Colour symbolism in the modern epic The Waste Land. Archetypes of red, violet, green,orange, brown, white.

1. Colours in The
Waste Land

2. Overview :
"The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot - 1922 - Modernist Poetry
Context : Post-World War I disillusionment and cultural upheaval
Draws from mythology, literature, religious texts
Mixes languages, styles, literary allusions
1. "The Burial of the Dead" 2. "A Game of Chess"
3. "The Fire Sermon" 4. "Death by Water" 5. "What the Thunder
Said"
Notable Lines:
"April is the cruellest month..."
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

3. What is Colour symbolism ?
Color symbolism in literature involves using colors to
represent a deeper meaning. Writers may use different
colors to draw the reader’s attention to a symbolic object,
communicate something about a character, or emphasize a
theme.
Human society and many different cultures imbue specific
colors with a set of finite meanings, making color
symbolism especially effective.

4. Red Colour
● Red Symbolism:
● Red is prominently used, signifying destructive and
futile emotions.
● Example 1 (Line 24/25):
● "Only there is shadow under this red rock."
● Follows the mention of a waterless rock, suggesting
destructive emotions tied to barrenness.
● Example 2 (Last Section):
● "Red sullen faces sneer and snarl."
● Red used amid detailed descriptions of water scarcity,
representing aggressive and destructive emotions.

5. Eliot's "Unreal City" borrows from Baudelaire, depicting modern London's financial
district as a nightmarish blend of Eliot's experiences, Baudelaire's dreams, and
echoes of Dante's Inferno, resonating as a recurring symbol of urban decay in the
poem.
Brown symbolizes earthy realism, stability, and a connection to nature, conveying a
sense of wisdom, comfort, and the rich tapestry of life's experiences.
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
Clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind
Crosses the brown land, unheard. The nymphs are departed.
Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.
Brown Colour :

6. Violet Colour :
● Eliot utilizes violet to convey a decadent quality and evoke specific emotions.
● "The Violet Hour" (First Instance):
● Described as a time of waiting, "like a taxi throbbing waiting."
● Conveys a throbbing, painful anticipation, adding an unsettling quality to the
atmosphere.
● "The Violet Air" (Later Instance):
● Described with "cracks and reforms" and "falling towers."
● Eliot employs vivid nightmarish images, including "bats with baby faces in
violet light," "blackened wall," and "decayed hole," with violet light woven into
these scenes.
● Cleanth Brooks suggests that the violet color serves as a symbol of
repentance, implying a thematic connection between the unsettling imagery
and the need for societal redemption.
● Lilac is named after the light purple color of its flowers.

7. “Huge sea-wood fed with copper
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured
stone,
In which sad light a carvéd dolphin swam.”
● The first scene is laid in the drawing room of a fashionable
lady called the lady of situations who is an expert in sex
intrigues
● The story of Philomel, the raped girl who was transformed
into Nightingale - is a symbol of purification through
suffering but in modern times, love has degenerated into
lust and there is no hope of regeneration.
Green signifies the regenerative power of nature,
symbolizing growth, vitality, and the abundance of life.
Orange is often associated with energy, warmth, and
enthusiasm. It symbolizes creativity, joy, and a sense of
adventure, evoking feelings of optimism and vibrancy.
Green and Orange :

8. “White bodies naked on the low damp ground
And bones cast in a little low dry garret,”
White, as an archetype, embodies purity, innocence, and spiritual
enlightenment, symbolizing a clean slate, tranquility, and the
potential for new beginnings.
● The section opens with a desolate riverside scene: Rats
and garbage surround the speaker, who is fishing and
“musing on the king my brother’s wreck.”
● The river-song begins in this section, with the refrain
from Spenser’s Prothalamion: “Sweet Thames, run softly
till I end my song.”
● A snippet from a vulgar soldier’s ballad follows, then a
reference back to Philomela.

9. “Color Symbolism in Literature: Examples and Meanings - 2024.” MasterClass, 30 March 2022,
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/color-symbolism-in-literature. Accessed 16 February
2024.
DR. SANCHITHA J. “20 T. S. Eliot: The Wasteland.” T. S. Eliot: The Wasteland – Twentieth Century
English Literature, https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/engp04/chapter/t-s-eliot-the-wasteland/.
Accessed 16 February 2024.
Vinegar, Natalie. “- Water, Rain, Red, and Violet in The Waste Land.” Modernism, 6 March 2011,
https://sternmodernism.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post.html. Accessed 16 February 2024.
References