Modernism and the Fragmentation of Human Identity in T. S. Eliot’s Poetry

Abstract

This paper aims to look at the modernism and the disintegration of human identity in T. S. Eliot's poetry. Modernism came out as a strong literary and cultural movement as a response to the social, moral, psychological and spiritual crisis of the early 20th century. The world, which arose from the First World War, industrialization, urbanization and the waning of religious belief and traditional values, was a world of uncertainty, alienation and inner conflict. One of the most important modernist poets, T. S. Eliot was a voice for this troubled state of modern civilization. In his poetry he portrays modern man as lacking in spirit, split in mind and heart, as a lonely, individual man. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, The Hollow Men and Ash-Wednesday, show different aspects of the broken identity. Prufrock is the figure of hesitation, of fear and of self-consciousness, The Waste Land is the paragon of spiritual death of the modern spirit, The Hollow Men is the symbol of inner emptiness and moral weakness, and Ash-Wednesday is a gesture towards spiritual search and eventual redemption from fragmentation. The idea of divided human identity is emphasized by Eliot's poetic devices such as the fragmented structure, multiple voices, symbolism, allusions, mythical method, and broken images. The paper posits that Eliot's poetry is not only descriptive of the modern crisis, but it is a dramatization of the inner collapse of modern human consciousness. Eliot's modernist perspective reveals the tragedy of man who have lost their faith, cultural continuity, moral certainty, and sense of self.