Prufrock
The Deeper Side of Prufrock: A Personal Analysis Thomas Sterns Eliot wrote
the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” over a period of six years and
published it circa 1917 at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. As his first
published poem, ‘Prufrock’ revealed Eliot’s original and highly developed style.
Its startling jumps from rhetorical language to cliché, its indirect literary
references, and its simultaneous humor and pessimism were quite new in English
literature. (World Book, 236) Prufrock’s quest for a life he cannot live and a
question he has difficulty confronting is intriguingly played out in various
aspects of his humanity. He is doing battle in all aspects of his personality,
which establishes him as a neurotic character. Neurosis, as defined by the
Thorndike/Barnhart World Book Dictionary, is: any one of various mental or
emotional disorders characterized by depression, (“I should have been a pair of
ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.”) anxiety, (“So how
should I presume? / And how should I presume? / And how should I begin? / And
should I then presume?”) and abnormal fears, (“Do I dare disturb the
universe?”). The personality of Prufrock embodies these characteristics. The
physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of his life are governed by this
ailment. Its fingers entwine about his very soul, affecting every area of his
consciousness. Physically aging, this thin, balding male is aware of his
decaying image, thus more self-conscious and less confident. This cannot be more
clearly stated than in lines 40-45: With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”) My morning coat, my collar
mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a
simple pin— (They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”) These
physical insecurities prevent him from living the life he longs for by
distracting him from the things that have real meaning, i.e., “Shall I part my
hair behind” and “Do I dare to eat a peach?”
These are petty questions that he
asks to avoid the “Overwhelming question.” Prufrock is consumed with these
insignificant details of his life. Prufrock avoids life not only through trite
physical worries, but through numerous mental labors as well. These mental
labors range from imagining himself as being completely vulnerable “Like a
patient etherized upon a table” to Prufrock looking at the superficiality of his
life. The lines “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons”, “…setting a
pillow or throwing off a shawl”, and “I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers
rolled” show the shallowness of thought he uses to avoid coming to terms with
his old age. Prufrock is a lonely man. In the poem, there is no evidence of any
relationship outside of the one he has with himself. He makes references to
“…restless nights in one-night cheap hotels” and “women [that] come and go.” He
desires intimate relationships, yet lacks the courage and self-confidence to
even begin to pursue love. His humanity and dignity cannot fully be realized
without it. Prufrock fancies himself to be someone who has known it all – the
evenings, the mornings, the afternoons, the eyes, the arms. His pride leads him
to believe that he someone that he is not. Prufrock believes that life is
superficial, but he alone is deep. He may not be Prince Hamlet, yet he is still
advisor to the Prince. This is not a lowly job. He speaks highly of himself when
he states “ Deferential, glad to be of use, / Politic, cautious, and
meticulous.” Proud as he is, however, Prufrock eventually states the inevitable.
He admits to being “Almost, at times, the Fool.” With this confession, his pride
crumbles and he surrenders to the realization of his mortality. The very next
lines emphasize the gravity of this new awareness, “I grow old… I grow old…”
Here lies the turning point of his worldview. Prufrock once had “Time to turn
back and descend the stair,” but now time is running out. Throughout the poem,
Prufrock’s concept of time changes. Initially, he takes time for granted: There
will be time, there will be time
