Analysis Of The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock

The poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T. S. Eliot, is in the unpleasant modern world era. Eliot portrays Prufrock as a middle-aged man who is aging and becoming bald. Prufrock is similar to Hell. The poem is a dramatic monologue that helps sets the personality. Prufrock takes us on a journey through a city that seems a lot like London. In the poem, he shows some imagery of “one-night cheap hotels” (line 6) and “sawdust restaurants” (line 7). He states women coming and going talking about Michelangelo, a famous painter from the Renaissance. Eliot uses much imagery as he allows the yellow fog to be vivid through the city. Prufrock is nervous, but sharp-looking. The poem requires involvement. The reader must observe with the mind’s

The listener is lost just like the speaker is and will never betray to the world the content of Prufrock’s present confessions. The poem might be about bad people pretending to be good. The setting of the poem is like Hell which is why Eliot chose that epigraph. Also, Prufrock tells stories because he believes there isn’t a chance to repeat the stories to other people. Prufrock is on earth but it is being considered as Hell. There many themes for this particular poem, a few would be love, passivity, and time. Prufrock in the poem speaks about himself a lot and never decides to talk to the girl he would like to. He is constantly saying “do I dare” to every decision that comes to mind. When he says “Do I dare” about approaching the woman it shows he’s shy and may fear rejection. “Let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherized upon a table” (line 1-3). This quote shows his love. It seems like an invitation for a romantic time alone with the

“In the room the women come and go” (line 12). This quote shows the women keep passing through and he doesn’t approach and talk to the woman he loves. Instead of approaching the woman he questions himself on if he should or not. He keeps passing time by questioning everything he thinks about doing.

Therefore, another theme could be time. Prufrock is wasting so much time debating on if he dares instead of taking action. Most of his life are wasted years because he doesn’t decide what to ever do. By the end of the poem Prufrock is old and hasn’t made many decisions in his life. He talks about wanting to approach the woman, debating on eating a peach but doesn’t because he doesn’t know if he should. He doesn’t want to “disturb the universe” (line 46). Samet Güven says, “Hence, the title of the poem is ironic since Prufrock never talks about his feelings of love throughout the poem” (pg 81). Prufrock doesn’t ever approach the woman nor expresses his love for her throughout the poem. He instead spends his whole life asking himself if he dares. He misses out on a lot of opportunities. Prufrock throughout the poem never mentions