-C-302

Year – 2010-11

Topic: “Vocation” of a Scholar

Submitted to Dr. Dilip Barad

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University.

In “The Art of Literary Research”, Richard Altick and John Fensternmaker have discussed about the vocation of the scholar in the very first chapter. Let’s see the vocation of the scholar. Before discussing about the vocation of the scholar let’s see the meaning of the scholar.

          

      According to “Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary”, the scholar is a kind of person who know a lot a about a particular subject because they have studied it in detail. It means, the scholar has special knowledge about a particular subject in which he is like Master or Skilled person. Another thing is that the scholar has studied any particular subject in detail in a way that nobody can fathom his knowledge.

          

        In this very first chapter, “Vocation”, Richard Altick and John Fensternmaker write that the literary scholar and the critic are in the same boat. They are trying to convey by this that both follow to achieve the same thing. They further write, “Some professional students of literature prefer to regard themselves primarily as critics, some as scholar…” by describing this, Richard and john try to convey that every literary student ahs dream to become a critic and a scholar in literature. Here, they, first, present the psyche of the literary students.

          

       They both show the difference between critic and scholar. They write, “The critic’s business I mainly with the literary work itself- with its structure, style, and content of ideas. Scholars- on the other hand, are more its genesis and subsequent history. That means, critic studies only text with its structure, style and content of ideas. That’s how a critic presents his criticism on the text. On the other side the scholar studies the facts and roots of the particular text. He also studies the historical background of the text. That’s how a scholar does his genetically based study on the text. He believes that every work of art must be seen from within. That means, every work of art must be observed without any theory that means in general and within the text, according to the traditional way, the text must be assessed. They also see to illuminate or to explain and show more clearly the work from every conceivable angle.

          There is another person who also plays a very significant role in the literary studies, and that is a researcher, who studies the criticism on which the critic has done his work. In short, it looks like a journey from a critic to a scholar (Critic à Researcherà Scholar). Every literary student, perhaps, would pass from this journey who has desired to do something from the beginning of literary study.

          

George Whalley has rightly said for critic and scholar. He said,

                  

                   “No true scholar can lack critical acumen; and the scholar’s eye

                   is rather like the poet’s – not, to be sure, in a fine frenzy rolling,”

                   but at least looking for something as yet unknown which it knows

                   it will find, with perceptions heightened and modified by the act

                   of looking. For knowing is qualitative and is profoundly affected

                   by the reason for wanting to know..."                 

           Then, it is written, here, in this chapter that the genuine scholar is impelled by a deeply ingrained curiosity, an undeniable urges to learn as well as to teach. That is how scholar is encouraged to learn as well as to teach. That is how scholar is encouraged to learn as well as to teach. That is how scholar is encouraged to learn as well as to teach the things. Then the discussion moves towards the dramatic discoveries, which do not occur as often now as the scholars did earlier in the century, when a steadily enlarging body of scholars first studied great boards of rare books and manuscripts, in both institutional and private ownership, which had hitherto been inaccessible to inquires or simply unknown. That’s how dramatic discoveries were done earlier.

         

          As a consequence of this recent dramatic expansion of the scope of literary interest, it is certain that, given a fair degree of imagination, it means, because of this expansion, one can think or imagine in a broader sense. Then, originality to approach refers to the approach that is taken by someone who gives his attempt with 100%. Then, solidity of learning is introduced effectively. The wish and the will to see works of literary art and their creators form new perspectives. It refers to again this dramatic expansion which has given the opportunity to learn or to research the literary study in a efficacious way. All these above mentioned aspects can be seen as the qualities of research. This vocation of scholar will find or research on the things which will be rewarded in an ample amount.

          In further discussion, the idea of “publish or perish” in which the discussion moves to academic writing if your are working in the field of academic writing then you must write such thing which should be published in the well-known book, magazine or any other sources. So your writing can give you an identity as a critic, researcher or scholar. Publishing your writing creates your identity as an academician. But if you would not publish anything then you will be thrown of the academic field. Your identity as an academician will sure perish. So choice is ours. What do we want choose, publish or perish?

          That’s how the idea of academic writing is dealt in this book in a very significant way. Such writing should be published and should be awarded so that on can be encouraged by giving award to his writings.

