The Waste Land, a 434-line modernist poem by TS Eliot revolves around a world that seems chaotic and dead, and ruled by a single protagonist. Throughout The Waste Land there are many uses of symbolism with tarot cards, astrology and especially the game of chess: the game of chess is such a significant symbol throughout the story that metaphors are used to describe the situation and the emotions of the characters. throughout the poem describing them as chess pieces and in checkmate situations. After considering the game of chess and comparing it to TS Eliot's The Waste Land, the reading changes and leads the reader to consider the poem as a game of life and death; a poem of survival, where less significant people and things must sacrifice themselves to save what matters most to them. The beginning of the second part of The Waste Land by TS Eliot is a game of chess. This section focuses on two opposing scenes, that of high society and that of the working classes. The first half of the section depicts a very well-groomed, wealthy woman surrounded by wonderful furniture. As she waits for a lover, her neurotic thoughts become frenzied and her day ends with a game of chess. The second part of this section moves to a bar, where two women are chatting with a third woman. The bartender constantly shouts, “HURRY, PLEASE, IT'S TIME” (the bar closes). Between the bartender's announcements, one of the women recounts a conversation with her friend Lil, whose husband has just been discharged from the army. She complains of her lack of improvement; get false teeth so her husband won't run after other women. Lil claims the cause of her ravaged appearance is the medication needed for an abortion; seeing that she almost died after...... middle of paper...... the pawns. Throughout TS Eliot's The Waste Land, there are countless acts of symbolism. But there is nothing more symbolic than the game of chess as it is described in its own section of the long poem. The first part of the section describes a king and a queen; how fragile their wealth and power is, even when they are together. The second part of the poem is more metaphorical of pawns and other pieces (knights, castle and knights). Lil, one of the women, must sacrifice her life to keep her money, but lose her husband, the king. Or Lil can save her king if she invests in fixing his teeth. Even the bartender plays the role of adversary as he urges the girls to leave and make their next move. The symbolism in the game of chess is a great metaphor throughout the section that transitions the reading from a complex story to an informative game of chess..