Critically comment on T. S. Eliot’s use of myth in “The Waste Land.”

T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” is a complex modernist poem that uses myth not only as a literary device but as a framework to understand the spiritual crisis of the modern world. Eliot believed that myth could provide structure and deeper meaning in a time of cultural fragmentation. His use of myths from various cultures makes the poem rich, layered, and symbolic.

1. The Fertility Myth (The Grail Legend)

One of the central myths in “The Waste Land” is the Fisher King legend. In the myth, the king’s land becomes barren because he is wounded. Only when someone undertakes a quest and asks the right questions can the land be restored.

In Eliot’s version, modern society is like the Waste Land—barren, meaningless, and spiritually dry. The poet uses this myth to suggest that modern people have lost connection with nature, faith, and purpose, just like the dying kingdom in the legend.

2. Use of Eastern and Western Myths

Eliot blends Hindu philosophy with Christian imagery and Greek mythology. For example, the line “Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata” from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad offers spiritual advice: give, sympathize, and control. This points toward the possibility of spiritual healing.

Similarly, the reference to Tiresias, the blind prophet from Greek mythology, is crucial. Tiresias observes the modern world’s moral decay. Eliot writes:

> “I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives...”

Tiresias becomes a unifying mythic figure who represents both male and female experience and acts as a timeless witness of human suffering and failure.

3. Myth as a Structural Tool

Eliot follows James Frazer’s “The Golden Bough” and Weston’s “From Ritual to Romance,” both of which discuss fertility rites and ancient myths. Eliot uses these sources to structure his poem, turning “The Waste Land” into a kind of mythic quest—a search for meaning and redemption in a broken world.

4. Myth vs. Modern Life

By contrasting ancient myths with scenes from modern life (such as the typist and the office worker), Eliot shows how far modern civilization has fallen. The myths speak of ritual, depth, and spirituality, while the present is mechanical, shallow, and disordered.

Conclusion

In “The Waste Land,” Eliot uses myth to reveal, explain, and critique the collapse of modern values. Myths serve as a lens through which the poet views modernity—not just as decay, but as something that can potentially be renewed. Eliot’s mythical method gives the poem unity, resonance, and timeless significance.