Author(s): Anshika Sahani, Dr. Kum Kum Ray

Abstract: This paper examines representations of spiritual emptiness and alienation in The Hollow Men and Taxi Driver. Situating the works within post-World War I Europe and post-Vietnam America, it analyses how fragmentation, repetition, and disrupted continuity shape experiences of existential dislocation. Through a comparative literary and cinematic approach, the study argues that emptiness operates not only as a theme but as a structural condition embedded in both texts, reflecting the instability of modern experience.

Keywords: Alienation, Existential Crisis, Fragmentation, Modernity, Spiritual Emptiness

Article Info: Received: 23 Mar 2026; Received in revised form: 21 Apr 2026; Accepted: 25 Apr 2026; Available online: 30 Apr 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.112.100