The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock By T. S. Eliot

The Big Three There are many great poets and writers of the Modernism Period, but one can say that there is no one more unique than T.S. Eliot. During the Modernism Period, poetry broke away from the traditional format of rhyming and having a literal meaning, and began to take on a dramatic monologue style with hidden meanings within the text. This contemporary style caused many people to become more involved in their reading. Eliot, being the most expressive during this time, wrote a poem entitled “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” in which he indirectly compares himself to other influential figures. These comparison shows just how underlying messages can exist in writing. In the poem, one must be able to interpret Eliot’s comparison

The poem generally speaks on the dull and simple life of Prufrock or rather Eliot. He explains how he struggles to tell the woman of his dreams how he really feels about her. He “has wept and fasted, wept and prayed / though he has seen his head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter / he knows he is no prophet” (lines 81-84). Prufrock has cried, prayed, and gone hungry contemplating how to express himself to this special woman; he has even imagined his head being brought in on a platter to serve to this lady (like John the Baptist), if he ever gained enough courage to approach her and she ends up rejecting him. However, he realizes that he is no prophet and he can’t foretell future events that may occur. The John the Baptist comparison is a way for Eliot to realize that a result can’t come from inaction; therefore, he should start living his life to the fullest by taking risks, despite the outcomes being negative or

He exclaims that “he is Lazarus, come from the dead / Come back to tell people, to tell people / That this is not what he meant at all” (94-97). These statements are explaining how Eliot is so lifeless in his daily living, that he should be resurrected (not literally) to tell people what death is like. His life being so dull and meaningless, causes him to imagine and experience death faster than what he should.; however, he is not willing to accept this perspective on his life. By doing so, one can draw the conclusion that Prufrock may be ready to make a change in his life before it is too late. The last comparison Eliot alludes to is Prince Hamlet. Towards the end of the poem, Prufrock is realizing that he “is not a Prince Hamlet, nor was he meant to be” (111). There is no heroic or strong characteristic associated within himself. He has ingrained in his mind that he doesn’t have the courage to pursue all the luxuries of life, but rather lie in the bed of self-doubt and self-pity in everything he tries to do. These imperfections are the main things holding Prufrock (Eliot) from taking back his life, just as Hamlet avenged his father’s