The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock by Eliot - Essay Example

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Analysis “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a modernist poem by T. S. Eliot, written in 1915. It takes the form of a monologue and follows a very unconventional style. There are traditional rhyming couplets, alternating with modern free verse. The setting of the poem also changes, going from the sleazy streets of a metropolis, to the drawing rooms of society to the beach and the depths of the ocean. In fact, the true subject of the poem is difficult to grasp as it makes leaps and transitions and uses frequent repetition. Even the title is misleading, as the poem is not a love song in the typical meaning of the genre. The narrator is J. Alfred Prufrock. It is clear that he is addressing his love. At the same time, Prufrock devotes more time to introspection, and dream-like imagery than to his love. The tense of the poem is continuously changing, with the past, present and future merging into one narrative. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” demonstrates Prufrock’s aspiration to declare his love, his fear of rejection and his deep regret over his lost opportunity. (Thesis). “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” begins on a note of aspiration as the narrator adopts the hopeful tone of the traditional suitor. He invites his love to a romantic walk, telling her, “Let us go then, you and I, / When the evening is spread out against the sky” (7/8). As the poem winds its way through different paths, the narrator returns at intervals to the subject of his love. This love for the woman he addresses in the poem is demonstrated in the form of references to her arms, as seen under the light of the evening lamps, or as the fragrance of the perfume she wears on her dress: “Arms that are braceleted and white and bare/ (But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)/ Is it perfume from a dress/ That makes me so digress?” (68-71). The narrator is full of the times spent in the company of the woman he aspires to court and constantly lists the social settings of their meetings, such as evening teas and trivial conversations. He is aware of the boredom of his daily routine, frittered away in social niceties and expresses the pain of his undeclared hopes saying, “I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed” (87). He sees himself as an outsider who is superficially in the company of the woman he addresses but not a vital part of her life. He is always outside the lively music which others hear. He professes his intention to the reader, saying that he wants to ask the lady something significant: “To lead you to an overwhelming question...” (16). However, Prufrock fears to declare his intentions. Although he constantly refers to his desire to declare his feelings to the woman he addresses, Prufrock remains indecisive, fearing rejection. He keeps procrastinating and insists that there is “Time for you and time for me, / And time yet for a hundred indecisions,” (37/38). It soon becomes clear to the reader that the reason for this indecisiveness is Prufrock’s fear of rejection. He fears that he will be subject to close examination and made to feel like a biological specimen. He is tortured by doubts as to the correct approach, and repeatedly wonders, “And should I then presume? / And how should I begin?” (74/75). He cannot summon up the courage to dare address the woman. He ascends and descends the stairs, fears to upset the status quo and remains in suspended animation. In fact, in a very revealing picture of vulnerability, Prufrock compares himself to a crab, saying “I should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas” (79/80). He is afraid to expose his feelings, fearing rejection. His confidence is further undermined by his fear that he may have misinterpreted the woman’s signals of love. What if she should say: “That is not what I meant at all; / That is not it, at all.” (109/110). In all this procrastination, the opportunity to declare his love slips by and is gone. Having failed to declare his feelings and let his indecisiveness overpower his impulse to ask the question, Prufrock is reduced to expressions of regret. The man who was confident that sufficient time remained for him to declare his love is now conscious of the passage of time and laments, “I grow old... I grow old...” (120). He is now an old man whose head has grown slightly bald, whose arms and legs are thin and who is preoccupied with trivial matters of dress and diet. He sadly concedes that he is not fit to play a leading role in the drama of life and must remain content with his modest part. In a rare moment of candor, Prufrock unequivocally declares his regret and confesses his failure: “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, / And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, / And in short, I was afraid” (91-93). Prufrock becomes an old man, who sees death approaching and is consumed by regret that he let the fear of rejection defeat his chance of finding love. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” sees T. S. Eliot’s protagonist, Prufrock, play several roles – he is the aspiring lover, the timid man who cannot voice his love and the old man who has lost the opportunity to declare his intentions. Prufrock yearns to do something to overcome the boredom of his routine days. He attempts to court a woman who is a part of his social circle. But his insecurity, fear of rejection and lack of confidence make him remain an onlooker in life. His passion expresses itself in occasional bursts of pain, but he remains silent. As he wavers in his determination, time passes and he becomes an old man who is still caught in the same mundane circle of trivial socialization. He did not have the courage to dare and is now doomed to regret his cowardice. He has to live out his days regretting his lost opportunity. It is now too late for him to sing a song of love. Works Cited. Eliot, T.S. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of poem. Medium of Publication. Read More