The Absence of Fertility in T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland"

<Tab/>Written in the 1920s, this T.S. Eliot poem describes the modern world as a wasteland in the aftermath of World War I. Literally, "The Wasteland" refers to the battlefields of France, where French and British troops fought the Germans, and have been transformed into muddy graves. Figuratively, Eliot captures the emotional and spiritual despair that had been evident in Europe but became augmented by the deaths associated with WWI. …

…to a literal social, cultural and environmental wasteland on the earth. Furthermore, the pessimistic tone of the poem suggests that Eliot does not believe future generations will be able to restore the former glory of society, as his contradiction of fertility symbols leaves no hope for regeneration. Works Cited Eliot, T.S. "The Wasteland." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 4th edition. <Tab/>Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 1374-1389.