The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T. S. Eliot, perfectly captures the plight of the modern man. This poem sheds insight into the conflicted and insecure psyche of Mr. Prufrock, who, despite dwelling in the upper echelon of society and attending fancy galas with “women who [talk] of Michelangelo,” cannot overcome his own inhibitions and thinks of himself as nothing more than “a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas” (958-959). T.S. Eliot utilizes a stream of consciousness writing style and fills his poem with literary and historical allusions and striking imagery in order to establish Prufrock’s place in society and also to fully convey Prufrock’s insecurities about both his physical appearance and ultimate sense
…show more content…
Alfred Prufrock repeatedly obsesses on his own physical appearance and laments how the cultured “women talking of Michelangelo” will sneer “how his hair is growing thin” and “how his arms and legs are thin” (958). The allusion to “Michelangelo” illustrates the social standing of the refined women, as only the societal elite could bond over their knowledge of the arts and humanities at fancy galas. Prufrock again fixates on his hair at the end of the poem, when he asks, “Shall I part my hair behind?” (960). This obsession fully highlights his insecurity, and he fears the women will laugh at him and think of him as a worthless man because he thinks of himself as worthless. Prufrock says he lingers “in the chambers of the sea” until the “human voices” will wake him and he will “drown” (960). This insightful imagery, along with the reference to “a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas,” shows how Prufrock views himself as a meaningless creature, hopelessly meandering in the vast wilderness of life, before ultimately dying, without achieving anything significant (959). This pessimistic outlook on life causes him immense self-doubt, and instead of confidently talking to and flirting with the women, he imagines that they find him repulsive, and he walks away without uttering a
Alfred Prufrock repeatedly obsesses on his own physical appearance and laments how the cultured “women talking of Michelangelo” will sneer “how his hair is growing thin” and “how his arms and legs are thin” (958). The allusion to “Michelangelo” illustrates the social standing of the refined women, as only the societal elite could bond over their knowledge of the arts and humanities at fancy galas. Prufrock again fixates on his hair at the end of the poem, when he asks, “Shall I part my hair behind?” (960). This obsession fully highlights his insecurity, and he fears the women will laugh at him and think of him as a worthless man because he thinks of himself as worthless. Prufrock says he lingers “in the chambers of the sea” until the “human voices” will wake him and he will “drown” (960). This insightful imagery, along with the reference to “a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas,” shows how Prufrock views himself as a meaningless creature, hopelessly meandering in the vast wilderness of life, before ultimately dying, without achieving anything significant (959). This pessimistic outlook on life causes him immense self-doubt, and instead of confidently talking to and flirting with the women, he imagines that they find him repulsive, and he walks away without uttering a