Exploring The Waste Land
A commentary page linked from The Waste Land, Part II, line 118


Part II
Line 118

Eliot's note to line 118 alludes to 'Is the wind in that door still?' and refers to a scene in a play where a dying man is stabbed and then thought killed but is ironically really brought to life by the stabbing by its having lanced an earlier wound and causing an infection to be discharged. As I interpret this allusion Eliot's first marriage, which closely followed Jean Verdenal's death, was supposed to kill the memory of Verdenal. However, the trials of Eliot's unfortunate marriage brought the memory of Eliot's friend back to life, even with its own painful associations.


Exploring The Waste Land
File name: kq118.html
File date: Sunday, September 29, 2002
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