The article examines the pervasive themes of disillusionment and despair in T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, situating the poem within the socio-cultural and spiritual crisis of post?First World War Europe. It explores how industrialization, urbanization, loss of religious faith, sexual degeneration, and moral disintegration contribute to spiritual barrenness and emotional sterility in modern life. The study analyzes Eliot's portrayal of modern civilization as fragmented, pessimistic, and mechanized, emphasizing images of decay, drought, monotony, and neurosis. It highlights the poem as a social document reflecting post-war anxiety, hopelessness, and loss of values, while also noting Eliot's belief in possible regeneration through spiritual renewal rooted in Eastern and Western religious philosophies.
Research Scholar, P.G. Department of English and Research Centre, Magadh University, Bodh-Gaya
