T. S. Eliot's indigenous critical concepts and "The Hollow Men"

In this poem "The Hollow Men", the human beings have been shown devoid of the qualities of faith, moral strength, of personality, determination and that of humanity; they are like empty bodies, lacking all human virtues. By direct and indirect similes and metaphors, the poet has tried to depict a situation which not only the characters in the poem are facing but the readers also face the same feelings while reading the poem. The abstract world of the mind and the concrete and visible shape of the poem are so identical that they truly and objectively represent each other. This kind of masterly skill helps a reader understand the poem in itself--considering, in Eliot's words, the poem a thing in itself--without, again and again, looking into the mind of the poem. The title, the theme and the characters look reinforcing one another to develop the impersonal impression of the poem. However, a number of critics have called "the Hollow Men" a 'personal poem.' For it presents the poet's views on the contemporary life. It is a cry of despair unrelieved by hope.. His practice of walking on the footsteps of his forerunners is not limited only to the well-reputed artists, but the writers not so much known are also alluded at a number of places. This paper qualitatively evaluates the poet's expertise of portraying the concepts of impersonality and tradition in this poem. Key words: impersonality; tradition; images; allusions; objectification.