          Morris Bishop has said about the literary research and its appreciation. He said,

                   “…I am not against research. I practice it, I honour it,

I love it. But a taste for literary research is something

special. It is not the same thing as delight in reading,

or delight in introducing others to the pleasures of

reading or the pleasures of writing. We do well to

encourage literary research. We do ill to impose, it as

a requirement for promotion and status in the teaching

profession. Literary research is a privilege, deserving of

no reward except the writer’s joy in his article, his book,

his public utterance of his precious thoughts.”

          So, here, Norris discuses that literary research is a privilege. To do literary research is an honourable thing. We should admire the writer’s attempt to do research and, especially to his precious thought that he has shared in his research with his readers.

          Then, Dr. Johnson said about scholarship, he said, “no man-but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money”; if so, the history of literary scholarship at its best is populated with amiable blockheads. Scholars may value the creature comforts as highly as do people in any other line of work. Scholars value the literary research in their vocation.

          “Interpret, understand and appreciate”, all these words are taken into consideration while viewing or reading literature. The scholar must follow these three words. He should first interpret the work, then he should try to understand the different dimension in the text and then, he should appreciate the text. This is how the scholar should act in accordance with these above three mentioned terms.

          One should have temperament for literary research, nobody can impose to research to anyone by giving particular time. One should have pleasure for literary research then and then the result can be achieved in a fruitful way.

          Then, there is a discussion on a successful and happy scholar. There are two professions which affect the vocation of the scholar and those are law and journalism. Both these professions depend on evidence. As law requires a thorough command over the principles of evidence, the knowledge of how to make one’s efficient way through the accumulated “literature” on a subject, and devotion both to accuracy and to detail. All these things can be helpful in the field of research. The scholar should have devotion towards accuracy of the particular research and its detail.

          Journalism, more specifically the work of the investigative reporter, also calls for resourcefulness- knowing where to go for one’s information and how to obtain it, the ability to recognize and follow up leads, and tenacity in pursuit of the facts. Both professions moreover require organizational skill, the ability to put facts together in a pattern that is clear and, if controversy is involved, persuasive. All the qualities of these both professions should be followed by the scholar. All these qualities can be helpful in literary research.

         

          Ideal researchers must love literature for its own sake, that is to say, as an art. Emotional attachment is definitely required to your work, then and then you can give your best to your work and then desired results can be attained by this emotional attachment. In this context, Wordsworth has rightly said in “Prelude”,

“What we have loved others will love,

And we teach them how to love.”

          Scholars and researchers must be insatiable readers. They must be enjoying reading. As Morris Bishop has said that they must have delight in reading and delight for reading. All these aspects infuse one’s activity as a professional scholar. As Helen Vendler said: “as scholars, we…love, beyond philology, and composition and literature, the worth of scholarship, by which we mean accurate evidence on literary matters. We are engaged in teaching others- our more advanced students- how to love what we love in the discipline of scholarship: how to price the exact edition over the inadequate one; how to value concision and clarity over obscurity and evasiveness; how to appreciate a new critical vocabulary when it brings energy or insight into our world.” So the scholar should have all these above mentioned abilities to research in the literary study.

          Researchers must have an accurate sense of history; they should have the ability to take themselves in the writer’s age. They should have a kind of adjustment to set their thoughts into the particular age. The words like, “research” and “scholarship” are used interchangeably, as is the common practice.

          H.J. Mencken said, “Learning without wisdom is a load of books on an ass’s back.” On can be a researcher, full of knowledge, without also being a scholar. Research is the means, scholarship the end; research is an occupation, scholarship is a habit of mind and a way of life.”Research is a kind of method through which one can attain Scholarship and Scholarship is last DESTINATION for a Researcher that is what Richard Altik and John Fensternmaker have said.

Conclusion:

          To conclude, I would like to say that scholars do their research in the very analytical way that no one can question on their arguments and their ideas. They should have both knowledge as well as wisdom so both these things make them able to put facts in their research in a very appropriate way.

Critique on “The Wasteland”

Siddharth G. Desai

Roll no. - 07

SEM - III

Paper no.E-C-301

Year – 2010-11

Topic: Critique on “The Wasteland”

Submitted to Dr. Dilip Barad

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University.

