T.S.

Eliot Poem Theme Analysis

One of the themes identified in the poem Hysteria, by T.S. Eliot is that
hysteria affects everyone. In the poem, a man is having lunch with some woman.
At the beginning, the woman is laughing hysterically and the man feels as though
he will do the same, As she laughed I was aware of becoming involved in
her/laughter and being part of it (Eliot 1-2). Eliot uses the metaphor, Until her
teeth were/only accidental stars with a talent for squad-drill, to describe how
intense the womans laughter was (2-3). The man tries repeatedly to focus on his
surroundings so that he will not join in with the woman. An elderly waiter with
trembling hands was hurriedly/spreading a pink and white checked cloth (Eliot
6-7). He is trying to focus on the waiter serving him to keep himself from
becoming involved in her laughter. In addition, because the waiter had trembling
hands, one can assume that he felt uncomfortable because of the womans
laughter. So not only did she have an effect on the narrator, but the narrator as
well. The author also uses repetition to show the effect she is having on the
narrator, if the lady and gentleman/wish to take their tea in the garden, if the lady
and/gentleman wish to take their tea into the garden (Eliot 8-9). This repetition
is supposed to be an echo, meaning that the man could not focus on what the waiter
was telling him because he was becoming too involved with the womans
behavior. Eventually, the womens hysteria becomes contagious and the narrator
becomes hysterical too.