Literary Landscape - A Close Reading of T.S. Eliot's "The Dry Salvages" (No. 3 of 'Four Quartets')
T.S Eliot’s The Dry Salvages, the third of ‘Four Quartets’ (1941), is widely considered a spiritual masterpiece, a modernist poem that discusses time and humanity’s existence within time. It is also, however, capable of being utilised for a range of spiritual and personal purposes and is illustrative of the idea that all “worlds,” ecosystems, and organisms are bodies of water, inherently connected to one another. If nothing else, it conveys the eco-concept of hydroarmonía through its depiction of the sea and its fixtures as prevailing through time, a symbol of ecological strength, and an entity that sees and reflects all other aspects of the natural world. This essay will also consider The Dry Salvages through a uniquely contemporary perspective, applying its themes to the issue of climate change and environmental degradation.
We begin with a fairly obvious example of the interconnectedness between natural realms, between water and human lives. Eliot, beginning his second stanza, writes, ‘[T]he river is within us, the sea is all about us’ (line 15). Water, the key elemental image throughout this work, is deployed in this metaphor to convey the profound kinship between people and water. The ‘river’ and ‘sea’ are treated differently, however. The river is represented as a body of water existing within our human bodies – an integral element whose flow is necessary for our survival as bodies of water. On the other hand, the sea exists in our immediate and vast surroundings, and thus extends our connection to it into other, vaster, earthly elements. It is, therefore, the primary means of our connection to plant and animal worlds, acting as the “web,” which connects these dominions.
This image of the sea may also serve as a cue with which we may remember our ecological responsibility, reflecting our comprehension that humanity’s effects upon the environment will impact us on a personal level as beings formed by and surrounded by water. This discernible sense that the sea demands our respect as an earthly force is extended through the motif of the ‘bell,’ which disrupts the poem on two occasions. Eliot writes, ‘And the ground swell, that is and was from the beginning; [C]langs; The bell’ (lines 48-50). ‘[G]round swell’ alludes to the geographical occurrence of a deep ocean swell, while the symbolic bell and onomatopoeic clang sound present an auditory image that seeks to disrupt the setting. The bell is not a natural image and thus represents an attempt on the part of humanity to intervene in the natural landscape. This attempt at disturbing the sea’s noise and immensity is futile in light of the sea’s power and vastness. As a result, the sea is presented as a force that cannot be reckoned with, an unmistakable power that operates of its own accord. This corroborates the concept that water possesses an innate capacity to connect ecological bodies and supports Penny’s Burdge’s assertion that ecological imagery assists in ‘constructing a theological understanding of the environment’ which is appropriate for addressing any crises (2020, 570). While Eliot’s purpose in writing this spiritual text may differ from its ecological interpretations, readers still come to understand the polytheistic power of nature and, more specifically, of water.
Part II of the poem follows a similar trajectory, further establishing the power of water. Whilst it does this, it may also be interpreted by contemporary readers as a commentary on environmental degradation in parts. Eliot invites readers to ponder the environment with him, stating, ‘[W]e cannot think of a time that is oceanless; Or of an ocean not littered with wastage’ (lines 71-72). The use of ‘[w]e’ invites readers to engage in an intimate conversation with the author. In parallel, the repetition of ‘ocean’ emphasises the triumph of water through time and conveys the importance of its survival as an omnipresent earthly force. At the same time, the diction of ‘wastage’ highlights the extensive consequences of environmental degradation through pollution. Eliot’s earlier contention that the river is a ‘strong brown god’ (line 2) is forgotten: ‘[B]y worshippers of the machine’ (line 10) also supports this contemporary reading of eco-pollution. His use of religious connotation manifests in a uniquely sarcastic tone - human beings as ‘worshippers of the machine’ are exaggeratedly loyal to industrialisation and progress – forgotten is the ‘strong brown god’. Industrial cities and development become iconographic in this way. More importantly, perhaps, the river (or water) is depicted as ‘waiting, watching and waiting’ for humanity to fall out of this stupor (Eliot, line 10). The water is thus personified, while the repetition of ‘waiting’ and the alliterative syntax effectively reinstates ecological power as a dominant spiritual force. This supports Penny’s contention that ecological figurative language is comprised of elements which ‘[point] beyond their own outward forms’ to a further spiritual ideal (2015, 98). The Anthropocene’s current irreverence towards water is consequently deplored. These examples therefore consolidate the idea that the hydrosphere demands respect as a spiritual entity which sees all and reigns through time as the ultimate omniscient force on Earth. The hydrosphere is further established as a stable, omnipresent fixture of the Earth through Eliot’s description of an ocean rock as ‘merely a monument’ ‘[O]n a halcyon day’ and ‘always a seamark’ ‘[I]n navigable weather’ (lines 128-129). Eliot’s choice to represent an ocean rock as a ‘monument’ and ‘seamark’ effectively convey dual elements of water, a stable point of navigation, and a resilient hyperobject. It is consequently characterised as a unique power during turbulence and thus supports the notion that water may be used as a point of reference for environmental catastrophe.
In summation, T.S Eliot’s The Dry Salvages is a useful example of the power of ecological interpretation and supports the principles of the eco-concept hydroarmonía through its depiction of water as a spiritual power, both reflective of other Earthly realms and a potential mechanism through which environmental degradation can be better communicated and understood. At once a poem regarding Christianity, it also illustrates the power of the river, sea and ocean to connect ecosystems as a powerful and prevailing hyperobject.
See the full text available here: http://www.davidgorman.com/4quartets/3-salvages.htm
- Victoria Katsinas (z5364193)