A Look at the Women of The Waste Land

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T.S. Eliot’s poem, The Waste Land, shuffles through many characters, several of who are women. Each one of the characters has their own story and their own voice. They each contribute something unique to the overall meaning of the poem. The women in particular vary widely in age, stage of life, education level, and socioeconomic status. Their voices are unique and distinctive, and it is typically easy to tell them apart when they come up in the poem. However, despite their differences, Eliot remarked that the women are actually all a manifestation of a single woman. Two women in the poem who exemplify this thought make their appearance in Part II: “A Game of Chess.” These women appear to be complete opposites, but they work together in the poem to express Eliot’s view on modern sexuality.

The first woman introduced in Part II of The Waste Land is a wealthy, upper-class woman who is sitting in a chair that is described as being “like a burnished throne” (8). The setting described in the poem indicates the woman’s position in life. She sits in her chair surrounded by marble, a candelabra, jewels, satin, and perfumes. These words set a regal tone, but they also elicit a certain feeling of coldness. This feeling stems from the fact that the woman is wearing jewels and perfumes and is sitting at a table with candles like she is waiting for a guest, but there is no indication that her guest has arrived. There is a strong feeling of detachment. Even the light in the room is even described as being “sad” at one point in the poem (8). The setting gives the impression that the woman is waiting for someone important, possibly even a lover.

Eliot alludes to a lover with the inclusion of the references to Middleton’s play, Women Beware Wom...

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...and for reasons other than to produce children, she has driven herself mad. She has become desperate and unstable. Likely, Eliot views these consequences as a direct result of her actions. The second woman seemed to do everything according to Eliot’s philosophy, but her husband could not keep his hands off of her, implying that the couple had sex for more reasons than just to procreate, and she had an abortion. The abortion breaks the chain of nature and therefore contributes to the mental and emotional decline that Lil faces. Despite their very different lifestyles and situations, Lil and the first woman have the same problem in Eliot’s eyes. Their lack of respect for what Eliot views as the correct way to think about sex has earned them a spot in The Waste Land.

Works Cited

Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land. Ed. Michael North. New York: W.W. Norton, 2001. Print.

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