Sir Syed Journal of Education & Social Research Vol. 5, Issue 4, 2022 (October – December) ISSN 2706-6525 (online), ISSN 2706-8285(Print) ISSN 2706-9362(CD-ROM), ISSN 2706-6525 (ISSN-L) DOI: https://doi.org/10.36902/sjesr-vol5-iss4-2022(141-146) ________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ * NUML, Islamabad, Pakistan Email: yarafat@numl.edu.pk ** NUML, Islamabad, Pakistan Email: qasim22822@gmail.com ***Dhofar University, Sultanate of Oman Email: tahiralam81@gmail.com 141 SJESR Sir Syed Journal of Education & Social Research The Land and the Waste: Meaninglessness and Absurdity in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land * Dr. Yasir Arafat, Assistant Professor (English) ** Muhammad Qasim, PhD English Literature Scholar (Corresponding Author) *** Tahir Alam Awan, English Language Instructor __________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract After the World War-1, there spread chaos and disillusionment in society, faith got shattered and life became meaningless. Jean-Paul Sartre’s version of Existentialism is based on this meaninglessness and absurdity. Man faces an absurd and meaningless existence in this chaotic world. Thus these two are the main tropes of Sartre’s philosophy. T. S. Eliot also lived in that chaotic age and composed his long narrative poem The Waste Land (1930) after the World War. This poem is based on the consequences of the war that caused absurdity and chaos depriving human life of real significance and value. This study explores and analyses these aspects of meaninglessness and absurdity in The Waste Land (1930) in the light of Sartre’s philosophy and contends to say that almost all of the characters presented in the poem encounter meaningless and chaotic lives. Their lives are without any real purpose and are quite insignificant in a chaotic and disorderly world. So the land is full of the waste only. This meaningless life is nothing but a heap of the waste. By presenting this picture of chaotic life, Eliot intends to forward a solution in the form of rebirth of the lost religious faith and moral values. This research is significant because the aspects of meaninglessness and absurdity accurately relate to our current times where human beings face real existential threat and the significance of life is being lost. This awareness may lead to an immediate solution. Moreover, this study may provoke further research in this area in order to bring out the relevance of literary texts to all times and human life everywhere. Keywords: Meaninglessness, Chaos, Absurdity, Disorderly, Existence, Significance Introduction T. S. Eliot‟s poetry is primarily existentialist in nature because it is replete with the realization that modern civilization and culture are chaotic, devoid of faith and values. This tragic sense of life is a direct result of the World War-1 that shook the very roots of the society and ruined life in the West. T. S. Eliot is well aware of his times and beautifully paints the picture of disorderly life in his long narrative poem The Waste Land (1930). All of the characters of the poem represent the disillusioned generation of war-torn Western society. In the same fashion, Jean-Paul Sartre, a renowned French philosopher and a leading existentialist thinker, scans this chaotic life in his fictional and philosophical works quite accurately. His version of Existentialism is primarily based on meaninglessness and absurdity of human life. So, it is very interesting to explore and analyse T. S. Eliot‟s The Waste Land (1930) and this study intends to bring out the aspects of meaninglessness and absurdity in the light of Sartre‟s views. Jean-Paul Sartre views life as chaotic and meaningless. Man is sent into a disorderly world where life is insignificant and has no goal or destination. It tragically ends and sinks into nothingness. Man has no support or guidance except for his own self that can strive to bring him out of the chaos and void into which he is thrown. Research Objectives 1. To bring out the aspect of meaninglessness in Eliot‟s The Waste Land 2. To explore and analyse the theme of absurdity in the text 3. To highlight the significance and importance of the analysis and exploration of meaninglessness and absurdity