Conflicts inhere in the doctrine of the Trinity because it is a forced union of two beings of opposing natures, time-bound and timeless and concretely physical and transcendental. This union was a necessary historical step of theological development and entails inevitable controversies. Eliot responded to the given world of lost belief in the transcendental, first by severely criticizing its depravities and later by actively groping for a solution to it with earnest attempts to restore Christian faith and values. Before his conversion in 1927, his works were full of acute criticism on the disarrayed civilization, especially on its sexual disorders, arguing that the world was abandoned to pleasure with no awareness of divine goals or causes. The Waste Land is an expression of Eliot’s distaste for such a fallen world. Ash-Wednesday is by contrast is a preliminary step toward accepting Christian faith with the help from Saint Mary, the mediator between God and humanity. This poem focuses on feminine elements, suggesting that Eliot is at this stage searching for a guide who would ultimately lead him to God, as suggested by some psychological studies on the role of Saint Mary as the mediator. Four Quartets is a full-out attempt to access the clues of divine work in the world. Eliot mobilizes every possible resource for this effort and seems to succeed in assuredly telling his reader that we can access the Incarnation if we are alert and open-minded enough.
Byunghwa Joh (Thu,) studied this question.