Allusion in The Wasteland

In the third poem of The Wasteland, titled The Fire Sermon, there is a recurring allusion to Tiresias, a prophet of Apollo in Greek epics such as The Odyssey and Dante's Inferno. Tiresias blind, but knows what is happening throughout the world. This fits perfectly into his role in the poem, he is an uninvolved observer, capable of knowing the thoughts and emotions of all the characters he observes. Because of this, there is speculation that Tiresias may be the narrator of all of the Wasteland. His character also serves as a unifying force. In Greek legend, he was turned into a woman for seven years. This allows him to connect to both the men and women in the story.