How Does T. S. Eliot Use Allusions In The Hollow Men

Imagine a world where the people have no hope for the future. “The Hollow Men” was written by poet T.S. Eliot during the 1920s in London when World War I was taking place. “The Hollow Men” describes the world of godless despair without the promise of salvation. T.S. Eliot was born on September 26, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was educated at Harvard University then later attended school at Sorbonne in Paris, France. He later went on the marry an Englishwoman named Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot who was a governess and writer at the time. Eliot then went on to become an editor and publisher. Eliot uses allusions and metaphors in “The Hollow Men” to depict the idea that having vague dreams of salvation will diminish hope in individuals. “The Hollow Men” describes the life of people who are empty inside. These people are seeking for their final heaven and freedom from this hollow land. The whole poem focuses on this whole idea of the hollow men being hopeless in their society. Many times the poem shows that the hollow men feel that they will rescued. The stars …show more content…
Line 14 of the poem alludes to Dante’s Paradiso in which Dante talks about direct eyes having been blessed by God. Another biblical allusion would be that of line 20. Line 20 speaks of “death’s other kingdom” which is another name for heaven in the poem. The valley in line 55 alludes to Psalms 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The ending of “The Hollow Men” consists of the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer that goes "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen." The allusions were used to represent how faith and salvation play in the world of the hollow men. Their faith and salvation show how the hollow men have some sort of religion to help them gain