In human societies, there is interdependence between members of the community as they seek to accomplish their daily tasks and achieve individual and social goals. Durkheim’s theory of social solidarity is based on this phenomenon. He argues that societies place some amount of control, integration and regulation on individuals. In addition, he suggests that everybody is bound to live within these aspects. In his 1922 poem “The waste land”, Thomas Eliot attempts to portray how social solidarity of in the modern world is affected by social and cultural changes such as the change in gender roles, dynamism in humanity and psyche of humanity.
Similarly, in his play “Angels in America”, the 1993 Pulitzer winner Tony Kushner attempts to describe how modern societies are bound by social solidarity; the community’s embracing of change and the impact of change on social solidarity in the modern context. Both writers, although at different times in history, attempt to highlight the changing nature of social solidarity. Eliot tends to describe how the community’s social solidarity changes as communities are destroyed, and others created. In his play, Kushner attempts to portray how changes in the society affect social solidarity with time and how social solidarity tends to change with these changes. Arguably, despite their different approach to the topic of social solidarity and change, both writers seem to derive one notable factor- that social solidarity remains a pivotal aspect of any society, despite the endured changes in cultural, norms, values and behavior.
In “The waste land”, Eliot attempts to express his perception on modern society and modernity. He attempts to describe how the changing or destroyed psyche of humanity affects social relationships and social solidarity. With reference to Europe, Eliot points at some notable historical aspects such as the First World War as a cause of loss of culture and humanity. It causes of changes in social solidarity.
In the first section of the poem (called “the love song of J. Alfred Prufrock”), Eliot describes the impacts of the Second World War on European culture (Eliot 27). For instance, it left the social nature of Britain destroyed, with a large number of young men lost in the battle. The remaining population cannot find happiness. The social order has been destroyed and the social connections have cut. This is shown when speaker in this section wonders whether he should die, eat or change his life (Bush 37). He is an example of the people left hopeless after the social solidarity has been destroyed by the war. In addition, the poem describes the impact of war on the wider society- the social system has been destroyed. For instance, as the speaker narrates, the war has destroyed the British Empire. The damaged psyche of humanity in Europe is preventing the remaining people to communicate and connect with each other. In other words, social solidarity is entirely affected as shown in the “hollow men” that Eliot mentions in this poem.
Despite this, Eliot’s poem continues to describe how a new society is developing after the war, with changes that cause evolution of European social solidarity. For instance, he describes the growing crop of new writers who seem to continue with the psyche of their predecessors in western culture. For example in the tradition and the individual talent, Eliot shows how the best writers write with a sense of continuity of their colleagues who came before (Bush 37). These lines show Eliot’s perception of the human social solidarity in literatures and the community in general (Kushner 21).
Moreover, a new form of society is being formed after the collapse of the traditional social system. Eliot notes the changing gender roles in Britain. For example, women demanded their voting rights in 1918 (Bush 16). The new society allowed women to access formal education even to university levels while flappers of the Jazz era began smoking even in public, gays and lesbians were accepted in the society and other changes. In other words, Eliot attempt to describe how a new society is being formed after the war and how European social system attempts to develop and adopt a new social solidarity, albeit resistance and negative perceptions.
On his part, the American author Tony Kushner from the perspective of the American “community” and the breadth of its embrace. It is clear that the term “community”, in Kushner’s play “Angels in America”, seems to refer to the personal or individual bonds and connections between individuals and the political bonds existing in the society (Kushner 9). In actual sense, Kushner’s idea is primarily social solidarity and the impact that modernity has on this aspect of humanity. He describes how modernity destroys these links and the community in general, but creates new communities with new social links. For instance, in “millennium” section of the play, relationships are destroyed as Roy confronts the law (Lewis and Brooks 22).
The emergence of AIDS, a deadly disease, destroyed the links between Prior Walter and his boyfriend Louis Ironson. On learning of his partner’s condition, Ironson abandons him and finds Pitt, a gay but married man. They enter into a relationship. Pitt’s wife abandons him after realizing he is gay. She enters into a new relationship with Louis. It appears that sexuality and sexual orientation are the new problems in the modern American societies. However, it creates a new community and society when men find their male partners, abandon their wives and attempt to live against the social norms. Women find it difficult to live with their gay husbands, forcing them to flee their homes for other areas where they can find happiness. On the other hand, AIDS is causing problems in the new society, contributing to the weakening of the social bonds (Lewis and Brooks 19).
Similar to Eliot’s society of the early 20th century, Kushner’s society of the late 20th century was facing new social problems. The old social solidarity was threatened by social changes that affected traditions and norms. While Eliot highlights the First World War as the cause of decline in the old European social system and creating of a new social solidarity and system, Kushner considers sexuality and sexually-transmitted diseases such as AIDS as the cause of declining social morals and the emergence of a new social system. Therefore, although the two authors have different approaches to the topic of social solidarity and change, they seem to describe how social solidarity remains a pivotal aspect of any society, despite the endured changes in cultural, norms, values and behavior. Both writers attempt to highlight the changing nature of social solidarity. Eliot tends to describe how the community’s social solidarity changes as communities are destroyed, and others created. In his play, Kushner attempts to portray how changes in the society affect social solidarity with time and how social solidarity tends to change with these changes
Works Cited
Bush, Ronald. T. S. Eliot. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Print.
Eliot, Thomas. The Waste Land. New York: W. W. Norton, 2001. Print.
Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: Parts 1 & 2. London: Nick Hern Books, 2007. Print.
Lewis, Gregory and Arthur Brooks. “A Question of Morality: Artists’ Values and Public Funding for the Arts”. Public Administration Review 65.1 (2005): 8–17. Print.