What Does T. S. Eliot's Poem Means

The title is actually the only place where Prufrock’s name is mentioned – in the poem he talks about himself in the first person. Eliot is clearly poking fun of himself with this title – as a young man he signed

The first stanza introduces Prufrock’s isolation, as epitomized metaphorically by “half-deserted streets” (4): while empty streets imply solitude, Eliot’s diction emphasize Prufrock having been abandoned by the other “half” needed for a relationship or an “argument” (8). Hoping for a companion, Prufrock speaks to the reader when

Prufrock's fear to live never allowed him to accomplish anything. The issue of death emerged again in lines 26-27. In these lines Eliot said, "There will be time, there will be time to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet."(ll. 26-27 Eliot) This statement showed that Prufrock spent the majority of his time preparing for death. In lines 37-39 Eliot said, "And indeed there will be time to wonder, 'Do I dare?' and 'Do I dare?' time to turn back and descend the stair."(ll. 37-39 Eliot) This line showed that Prufrock felt that he was bound to Hell. Prufrock constantly lived in fear of death. This fear caused him to not be able to live. In the second section Prufrock realized the error of his ways. He came to the understanding that being afraid to live was no way to live his life. Eliot summed up the entire reasoning of Prufrock in the following line, "And in short, I was afraid."(l 86 Eliot) Prufrock spent his entire life in a wasteland, because he did not have the courage to live. At this point he knew that there was no opportunity to regain the years that he lost. In lines 92-98 Eliot said, "To have squeezed the universe into a ball To roll it towards some overwhelming question, To say: 'I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all'- If one, settling pillow by her head, Should say: 'That is not what I meant at all. That is not it, at all.'"(ll. 92-98 Eliot) These lines showed how

The editors of anthologies containing T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" invariably footnote the reference to Lazarus as John 11:1-44; rarely is the reference footnoted as Luke 16:19-31. Also, the reference to John the Baptist is invariably footnoted as Matthew 14:3-11; never have I seen the reference footnoted as an allusion to Oscar Wilde's Salome. The sources that one cites can profoundly affect interpretations of the poem. I believe that a correct reading of Eliot's "Prufrock" requires that one cite Wilde, in addition to Matthew, and Luke, in addition to John, as the sources for the John the Baptist and Lazarus being referenced. Furthermore, the citation of these sources can help explain Eliot's allusion to

Lowell's poetry has a sincerity that contrasts with the tone of Eliot's more satirical "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." "Prufrock" is an intentionally ironic poem, contrasting the high romantic aspirations of the speaker with his humble, real

Eliot’s use of symbolism can be very disorienting. It has been proposed that this choppy medley is actually furthering his point by representing the “ruins” of a culture. An article

American born poet, T.S. Eliot reflects modernistic ideas of isolation, individual perception and human consciousness in his many poems. His poems express the disillusionment of the post–World War I generation with both literary and social values and traditions. In one of Eliot’s most famous poems, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” which was published in 1915, a speaker who is very unhappy with his life takes readers on a journey through the hell he is living in. In this journey, Prufrock criticizes the well-dressed, upstanding citizens who love their material pleasures more than they love other people, while explaining he feels ostracized from the society of women. Eliot’s use of isolation, human consciousness and individual perception is quite evident in his dramatic monologue within the story of J. Alfred Prufrock. Prufrock wants to be seen as a normal citizen who can find friends or a lover, but his anxiety-driven isolation forces him to live a life that relates more to Hell than paradise. In over examining every fine detail of his life, Prufrock perceives himself as useless and even a waste of life. By using many poetic devices including repetition, personification, and imagery Eliot drives readers to feel the painful reality of Prufrock’s life. In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” T.S Eliot uses modernistic ideas and poetic devices to portray how Prufrock’s life relates to Hell while simultaneously criticizing social aspects of the younger post–World War I generation.

The human psyche has perpetually been characterized by a nagging sense of doubt. When one makes the decision to follow through (or, rather, not follow through) with an action, it is unlikely that he does so without questioning whether he made the right choice; this is recurring theme in literature, evident in works such as Crime and Punishment and A Separate Peace. T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock explores the universal nature of hesitation and self-doubt as part of the human condition primarily through apt use of metaphor, syntax, and allusion.

      In contrast, Alfred J. Prufrock of Eliot's poem, feels no such greatness in himself. He is filled with vast uncertainty so that every small decision is wrought with conflict, and as such, he never does anything. "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons" (51) shows us that his life was characterized by small measures, having done no great work. "I am no prophet" (84) and "Am an attendant lord, one that will do" (112) characterizes his view of himself,

This indicates that Prufrock lives through other individuals rather than living for himself. Which helps readers to understand why he despises society as much as he does.

Eliot uses allusions and imagery to make several references to characters—both real and fictional—to vicariously show how Prufrock feels. The first allusion is an epigraph from Dante’s Inferno:

T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is inhabited by both a richly developed world and character and one is able to categorize the spaces in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” to correspond to Prufrock’s mind. Eliot uses the architecture of the three locations described in the text to explore parts of Prufrock's mind in the Freudian categories of id, ego, and super-ego; the city that is described becomes the Ego, the room where he encounters women his Id and the imagined ocean spaces his Super Ego.

All words, phrases and sentences (or just simply images) which make up this poem seem to, in Levi-Strauss’ words, “be a valeur symbolique zero [and the signifier] can take on any value required ”, meaning that the images Eliot uses do not have one fixed signification and consequently conjure up thought-provoking ideas that need to be studied (qtd. in

Prufrock’s inability to show and portray love is shown through the refrains and rhetorical questions,” there will be time” and “how should I presume?” which structurally reveal his inability to make progress in life as they recur regularly. Imagery of crab-like features such as, “a pair of ragged claws,” symbolizing his inability to move forward as crabs scuttle sideways while the synechoche stresses him as incomplete and broken. As a modernist poet, Eliot was contextually influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis with the portrayal of the character’s subconscious, enhancing my ability understand Prufrock’s inertia. His hyperbolic statement, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” metaphorically signifies his fear of being into mundane social situations and routines if he joins his lady’s world, while the metaphor of being “pinned and wriggling on the wall” reveals his paralysis. This leads Prufrock to exist in a very imptent state which Cleanth Brooks argues is Eliot’s judgement on the whole culture”. Hence the context, language and perspectives of other on ‘Prufrock shape my personal view of the human experience of paralysis givng the peom an enduring

Alfred Prufrock” is allusion. Allusion is defined as “a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance” (Literary Devices, 2013). This view is meant to spark the readers’ imagination, not to tell all the details. The first example of this is: “And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker” (Perkins 2015). Eliot has the reader trying to vision what exactly a footman is. This could be a shoeshine boy or a butler. Eliot is also telling the reader that even the “footman” is laughing at Prufrock and his pathetic life. The second allusion is: “I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” (Perkins 2015). Eliot bring the reader back to Shakespeare, trying to have them vision what Hamlet looked and acted like. Eliot is portraying Prufrock as a common man and common men live mundane lives. The finial allusion that Eliot uses is: “I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me.”(Perkins 2105). Eliot takes the reader to the sea and imagining the mythical mermaid in this allusion. Prufrock proclaims that the mermaids only sing to the most beautiful, educated, and wealthy people. They have no time nor inclination to sing to a pathetic little thing like