Throughout “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot, the timeless struggle to navigate society unfolds. As Karen Prior expresses in her evaluation of Eliot’s work, Prufrock parallels the modern hipster. Although the hipster is considered a modern phenomena, the way in which that type of individual comes to life can be found repeatedly in history, “Neither hipsters nor Prufrock would exist without the modern urban setting that bred their sensibilities. It is in the city that the pulse of a civilization is taken” (Prior). The city both invents identity and anonymizes it. Within the limits of a city exists innovation and brilliance, yet, below the glamour, the city grabs the thought of individuality by the throat and crushes it, “A
…show more content…
Alfred Prufrock,” identifies the downfalls of society. Authenticity of character and a willingness to make a decision lie in extinction because of a lack of confidence, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;/I know the voices dying with a dying fall/Beneath the music from a farther room. So how should I presume?” (Eliot, pg 680, lines 51-54). As Eliot portrays, in today’s society every option must be weighed and the time left must be measured with the guise of careful consideration. In actuality, it is the city that rules the hipster, “When the evening is spread out against the sky/Like a patient etherised upon a table;/ [...] Streets that follow like a tedious argument/Of insidious intent” (Eliot, pg 679, lines 2-3 and 8-9). Eliot’s imagery comparing the city to a beast that must be sedated and hidden to assure relative safety impresses the danger of society. The city spends endless hours killing ambition and uniqueness in the people inhabiting it, “Am an attendant lord, one that will do/To swell a progress, start a scene or two,/Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool” (Eliot, pg 682, lines 112-114). Prufrock fancies living his life hiding from any kind of personal crisis so as to avoid decision making. Modern society mirrors this idea, “So he projects instead his chosen image of himself” (Prior). If the hipster always lives under the illusion of an identity then they can avoid real life as
Alfred Prufrock,” identifies the downfalls of society. Authenticity of character and a willingness to make a decision lie in extinction because of a lack of confidence, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;/I know the voices dying with a dying fall/Beneath the music from a farther room. So how should I presume?” (Eliot, pg 680, lines 51-54). As Eliot portrays, in today’s society every option must be weighed and the time left must be measured with the guise of careful consideration. In actuality, it is the city that rules the hipster, “When the evening is spread out against the sky/Like a patient etherised upon a table;/ [...] Streets that follow like a tedious argument/Of insidious intent” (Eliot, pg 679, lines 2-3 and 8-9). Eliot’s imagery comparing the city to a beast that must be sedated and hidden to assure relative safety impresses the danger of society. The city spends endless hours killing ambition and uniqueness in the people inhabiting it, “Am an attendant lord, one that will do/To swell a progress, start a scene or two,/Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool” (Eliot, pg 682, lines 112-114). Prufrock fancies living his life hiding from any kind of personal crisis so as to avoid decision making. Modern society mirrors this idea, “So he projects instead his chosen image of himself” (Prior). If the hipster always lives under the illusion of an identity then they can avoid real life as