The use of Symbolism:
Juxtaposition of Past and Present:
A basic symbolism reinforced by other devices is used for the conscious creation of the field of the present out of the past. A direct statement of the interrelationship between the past, present and future occurs in the words of Harry:
“How can we be concerned with the past
And not with the future? Or with the future
And not with the past?”
Harry's Home, the Scene of Action:
Harry's home, significantly called Wishwood is the scene of action. If nothing changed in time one might repeat an earlier experience and Harry might find his other self in boyhood at home.
Rose-Garden, another Symbol:
The rose - garden is part of the flower and garden imagery which Eliot has used from beginning to the end of his career as a writer. The rose garden dialogue of Harry and Agatha will appear enigmatic unless related to this garden imagery in Eliot's poetry and especially to the symbolic rose garden of Ash Wednesday and Burnt Norton. Agatha recalls the fleeting moment of ecstasy when:
I only looked through the little door
When the sun was shining on the rose garden.
The Furies, Symbols of Harry's Sense of Guilty:
Harry's haunting sense of evil is objectified at Wishwood in the form of the Furies. These are the beings he has fled from as he comes back to his rose - garden only to find that they are directly in front of him. The Furies are symbols which remind him always of his guilt and his duty to expiate his sin. Harry now sees that he must pursue them that he cannot escape the guilt they symbolise, but must accept it as the basis of his self-purification.
The Utter Darkness Symbolising Harry's Strenuous Path:
Harry's action of leaving his home makes his Wishwood another Chapel Perilous in The Waste Land, a place where one must die to be reborn. In the original Chapel Perilous the lights of the Chapel are gradually extinguished during the night's vigil , this rite is performed on the candles of his mother's birthday-cake. The utter darkness that concludes the play also symbolises the dark and strenuous path that Harry has to pursue in order to work out his salvation and that of his family for the ultimate family-reunion.
River and the Sea, Symbols Constituting the Imagery:
Apart from the basic or incidental symbolism, there are other symbols constituting the imagery. The sea symbolises the unity of past, present and future. It represents the collected body history; its confused surface makes no distinction between individual epochs.
The Symbols of the Eyes:
The symbol of the eyes is another important symbol which is repeated throughout Eliot's poetry. In The Family Reunion the eyes represent the Furies, the objectification of Harry's guilt:
In Itly from behind the nightingales thicket
The eyes stared at me, and corrupted that song.
At the close of the first part, Agatha closes the action with a reference to the eye which is on the Monchensey house, and converts it. There it is meant to suggest the family - curse which is handed down through the generations. Harry is the object of this watchful eye because he is the conscience of his unhappy family.
The Symbol of the Stair:
The symbol of the stair establishes the play's connection with Ash Wednesday. The bewildered chorus incapably understanding the situation of the play expresses their bafflement:
We do not like to climb a stair,
and find that it takes us down.
The Spring Season, Symbol of Sacrifice:
The spring season is symbolic of a season of sacrifice. Harry represents the spirit of the New Year. He is conscious of a spiritual reality which brings him in conflict with his worldly mother.
Fire, the Mythical Symbol:
Amy is an old woman near death, the time of the action is late March, the time of the spring fertility-ceremonies and, in corresponding Christian terms of Easter. Amy's instructions to make fire suggest the sacrificial fire used for the cooking of the old god, as well as being the mystical symbol for purgatorial flames.
Hot Bath Symbolising the Ritual Purgation:
The act of curing her son's spiritual sickness with a hot bath by Amy is symbolically the ritual of purgation. Dr. Warburton is called in to diagnose Harry's state in medical terms.
The Members of the Chorus Symbolising Worldly Values:
The members of the chorus use theatrical imagery to express their role in the play. They continually see themselves as unwillingly playing parts assigned to them by Amy. They are like amateur actors who have not been assigned their parts. They stick to their worldly values. They want to be reassured of their normal life, but gradually they become aware that a great spiritual drama is being enacted before their eyes.
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