Explain the meaning and significance of the following lines with reference to the context: There is always another one walking beside you Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle hooded I do not know whether a man or a woman - But who is that on the other side of you? (MEG 102) (T.S. ELIOT: THE WASTE LAND (III)

These lines are from the second section of T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," titled "A Game of Chess." The speaker is describing a scene in which two women are sitting and talking in a room, but the lines you have quoted seem to refer to a mysterious figure who is walking beside one of the women.


The phrase "there is always another one walking beside you" suggests the idea of a doppelgänger, or a double, who is accompanying the woman. The word "gliding" suggests a sense of stealth or eeriness, adding to the sense of mystery surrounding this figure. The fact that the figure is "wrapt in a brown mantle hooded" adds to the sense of anonymity and mystery, as it is not clear whether the figure is male or female.


The final line of the passage, "But who is that on the other side of you?" is significant because it suggests the possibility that the second woman in the room may also have a mysterious figure accompanying her. This reinforces the idea of duality and doubles that runs throughout the poem.


Overall, these lines contribute to the sense of unease and disorientation that characterizes "The Waste Land." The mysterious figure walking beside the woman suggests the presence of hidden forces or unseen influences that shape our lives, and adds to the overall sense of fragmentation and alienation that pervades the poem.