Time, Self, and Decay: A Comparative Study on Aging in the Poetry of Sylvia Plath and T. S. Eliot

Abstract

Aging is not only a biological process but also a deeply psychological and emotional experience that has impact upon human life. In literature, it is explored through several themes like identity, time, memory and self-awareness. An attempt is made in this paper to examine the concept of aging presented in the poetry of Sylvia Plath and T. S. Eliot using comparative approach, focusing on how both poets represent the relationship between time, self and decay. Plath presents aging as an intense and immediate experience that affects identity and emotional stability of humans while Eliot approaches it in a more reflective and detached manner. Through comparative study of selected poems such as “Mirror”, “Lady Lazarus”, “Ariel” and “Edge” by Plath, and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, “Gerontion”, and “Four Quartets” by Eliot, this paper explores how aging shapes self-perception. The study also uses ideas from critics such as Helen Vendler, Julia Kristeva, and Martin Heidegger to deepen the analysis. By comparing these two poets, the paper argues that aging is not a fixed experience but a complex process shaped by psychological, cultural, and existential factors.