T.S. Eliot - "The Waste Land"

This post covers sections III - V of "The Waste Land."

Section III - "The Fire Sermon"

The title of this section refers to a sermon of the Buddha which urged devotees to steer clear of carnal passions in order to achieve nirvana.  The section is the most sensual among the five sections and is overtly sexual.  Rather than being sexual in a vulgar way, this section treats the topic of sexuality with some reverence for its confounding mysteries.  This theme is not apparent initially.  We are beholden to a scene of desolation in which "The nymphs are departed" and one cannot find any traces of "summer nights" (Lines 175, 179).  Throughout this section, the theme of sexual intrigue is made apparent through its absence in the life of the speaker.  Within lines 197-222, Eliot speaks of anticipation; the anticipation of the woman for her lover. The lines that follow give a detailed description of the ladies belongings in her boudoir.  Here, the sexes are delineated.  The woman must maintain the proper vestiges of her sex in order to attract men but in matters of copulation, she is relieved when the ordeal is over with (Lines 245-249).  This stanza ends with the speaker describing himself in lowly and diminutive language as someone who has "walked among the lowest of the dead."The ideas conveyed by Eliot in this section are reminiscent of those within "The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock."  As a man, the speaker is condemned to a passionate drive to be accepted and embraced by the woman while she is either indifferent towards or repelled by his advances.  Beginning with line 266, the scene changes as does the form of the poem.  We are taken to sea.  Seafaring motifs recur throughout the poem.  The section as a whole is devoted to repressed sexuality in favor of purity or due to lack of sexual opportunities.

Section IV - "Death by Water"

This is the shortest section of the poem and consists of three short stanzas.  The brief section reads like a lament for the drowned Phlebas.  It also functions as a cryptic, discretionary reference.  The speaker warns his audience to "Consider Phelbas, who was once handsome and tall as you" (Line 321).  Perhaps this is to remind the audience of the fleeting nature of youth and beauty.

Section V -