Analyze T.S.Eliot's religion and literature

Religion is a potent theme that surfaces in the poetry of T.S. Eliot. Eliot discusses its relevance for a modern age beset by moral degeneration, war and uncertainty. Eliot's work is characterised by its extensive use of intertextuality, particularly with regard to Biblical allusions and references. The Hollow Men contains an increasingly fragmented 'Lord's Prayer'. Its devolution is representative of the hollow men's inability to articulate a prayer and thus modern man's inability to connect with the divine.

Similar religious symbols are also seen in The Wasteland, to create the idea of a sense of religious isolation and spiritual disconnect that has transcended time. Eliot's personal relationship with religion heavily influences The Journey of Magi. Having just converted from Catholicism to Anglicanism, Eliot transposes his own tumultuous relationship with faith to the Nativity setting of the poem. Eliot undermines the traditionally heroic nature of the venture to demonstrate spiritual conflict and the difficulty of maintaining faith in modern society.