Wanderer in a Waste Land Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wanderer in a Waste Land - Essay Example Indeed, his reference to the fire represents certain unnecessary desires for human beings. In particular, Eliot suggests in â€Å"The Fire Sermon† that these desires cause intense destruction to their respective immediate environments. Ideally, human beings should be free from such desires as numerous seductions (Thesing & Wrede). However, this is not what happens in the contemporary world, as Eliot would wish. The fire burns up a moral civilization and replaces it with one that is sinful in a symbolic manner. Consequently, the desires, which Eliot dislikes, cause uncountable evils hence the need to avoid them. There is a noteworthy divergence in the use of fire in this film called â€Å"The Way Back†. This is because fire does not refer to any human sins in this film. However, it is a positive phenomenon for the wanderer who experiences several hardships. For example, the wanderer needs the fire to warm himself on his way to India. The wanderer cannot survive without the fire given that the place he has to go through has extremely cold weather. In addition, the nights get cold hence necessitating the presence of the fire to the wanderer. Moreover, the wanderer must have fire to cook all the foods because there are no alternative cooking methods in the desert. The fire also plays other significant roles in the wilderness, for example, providing light (Weir). Eliot uses the phenomenon of water to introduce a feeling of realizing ones sins. For example, in this section of the poem he reveals characters who finally understand their sins. In addition, these characters wish to cleanse their respective souls because they now hate sin. Consequently, this significant realization occurs through water. Indeed, there is an admirable change in the characters that change from their respective sinful manners. Consequently, the film uses water to indicate an element of survival for the wanderers