Analysis Of Love Song By Alfred Prufrock

The reader can find the speaker relatable; Prufrock shows multiple sides to his character. In one way, Prufrock is trying to seem cool, calm, and collected; he wants the reader to think that he knows everything; however, the reader can tell that Prufrock is trying to be somebody he is not. Prufrock later lets his walls drop and he says that he has let “the moment of greatness flicker…” He is talking about his greatness; Prufrock wants his life to be stagnant, and with very little struggle. This means that his life will be complete boredom. I believe that people should take Prufrock’s life as a lesson of how not to live; his emotional distance reveals that he is a sad man and that life should not be motionless and focused on maintaining the status quo.

Detail 2: As can be deduced from the poem, Prufrock spends all of his time pondering how to behave, and to act in society, as he wants to become a man of action. Prufrock imagines himself achieving great things for himself and having everything he desires. Nonetheless, he cannot find a way to realize his wishes. Prufrock is well aware of his tragedy, and he makes sure the audience understands that he is a flawed man full of fears, whims and self-fancies. Again, just as we find in Hamlet’s character, Prufrock’s personality makes him cautious of acting towards any goal he might have, and his over-analytic persona makes him incapable of taking control of any situation. Prufrock explains his problems through a simple example from one of his failures. He recounts that he was incapable of asking a girl to date him, and despite his loving for her, he did nothing to make his love count.

He also says such things as the of his thinning hair and his resulting bald spot in order to indicate the passage of age and the importance he feels now that he is past his prime: "Time to turn back and descend the stair,/ With a bald spot in the middle of my hair--/ (They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin')"(39) This shows Prufrock's fear of being laughed at.

While having an perception on life and a wise priority set, Prufrock is unable to push himself to obtaining happiness. A change would be rough, but it would afford him the opportunity to live his life in a way that exemplifies his wisdom, not societies demands of him. Yet, due to his fear, he continues to give in to society and avoid his chance at happiness. Later on in his monologue, he is afforded a second chance to attain happiness. Now it is within the limitations of society – a relationship with a woman – but because of his fears of rejection, he ponders having the strength to force the moment to its crisis? and watches as happiness passes him by. Happiness can be attained, through self-government or a relationship, his fear hinders his action on both occasions. Furthermore, he incorrectly assumes that there will not be another chance to attain happiness. Prufrock’s failure is caused by his fear, which shatters his proven rationality and wisdom and renders him

Throughout the entirety of the poem, Prufrock struggles with paralyzing inaction stemming from his self-doubt. This holds a large portion of Prufrock’s inability to gain clarity. An example of this self doubt is expressed when he stated, “[They will say; ‘how his hair is growing thin!’]... [They will say: ‘But

Prufrock is very insecure about himself. This is especially seen in the first ten lines. He is insecure when he talks of his

He feels if he can gain the courage to ask the question, he may at last find value in his life: "would it have been worth while/ To have bitten off the matter with a smile,? To have squeezed the universe into a ball."(89) Ultimately, he fails at both tasks. Throughout the poem, the themes of time's passage and age continue to illustrate the unhappiness of Prufrock's life. Prufrock reveals the measured out portions of life he has lived: "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons."(51) This phrase shows Prufrock's inability to seize the day. He also says such things as the of his thinning hair and his resulting bald spot in order to indicate the passage of age and the importance he feels now that he is past his prime: "Time to turn back and descend the stair,/ With a bald spot in the middle of my hair--/ (They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin')"(39) This shows Prufrock's fear of being laughed at.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S Elliot and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner are both about feeling inadequacies in one’s self, in the eyes of loved ones or society. J. Alfred Prufrock, the speaker in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, feels inadequate for the woman whom he intends to propose to due to his age, appearance, and perceived self-worth, as well as inadequate for an ever-changing society he no longer fits into. J. Alfred Prufrock makes comments to and about himself throughout the story regarding these attributes in a way that implies he does not think highly of himself. Emily Grierson, the subject of A Rose for Emily also appears to feel inadequate for the modern society, as she was stuck in the past, and has self-doubt in herself due to her relationships with the significant men in her life.

Prufrock's inability to reveal his interest to the women of the party comes from his conception of himself. He is obsessed with his aging process, for one thing, but this is merely one facet of his self-doubt. His monologue states that he is "no prophet" (line 83) and that he is "not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be"; rather, he has "seen the moment of [his] greatness flicker." (lines 111 and 84) Furthermore, Prufrock feels that the party's women would reject him even if he were of monumental importance. He spends twenty-two lines wondering if it would have been worth it

Prufrock's dilemma represents the inability to live a meaningful existence in the modern world.[24] McCoy and Harlan wrote "For many readers in the 1920s, Prufrock seemed to epitomize the frustration and impotence of the modern individual. He seemed to represent thwarted desires and modern disillusionment."[22]

First, Prufrock does not think too highly of himself. He states that he is “not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” (Eliot 111). Prufrock considers himself an ordinary person and does not want to be treated as exceptional. According to Margaret Morton Blum, T.S. Eliot may have developed his main character by studying William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Blum points out that Prufrock has a similar mindset as Yorick, a foolish character in Shakespeare’s play (Blum 424). Both Prufrock and Yorick believe that the world and everything in it is worthless. Constantly throughout the poem, the main character is becoming aware of his balding head. He cannot find confidence in himself because he is losing hair and is worried that he is

Prufrock is a character who is stuck inside his own mind and feels as if he is unable to get anyone. He appears to hang in shady areas, shown in the opening stanza, “Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,/ The muttering retreats/ Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels” (4-6) as he watch artsy women mingle that area. He is in this battle of desire and the lack of confidence. The lack of confidence is all in his mind as he is worried women will view him as unattractive based on physical appearance. As he watch women he says,“(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”) (41), which is entirely in his head. He beats himself up because he is blind to the reality. He has no courage to pursue anything and anyone, therefore, he rather stay stuck single and lonely. He continues to be hard on himself, “No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” (111). This type of treatment toward himself continues throughout the poem. He is in this world that is pure fantasy. He refuses to leave and pursue any sort of truth. Eliot is a dreamer because there is no cling to truth, but the only truth that this poem shows is the fact that there are major

He feels if he were to challenge the universe, he would disturb its equilibrium. Prufrock says that he is terrified of “The eyes that fix him in a formulated phrase” (Elliot 56), suggesting that he is filled with insecurity and fears judgment and criticism from others. He feels like he is inferior to those around him and will never be able to live up to their expectations. Prufrock accepts the fact that he will always be rejected and brushed off by women.

Prufrock is a man with many contradictive and fragmental characteristics. While one part of him would like to shake startle these characteristics out of his life, he would have to risk disturbing his peaceful universe in order to do so. The latter part of the poem

If one applies the Freudian concepts of id, ego, and super ego to Prufrock’s troubled mind, a clear delineation of three sections is made in the poem. A short explanation of id ego and super ego is necessary in connecting them to the spaces in the text. Freud’s theory stemmed from a need to classify the parts of the ‘mind’. From this stems the organization of personality into three parts all of which are demonstrated in the “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. The id is the impulsively and instinctually driven section of Freud’s personality complex and is based on seeking pleasure. An especially important factor for “Prufrock” is that the id encompasses is sexual desire. It is largely accountable for the unconscious mind. The ego is the most rationalized and outward facing of the personalities that creates a practical approach in