Every era or century has its own importance in Literature. 20^th century literature has its own significance in terms of literature. It has drawn people towards new form, new way of literature. It has focused on human life very minutely. It has been in told in the 20^th century literature that, there is nothing like linear structure. Ambiguity, Nihilism, futility, existentialism (?) purposelessness, meaninglessness and black humor or dark humor, all these are themes of  The Modernist Literature, which can be read in the works of 20^th century literature. This literature wanted to break the previous generations all rules.

The term Modernism is widely used to identify new and distinctive features in the subjects, forms, concepts and styles of literature and the other arts in the early decades of the 20^th century, but especially after World War-I (1914-18). The specific features signified by modernism (or by the adjective modernist) vary with the user, but many critics agree that it involves a deliberate and radical break with some of the traditional basis not only of Western Art but, of Western Culture in general. Important intellectual precursors of Modernism, in this sense, are thinkers who had questioned the certainties that had supported traditional modes of social organization, religion and morality, and also traditional ways of conceiving the human self thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and James G. Frazer whose 12 Volumes “The Golden Bough” (1890-1915) stressed the correspondence between central Christian tenets and pagan, often barbaric, myths and rituals.

(- “A HANDBOOK OF LITERARY TERMS” by M.H. Abrams)

“The entire literature of twentieth century can be read as an attempt to deal with the discovery of the hopelessness of courage and the fallibility of mankind in the face of ‘WAR’.”

(-“History of English Literature” by Pramod K. Nair)

This is how the views on 20^th century literature or the Modernist literature has been discussed that shows that it has portrayed the nothingness and purposelessness of the Human being.

“The Wasteland” by T.S. Eliot:-

Thomas Stearns Eliot is a well-known name for his literary contribution in the Modernist Literature. He is famous for his poetry, essays and criticism in the literature. Specifically in the poems, “The Wasteland” is an incredible work of 20^th century literature. Hugh Kenner has written in the introduction of “T.S.  Eliot- A Collection of Critical Essays” that he is also the first age, devoted to serious and systematic, indeed curricular, scrutiny of its own literature. In 1922, “The Wasteland” was published, which is written in five parts. Every part has its own significance and symbolism. The names of those five parts are as follow:

(i)                The Burial Of The Dead

(ii)             A Game of Chess

(iii)           The Fire Sermon

(iv)            Death by Water

(v)              What The Thunder Said

Let’s discuss all five parts at length.

      

   (1) The Burial of The Dead:-

The title of this part of the poem is taken from a line in the Anglican burial service. It is made up of four vignettes, each seemingly from the perspective of the different speaker. The first part of this poem can be seen as a modified dramatic monologue. In this first part, there are four speakers who are frantic in their need to speak, to find an audience, but they find themselves surrounded by dead people, and frustrated by outside circumstances, like wars. The very first title of the first part of this poem shows its gloomy and forlorn tone, because of the war and that situation compel to lead them in a dusky world and this makes them utterly miserable and mournful. Because of this chaotic situation, the effect in this poem, is not one of the overpowered impressions of a single character in stead, the reader is fooled by the feeling of being trapped in a crowd, unable to identify a familiar face. This is the effect of this part that it shakes very first reader’s mind that readers also feel chaos in the first part of this poem.

As the poem’s dedication indicates Eliot received a great amount of guidance from Ezra Pound, who encouraged him to cut large sections of the planned work and to break up the rhyme scheme. It is suggested by recent scholarship that Eliot’s wife, Vivien, also had a significant role in the final form of this poem. This poem, “The Wasteland” starts with the reference to Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”. In this case, though April is not the happy month of pilgrimages and story-telling. It is in-stead the time when the land should be regenerating after a long winter. In the Modern world Winter is really more desirable, because it is the time of forgetfulness and numbness, because people are very forgetful and insensible in their nature in the modern world. Here, we can see the sarcasm of Eliot on the modern people. In this poem memory plays a very significant role. Memory creates a clash of the past with the present. Marie reads for most of the nights and this excessive reading refers to remember a better past, which could cultivate a consistent literary culture. It refers to the thing that this poem is like a collage to make it a compact one, perhaps, it refers to Eliot’s reading also to write this poem. The second episode contains a troubled religious proposition. The speaker shows true Wasteland “stony rubbish”; in it, he says, man can identify only “a heap of broken images” yet this thing seems to offer salvation: shade and vision of something new and different. The vision consists only of nothingness. No longer have religious event achieved through Christ, truth is represented by a mere void. Here, we can see the concepts of the Christianity.

