The Waste Land

The Waste Land, a 434-line modernist poem by T.S. Eliot revolves around a world of what seems to be chaotic and dead, and led by a single protagonist. Throughout The Waste Land, there are many uses of symbolism with tarot cards, astrology, and especially the game of chess: The game of chess is such a meaningful symbol throughout the story, that metaphors are used to describe the situation and emotions of the characters throughout the poem by describing them as chess pieces and in check-mate situations. After considering the game of chess, and comparing to T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, the reading changes and it makes the reader view the poem as a game of life and death; a poem of survival, where less meaningful people and things must sacrifice themselves to save what matters most to them.

Beginning the second part of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land is a Game of Chess. This section focuses on two opposing scenes, one of high society and one of the lower classes. The first half of the section portrays a wealthy, highly groomed woman surrounded by marvelous furnishings. As she waits for a lover, her neurotic thoughts become frantic, and her day culminates for a game of chess. The second part of this section shifts to a bar, where two women discuss a third woman. The bartender constantly calls out, “HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME” (the bar is closing). In between the bartender’s announcements, one of the women recounts a conversation with her friend Lil, whose husband has just been discharged from the army. She complains about her lacking of bettering herself; getting false teeth so her husband won’t chase after other women. Lil claims that the cause of her ravaged looks is the medication required for an abortion; seeing she almost died after giving birth to her fifth child, refusing to have another.

The first line of a Game of Chess begins with the line, “The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne.” The chair she sat in is obviously the chair one of the women is sitting on. But like a burnished throne suggests the woman is of royalty as not only is she sitting on a throne, but burnished is something sparkly and gleaming. So this wealthy woman is like the Queen of chess.

Then following the first line are lines 3-8:

Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines

From which a golden Cupidon peeped out

(Another hid his eyes behind his wing)

Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra

Reflecting light upon the table as

The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it.

The Cupidon is a beautiful, child-like creature with wings who forces, or helps, a person to fall in love or be loved. The fact there are two, and one his hiding behind its wings, may suggest that this women with jewels and riches is a shallow and judgmental person. For the Cupidon to be shy, when its talent is creating joyful personality, suggests that this woman is already beautiful; she’s just consumed by money and wealth.

Furthermore, lines 97-100 suggest a sense of power as everything changes from beautiful to barbaric:

As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene

The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king

So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale…

The sylvan scene is woody and green. But yet the word sylvan may have a hidden meaning as the woods and canopies of leaves and branches can create a dark and shady environment. This may be supported as there is a change in Philomel (string instruments) as a violent and selfish king is introduced. He forces himself into the picture. Yet, there is a gorgeous woman, the nightingale; whose purpose is to enforce joy with wealth and sexuality вЂ" all necessities in keeping a king satisfied.

As the poem continues, lines 117-35 are of the nightingale asking numerous questions of what to do next and do the following day. She asks if anything’s been noticed and remembered, and asks in line 126, “Are you alive, or not?” These questions are the nightingale speaking to the King as they go through rat’s alley, where men have died. But these questions also are symbolic to the game of chess. Like in chess, both players moves need to be mentally recorded, and they must always be aware of their opponent’s moves; because in chess, one king must die.

In the second part of the game of chess, the poem leads right into two women in a bar. And continuing from the second part, line 138 says, “And we shall play a game of chessвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ This is almost ironic as in the first section; the wealthy is categorized as the king and queen. They’re the heads of the chess game and they fear any little threat.

Also, line 142 and line 153 is the bartender shouting, “HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME.” These lines are the bartender warning the women that the bar is closing. But when he shouts his warning, it breaks off the two women’s conversation and interrupts the reader from capturing concrete information of what happens to Lil’s husband Albert. It’s as if the bartender is the women’s opponent, rushing them to decide