Stuffings and Scarecrows
So which is it? Are the Hollow Men "hollow" or are they "stuffed"? Both, it seems. Their hollowness is a sign that they lack a soul and other essential qualities of being human. They are also dead,...
Dryness
The beginning of the poem establishes that the Hollow Men live in a dry and barren world. The presence of cacti confirms that the poem is set in a desert. Dryness is a symbol for lack of life, as w...
Broken Things
Everything around the Hollow Men is broken – nothing is complete. You wouldn't want to lend anything valuable to the Hollow Men or it would probably come back broken. Images of broken objects sym...
Heaven
The Hollow Men never speak of Heaven by name. In fact, they seem afraid to do so. They are curious about what "death's dream kingdom" is like, but they also fear the "eyes" of heavenly souls and th...
Eyes
Have you ever met someone who was completely afraid to look you in the eye? The Hollow Men are like that. They fear the judgmental glare of the people from "death's dream kingdom," but the eyes of...
The Shadow
"The Shadow" isn't just the name of a superhero movie starring Alec Baldwin, it's also the name of the mysterious symbol of darkness that disconnects causes from effects and completely messes with...
Allusions and More Allusions
Eliot is known for quoting, alluding to, and sometimes borrowing from other literary and historical sources. His favorite source for borrowed expressions and ideas is the Italian poet Dante Alighie...