J.Alfred Prufrock

A detailed Summary of J.Alfred Prufrock

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" contains T.S. Eliot's perception on modern man. The narrator of the poem, J. Alfred Prufrock, represents Eliot's depiction of modern man. Eliot explains his reasons for writing about this topic by saying, "Poetry may help to break up the conventional modes of perception and valuation which are perpetually forming, and make people see the world afresh, or some new part of it. It may make us from time to time a little more aware of the deeper, unnamed feelings which form the substratum of our being, to which we rarely penetrate; for our lives are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves, and an evasion of the visible and sensible world. But to say all this is only to say what you know already, if you have felt poetry and thought about your feelings." Eliot personally feels that modern man has an exiguous view on the quality of life and the truly important entities. His character, J. Alfred Prufrock, represents all aspects of modern man that !

Eliot despises. For example, Prufrock is obsessed with appearance and age and he exhibits deficient communication skills. All three of these fixations lead Prufrock to individual isolation, perpetual loathing of mankind, and they negatively affect his lo

Prufrock's confused feelings and overwhelming adversities endured during his life, become apparent in his lack of interaction with other people. Eliot wrote this poem in a time when social customs were still considered an issue, everyone had their place and did not vary from it. For the most part the poem uses examples to elucidate the stereotype of an old person. When Eliot wrote this poem, it was accepted that aging people did not work, therefore, had time for considering life and other aspects of their existence. Prufrock shows the vast amount of time used to wonder by saying, "Do I dare? Do I dare?" Feeling like an outsider, Prufrock discovers he cannot exist with the type of people he once did. Eliot uses blatant images of different classes in order to show these dissimilarities. The lower class lived a meager, dull and predictable life. They spend "restless nights in one-night cheap hotels." The rich on the other hand are educated and enjoy life every day. They are busy!

has many other worries with which to contend. The mermaids in his world sing beautifully but, in his opinion, they cannot possibly sing for him. His insecurity is still present and seems incurable. His fantasy world is brought easily to a crashing halt. "Till human voices wake us, and we drown." His only happiness, found in daydreams, collapses at the slightest altercation. Although giving him temporary relief from the pressures of his life, this dreamlike state is destroying his heart and only returning to the real world will save him.

ctive or see a possibility of romance in them, just as many modern men do. He does not believe that a younger woman could possibly accept him or find him attractive. Expressing any kind of affection to her is awkward and difficult for him. Prufrock knows what he must say but cannot b

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Approximate Word count = 1219
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels