Commercialised Sex and Moral Decay
Mr. Eugenides, the Smyrna merchant, represents commercialised sexuality and moral corruption. His "pocket full of currants" and business proposition blur the lines between legitimate trade and sexual solicitation. The "weekend at the Metropole" carries strong implications of illicit homosexual encounter.
The "violet hour" introduces Tiresias, the blind prophet who has experienced both male and female sexuality. As the poem's central consciousness, Tiresias witnesses the mechanical coupling that follows, understanding its spiritual emptiness from both perspectives.
The description of modern workers as "human engines" waiting "like a taxi throbbing" strips away all humanity from daily existence. People become machines, cities become industrial wastelands, and human connection becomes impossible.
Key Insight: Tiresias's blindness paradoxically gives him clearer vision than the sighted characters, allowing him to see the spiritual wasteland others ignore.