"Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" Represents the Conflict of a Modern Man
"Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" is a dramatic monologue presenting a middle aged modern man who is unable to take a decision about making the proposal of marriage to the lady he loves. In a series of stanzas the lover analyses the reason for a resolution and re-decision and tries to justify his cowardice and lack of nerves which make him completely incapable of formulating a proposal of love to his beloved. Behind this hesitating mental condition of Prufrock we find a disease of modern routine works the aimless life of the city dwellers and the monotonous round of social parties.
Prufrock represents a
man of spirit personality a separation of head and heart a paralysis of he will
and too much worry regarding a love
proposal. By referring to hamlet he expresses his psychological problem, his
irresolution complicated by the fact that though he is a middle aged man bald
in the head he is not hot blooded. He dresses smartly smiles to ladies but he
is unable to expresses his inner mind. His excuse for postponing the making of
the love proposal arises from neurosis
and from his fear of rejection. The poem highlights the dilemma and
indecisiveness as well as the squalor and barrenness of modern urban
civilization. The triviality and barrenness of modern life find a beautiful
expression in the following line:
“I have measured out my life with coffee
spoons”
Prufrock in conscious
but he is conscious of nothing. He is like a patient lying etherized upon a
table before operation. Having no strength left in him to act he wanders
mentally through the half deserted left in him to act he wanders mentally through the half deserted
streets till his mind reaches the most important question before him but he is
afraid of mentioning it. His mind is in
tension. It is full of hundred indecisions, ‘a hundred visions and revisions’.
The problem with him is though he knows the ladies he is afraid of making a
proposal for himself. He would
definitely feel embarrassed.
At one time prufrock
thinks of a plan to make a proposal to his ladylove, but he feels nervous to
talk about himself. He is afraid of
death and the very idea of death makes him reject his expressing love to a lady. Prufrock takes refreshment to
gather courage to make a decision.
Supposing he talked about his proposal to his lady but she might turn
round and tell him that she had no
desire to marry him. That is why he feels extremely nervous.
Thus there is no
progress in the love affair of prufrock. The poem ends where it began.
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