T.S. Eliot’s “Preludes” & Secularism
The sordid nature of urban parallels the decayed and degraded mental psyche of individuals thus reinforcing their lack of spiritual faith. This notion is evident in the lines “And now a gusty shower wraps the grimy scraps of withered leaves about your feet” the vivid visual and tactile imagery recreates the physical sensations of wet grimy leaves and establishes the sordid and grimy atmosphere of society. This parallels the corrupted mental psyche of individuals “You… clasped the yellow soles of feet in the palms of both soiled hands” Eliot employs Imagist conventions through his use of evocative sordid images of “yellow” and “soiled” in order to delineate feelings of repulsion and illustrate the the reflection of sordid urban life on the individuals psyche. This emphasises the individuals prioritization of urban responsibilities over gaining spiritual faith, leading to their consequent mental degradation rather than spiritual restoration and enlightenment
The routine of urban life causes individuals to reject and live an isolated existence away from spiritual faith which consequently and paradoxically isolates them from themselves. This is evident through the associative connection between “Yellow soles of feet” in stanza 3 with “ His soul” in stanza 4. This ironic juxtaposition of the sordid with the spiritual emphasises the individual’s rejection of God and spirituality. This notion is further reinforced in the lines “His soul stretched tight across the skies… trampled by insistent feet at four and five and six o’clock” sibilance used in “Soul, stretched, skies” emphasises that God’s restorative and soothing presence is still amidst the urban landscape. The short fragmented sentence structure created through the repetition of “and” further illustrates the rejection of God’s presence through partaking in repetitive routines that degrade its presence. They prioritize their monotonous routines and urban lifestyle over their own spiritual well being which consequently leads to the deterioration of their identity, “Short square fingers stuffing pipes and evening papers and eyes assured of certain certainties”. Eliot use of enjambment parallels the fragmented nature of individuals. He depicts them as ambiguous body parts of “feet” “fingers” and “eyes” to highlight their dissonant connection to the world thus reinforcing their isolation in society.
