What does Phlebas the Phoenician Sailor represent in the overall context of The Waste Land? (MEG 102) (T.S. ELIOT: THE WASTE LAND (III)

Phlebas the Phoenician Sailor is a significant figure in T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Waste Land." He is mentioned in the fifth and final section of the poem, "Death by Water," where he is described as having died by drowning.

Phlebas can be seen as a symbol of the transience and impermanence of human life, and his death by water can be interpreted as a metaphor for the destructive and transformative power of nature. In a broader sense, Phlebas can also be seen as a symbol of the decline and decay of Western civilization, as well as the spiritual emptiness and alienation that characterized modernity in the aftermath of World War I.

The image of the drowned sailor can also be seen as a reference to the myth of the Fisher King, who is associated with themes of death and resurrection, and who is said to have a wound that will not heal. In "The Waste Land," the wound is seen as a symbol of the spiritual and cultural decay of the modern world, and the only hope for healing and renewal is through a spiritual awakening and a return to traditional values.

Overall, Phlebas the Phoenician Sailor represents a number of themes and ideas that run throughout T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," including the fragility and impermanence of human life, the destructive and transformative power of nature, the decline and decay of Western civilization, and the need for spiritual renewal and awakening.