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¶ … Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot. Specifically it will give a character sketch of J. Alfred Prufrock. The main character of this poem, J. Alfred Prufrock, is a middle-aged, timid man, afraid to confront the women he passes during an evening walk, which indicates he is a lonely, alienated man, too.
Prufrock is middle-aged and balding, as the poem notes, "With a bald spot in the middle of my hair -- / [They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin!'] " (Eliot 40-41). He is thin, (Eliot 42), timid, (he turns back rather than confront the women he sees), and he has had a chance not to be lonely. Eliot notes, "And I have known the arms already, known them all -- / Arms that are braceleted and white and bare / [but in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!]" (Eliot 62-64). Thus, he has known women, but he admits he has never had the courage to propose to one, "Should I, after tea and cakes and ices, / Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?" (Eliot 79-80). Ultimately, as his dialogue continues, it becomes clear that Prufrock is afraid. He is afraid of growing old, of ending up alone, and of being ridiculous and a fool because he did not to back to the woman he loved and make the relationship right. Eliot writes, "At times, indeed, almost ridiculous -- / Almost, at times, the Fool" (Eliot 118-119). Prufrock then is a sad and lonely character who is sympathetic to the reader because he is so pathetic and hopeless.
In conclusion, this poem is not a "love song" at all, it is the story of a lonely, middle-aged man who regrets the choices he has made in life and sees no way to reconcile them. He is afraid he will die alone and unloved, and that is probably the truth. He is sad because he is clearly so unhappy, but he is also pathetic because he will not change his view or his situation.
References
Eliot. T.S. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Bartleby.com. 2008. 11 Dec. 2008. http://www.bartleby.com/198/1.html
As attitudes of literacy help students succeed in school, this is an important development to encourage. Thus, students should be encouraged to interpret "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" for themselves, learning that no right or wrong answer exists, and that literature is a conduit through which one can have a personal response. The following lesson plan can stand by itself or follow the teaching of the poem
More a synopsis of emotional entanglement than a treatise on gender or sexuality, T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” encapsulates the ennui and numbness of the modern world. The speaker reveals gender only tacitly, as through two separate mentions of encroaching baldness. The choral incantations of the women who “come and go/ talking of Michelangelo” refer to a bourgeoisie existence and do not reveal gender discrimination (lines
.. I grow old...' are the evidence of the impending fear of death. One unusual part of the poem is how Eliot, or Prufrock, puts himself into a role in one of Shakespeare's plays and then admits that he is no Hamlet by saying 'No! I am not the Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be.' Although I am guessing, I feel that Eliot was trying to say that Shakespeare's
That is not it, at all." (Eliot, 875) In these lines the poet makes a play upon words with the word "all": it is either to know all, or else not to be able to render one's meaning in a work of art. Eliot finds it impossible to actually unveil the mystery and tell all, it is not only that complete knowledge of the universe is impossible, but that the mystery
Prufrock also distances himself from the people at the tea, saying they talk of "Michelangelo," which seems to say he has little in common with them. A man who loves a woman will try to find things in common with her to enjoy her company. This man instead finds things that make them different. Finally, there is an underlying gloomy theme throughout the poem that cannot point to love. Prufrock
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot, and the Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost are two poems that imagine how life might be if the narrator had acted differently. However, the two poems are almost opposites in their intent and impact. Eliot's poem is a lamentation over a life not lived, over a failure to act. Frost's poem is a celebration over an unconventional life bravely