Question

The famous last four lines of “The Hollow Men”:

This is the way the world ends


This is the way the world ends


This is the way the world ends


Not with a bang but a whimper.


directly state a philosophical view. What is this view, and how is it also conveyed in other passages of the poem? Analyze at least two passages containing imagery or figures of speech that, in your view, support the concluding lines.

Answer 1

The lines talk about how the world ends for the hollow men. It does not end with a bang or an explosion caused by war or some giant catastrophe; becoming "hollow" or of no worth and no feelings is a terrible way to end the world. The hollow men are bored and worn out people who have given up on their dreams and life itself.