er. This portrays mans promiscuous and immoral behaviour which is heightened by the juxtaposed image of the mythical allusion to Philomel, which can then be linked to the seedy images of sexual encounters between many of the characters such as, the typist and her young man. These images of depravity and lust are continued in the urban landscape with the brown fog that obscures reality. We are witness to Mr Eugenides lame attempt to lure a young female out for the night with promises of a lavish meal in an exclusive hotel. The offer is not honourable and the gentleman is only interested in sex. This is then emphasised by the reference to the throbbing taxi, which is an image of sexual desire. Eliot has used the image of a taxi because a taxi is never in one place too long, carries many passengers, and ultimately, you have to pay for your ride. This image can be linked back with Mrs Porter, the prostitute from 'The Fire Sermon'. There is also a connection with the characters of 'Preludes', 'Portrait of a Lady' and 'A Game of Chess'. Eliot, I feel identifies with Tiresias, the prophet, in that he has seen the horror man has created and like Tiresias suffers for what he has seen. The scene with the typist and her lover shows us the indifference between two people and usually it is the woman who comes out at the losing end. Although, the brushing of her hair with an automatic hand suggests that she too is indifferent to the act that has just been committed upon her. Yet the lyricism of the line 'When lovely woman stoops to folly'… shows that the narrator has 'The notion of some infinitely gentle Infinitely suffering thing'. The music that follows interrupts her reverie and we are transported back to the urban city and the dead river. With romantic images of Elizabeth and Leicester juxtaposed, again, with images of betrayal and deceit 'Highbury bore me. Richmond and Kew undid me.' These are loveless images of lust wit...
