Eliot sees in modern man. He seems to believe that when modern man conforms to society, he will eventually lack spontaneity. As shown in line 51: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;” wherein Prufrock explains that he has not been living his life impulsively and because of this, it leads him to think in lines 84-86: “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.” With these lines, one could tell that Pufrock did not dare to become more than what people expect him to be, hence he feels as though he would die while feeling unfulfilled in life. This is the problem with being too concerned in one’s reputation and the problem with allowing one’s insecurities take control because modern man as a conformist is kept away from being true to himself and therefore, unhappy and …show more content…
Why does man work? It is "to progress" or it is "for progress"—either way, as what Cummings wrote in “pity this monster, manunkind”: “… Progress is a comfortable disease.” Progress means modern man has advanced from his capabilities but it is considered a disease once this spreads, it is not just the modern man who would be buried from all the work but it would mean the entire modern world. With everyone’s heads wrapped up in work, they would miss the opportunities to enjoy life’s greatest yet simplest pleasure. Now, not only technology advancement made modern man busier, but it also made man become more dependent on it (“A world of made / is not a world of born --pity poor flesh” Lines 9-10). Modern man has now become materialistic beings with all the new gadgets and gizmos—new methods of getting material wealth. Humanity's creativity has also lessened and seeking adventure in nature is no longer an idea entertained by modern man (“and trees, poor stars and stones, but never this / fine specimen of hypermagical.” Lines 11-12.) If this goes on, all man would ever know is the stress he had from what he has been working—and that is why his work is an “ail” to him. Finally, modern man’s dissatisfaction of life ails him. Everyone wants happiness with their life after all, but not all are in fact happy. This is because some people fail to appreciate their life. They find their life plain in comparison with