TS Eliot's The Waste Land frustrates the reader with such dense complexity that he or she feels lost. This frustration arises from the poem's fragmented structure of characters, place, and time, which offers the reader an insight into post-World War I civilization and the authors' chaotic state of mind. It shows how modern life appears fragmented and disordered through shifting images, points of view and alternating time periods. TS Eliot uses allusions to myth, history and literature to lead us out of the limited present moment and ego to transcend into a free self and in harmony with others and nature. TS Eliot suggests myths in The Waste Land to let the reader indirectly recognize the timeless point of view and ultimately find a way out that will lead to happiness. The author uses myths such as that of the Fisher King and the Quest for the Grail to associate the impulse to search, discover and seek change for the sake of self-knowledge. Fisher King focuses on ancient fertility rituals. After the king was injured, he was believed to be responsible for turning his land into “a wasteland.” As the legend says, if the King is healed, the land will flourish. In other words, the fertility of the land depends on the power and virility of the King and can only be restored through sacrifice. Likewise, Eliot incorporates the Grail Quest to reinstate how a quest through the desert land serves as purification. Perhaps the author uses these myths to describe how distorted and corrupt modern society is. He relates these legends to the emptiness of modern culture to allow the reader to discover the true meaning of life. “Eliot points out the simple fact of this cultural void and I… middle of paper… society is corrupt, and the only way to revitalize it is to become one with the world and with oneself. The only way to bring order to the self and the world is to be reborn in our spirit. Finally, The Waste Land is a mirror image of the collapse of a historical, social and cultural order constantly represented with scenes of violence and death. Eliot expects the reader to participate in a quest of discovery through his myths, history, and literature to allow us to escape the imprisoning present and the ego to reveal meaning, truth, and virtue. Works Cited • (1) Free Essays on Waste Land: Underlying Myths in the Waste Land." 123HelpMe.com.05December 2010• (2) "SparkNotes: Eliot's Poetry: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols." SparkNotes: The Best Study Guides popular today. Web. 5 December. 2010. .