The third episode explores Eliot’s interest with transformation. Here, this transformation is associated with fraud, vulgarity and ridiculous mysticism. The final episode of the first part allows Eliot finally to establish the true Wasteland of the poem, the modern city or the unreal city. Here, again Eliot satirizes on the modernity, which is expressed by him as an unreal thing. That city is bleak and depopulated where only ghosts from the past are as the inhabitants.

   

   (2)  A Game of Chess:-

This section’s title is derived from the two plays by the early 17^th century playwright, Thomas Middleton, in one which the movies in a game of chess denote stages in a seduction. The second part is divided in two sections; there is a portrait of a rich, highly groomed woman surrounded by exquisite furnishings. As she waits for a lover, her phobic thoughts become frantic, meaningless cries. Her day ends with plans for an excursion and a game of chess. In the second section of this second part of the poem, another wretched woman describes her pathetic situation of her life. These two women in this second part of the poem are described as a representation of the modern sexuality. One side of this sexuality is a arid, dehydrated exchange inseparable from neurosis and self-destruction, and the other side of this sexuality is an unbridled fertility connected with a lack of culture and rapid aging. Here, Eliot makes sarcastic remarks on the sexuality of the modern life.

   

   (3)  The Fire Sermon:-

This third part of this poem is the longest one in the poem. Moreover, the title of this part is derived from the Buddha’s sermon in which he advises to his followers to relinquish earthly passions and seek freedom from earthly things. In this section also, we can see the image of Christianity- water and fishing. Both refer to regeneration and life. This third part starts with a stark river side scene. Rats and garbage surround the speaker who is fishing. These two words arise the feeling of grime and sordidness. Here, in this third part, the speaker of this poem, Tiresias who is introduced to us. He has both male and female features and he is also blind but he can make prophecy. Here, in this part, there is a description of a young typist and her lover who is a clerk. Their encounter reveals their actions. The sound “Twit, twit, twit, jug, jug…” in the poem also symbolizes to sexual perversion. The people of the wasteland think that there is a pleasure in sexual intercourse but it is not so. It is all about mechanical life.

   (4)  Death by Water:-

As the name or the title suggests, Eliot has displayed the ridiculous attempt of the man towards God. In this poem, this is the shortest section. It describes a man, Phlebas, the Phoenician, who dies apparently by drowning in the sea. He challenges the almighty and he has to face the result. The narrator asks his reader to think about Phlebas and recall his or her own mortality. If you go against the God, or you challenge the God then, the end of your life is like Phlebas. Here, we can see the concept of the Christianity. One can never cross their limits or can never go against the almighty. Here, in this part, the symbol of Sea symbolizes Death. As Frye has described in his Archetypal theory that sea symbolizes for the death. The prime consideration of this short section is to claim ideas of renewal and regeneration. In this part, Madame Sosostris’s prophecy, “Fear death by water”, becomes true and another thing is the language and from of this part shows the biblical story which is rich in meaning.

   

   (5)  What the Thunder Said:-

First of all, the title of this part of this poem is taken from the “Upnishad”. Moreover, this last part of the poem is more dramatic in both things like, in its imagery as well as in events also. A decaying chapel is described, which suggests the chapel in the legend of the Holy Grail. According to this Hindu fables, the Thunder “gives”, “Sympathizes”, and “controls” through its “speech”. Eliot initiates into a meditation on each of these aspects of the thunder’s power. In this Final part, three roles are introduced to us- Datta, Dayadhvam and Damyata. Datta means, you must become a “Giver”. Do not be so selfish or a person who always expect more and more from the others. Dayadhvam refers to the thing that you must also become a person with having mercy upon the people, and try to be an egoless man. Do not be so pride on you. The third role, Damyata tells us that you must self-control on your passions, ambitions and desires. If your desires, passions and ambitions run amok, then, you have to face the result. So you must have self-control on yourself.

Conclusion:-

Eliot describes the five different parts to show the futile modernity. He tells if you want to achieve salvation, then, follow the three mentioned roles that he displays in the final part. His journey starts from the first part “The Burial of the Dead” and he gets the answer of spiritual salvation in the final part which reflects Upnishad’s importance and he makes us feel by writing, “Shantih, Shantih, Shantih.”