Four Quartets - The Dry Salvages Summary

Section I

Eliot calls the river a brown god, which flows continuously, with might. He says its rhythms are evident in life itself. He relates the movement and pulse of the river to humanity's meanderings through space and time. Eliot talks of the interrelationship between the past, present, and future. Eliot also talks of the sea, how it tosses lost items upon the shore. He hints that this is like our mind, which stirs up old memories and presents them to us to reconsider.

Section II

Eliot talks of human suffering in this section. Life goes on day by day, and there is much pain and agony in people's lives. While one goes about normal activities, others experience tragedy, trials, and hardship. He also speaks of aging and how one balks at losing...