Response To 'The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock'

Response Paper 2 S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" uses a modernist approach to describe the views of a man living with self-doubt, lack of confidence and an inability to make sense of the modern world. Eliot uses descriptive images and society as the setting to give a clear visual picture of man living in his own hell due to his extremely low self esteem and the way he feel he is viewed by others. He cannot give or receive love because he goes through life with a preconceived notion of feeling rejected and put down. This poem exemplifies a middle aged man who seems to not be able to progress in life. Not only that, but he has a strange issue with approaching women due to his intimidation. Throughout this poem this man finds himself in a society which is not too far from being hell and he just wanted to find the meaning of his existence. Unlike the most romantic poetry, the author attempts to depict the essence of life and contemporary life rather than his reality. In …show more content…
Prufrock portrays the inability to take decisive action even it was necessary. This passivity affects the speaker’s perception of his own self, his ability to distribute and receive love, and the ability to make something meaningful of his life. In one line he states, “In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo. / And indeed there will be time / To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” / Time to turn back and descend the stair”. When this was stated, this showed that he repeatedly doubted himself and didn’t have any connection to do anything. He wants to find the one for him but the haunted feeling overwhelmed him to the point where he became face to face with a modern world which is disconnected from of all his hopes that he wishes for. He seems rooted in the present tense and this, according to Eliot and most modernists, is an unhealthy approach to