themes of The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock
In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," T.S. Eliot uses allusions as well as imagery to develop his theme that life is too short to allow fear's hesitation to stop us from living true to dreams of happiness because we will all be judged in the end. This multi-layered poem is the internal monologue of the character J. Alfred Prufrock. Prufrock is a man who has let his daydreams cripple him with self-doubt and illusions of failure. He is a character who cannot reconcile his thoughts and understanding with his feelings and will. He allows his fears of being labeled to paralyze his actions. Prufrock's character seems too pitiful to be tragic. Eliot does not directly say what the character Prufrock is feeling; instead he utilizes the works of others, such as Dante, to clarify his thoughts and his "universe." The beginning of the poem is from Dante's Inferno. The original work describes a hellish place where spirits are in the forms of flames and the character is asked to describe his life. He tells his story only because he believes no one will hear it. By alluding to Dante's "Inferno", Eliot has accomplished two things. The first was to set the tortured and torn tone of Prufrock's mind as well as the poem. The second was to hint
Eliot also uses sea imagery to evoke meanings that add to Prufrock's character as well as set up his last theme. The "oyster shells", evoke the sense of an overwhelming many. The "claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas" can be interpreted as Prufrock's feelings of insignificance among the many. The "walk upon the beach" suggest that he has given up his quest for love. He is content to linger alone. "Till human voices wake us, and we drown" refers to Prufrock's reality. He copes by living in a daydream, so when he is forced to deal with reality he is lost. The mermaids symbolize Prufrock's daydreams. They are extravagant, romantic, and enchanting. He speaks of the mermaids singing to each other. This helps convey the message that this dream world does not involve Prufrock. The line "I do not think they will sing to me" proves Prufrock does not believe he will ever be apart of this world. He accepts and realizes his destiny to live and to die alone. In Prufrock's mind women have become the mythical, unreachable mermaids. It is an ironic fit because Prufrock never attempted to chase his dreams however it does finalized the theme. As in line 104, "It is impossible to say just what I mean!", words cannot express all the fe
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 840
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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