In terms of renewal , Eliot believed that suffering was needed for all of society before new life could begin . The original Little Gidding community was built for living on monastic lines , but the community was damaged and dispersed by Puritan forces during the English Civil War in 1646 . The church , the centre of the community , was restored in 1714 and again in 1853 . The image of religious renewal is combined with the image of the London air @-@ raids and the constant fighting and destruction within the world . This compound image is used to discuss the connection of holy places with the Holy Spirit , Pentecost , communion with the dead , and the repetition of history . The theme is also internal to Eliot 's own poems ; the image of the rose garden at the end Little Gidding is the image that begins Burnt Norton and the journey is made circular . Also , the depiction of time within the poem is similar to the way time operates within The Family Reunion .