The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a dramatic monologue written by T.S. Eliot in 1915.

A dramatic monologue is a typical Modernist narrative technique developed during the Victorian Age, in which the reader listen to an individual’s flood of thoughts. The poets adopts a “dramatis persona” and makes us listen to his/her voice.

Right from the title, the intelligent reader can perceive that the literary work is a song that deal with love. As a consequence he/she should pay attention on rhythm, rhyme scheme and relevance of sound.

The poem is structured into irregular sequences made up of the free verse technique. Those sequences are unified by the dramatic atmosphere which is the result of the juxtaposition of scenes. Such techniques are typical of Modernist fiction.

Right from the epigraph the reader can appreciate the typical Modernist technique of inter-textuality. It is a quotation taken from Dante’s Inferno, XXVII canto, when Guido da Montefeltro tells his sins to Dante. When he reveals his iniquities he knows that nobody else will know them. As a consequence the epigraph creates an intimate relationship between the reader and the speaking voice which is going to talk about the inner feeling of J. Alfred Prufrock.

The main character is a common middle age man, a typical Modernist figure. Adult people have already lived most of their life and so they are more likely to wonder about the essence of life.

Right from the first sequence the reader can enjoy the dialogue between the conscious and Mr Prufrock himself. “Let us go you and I” is the first line of the sequence and “you” refers to the main character’s conscious. The figure of the “etherized man” and the darkness of the evening set the mood of the entire song. The time of the setting is not casual. Another day is going to end and Mr Prufrock finds himself alone again and unsatisfied (he is annoyed by the “overwhelming questions”). The main character tries to convince himself to “make his visit” to his beloved.

The second sequence is a refrain. This is a typical song device that will be repeated many times in the whole text. Eliot uses an ironic tone to talk about the two women who are talking about Michelangelo as if they really know what they dialogue about. They think they know culture, but they don’t. As a consequence  culture becomes worthless.

The third scene deals with the weather. The fog is a typical figure of English literature. In this case “the yellow fog” reminds him of Alessandria, the place where he lived his childhood.  The fog seems to display the behavior of a cat since it “rubs its back upon the window-panes..”.

In the next sequences it is introduced the theme of time, another typical Modernist theme. The word “time” is repeated many times as the expression “There will be time”.  With this line, Prufrock wants to convince his conscious that he will have time enough to take his decisions and so there is no need to act immediately. Meanwhile he can still “prepare a face to meet the face he meets”. By this quotation Eliot says that Prufrock pretends not to have his problems while meeting  her beloved. He is not courageous enough to give himself away.

In the following scene the theme of time is developed. Mr Prufrock continues trying to convince himself that there will be time even to think and to wonder about the decision he has to make. In this section he imagines himself as an old man, while descending the stars. This consideration makes the reader understand that Mr Prufrock is getting older and he is aware of that. Moreover he is aware that taking his final decision will have positive effect just on him, however he keeps on delaying because he doesn’t want to “disturbe the Universe”.

In the next scene Mr Prufrock makes an assessment of his life. He “can measure his life in coffee spoons”. This means that Mr Prufrock had spent most of his life in Cafè. He says that he reminds “the evenings, the afternoons, the mornings. This line represents the people he met. He even remembers the voices of the parties he enjoyed.  He remembers the eyes starring at him and now it is his turn to speak. He feels like in trap. He feels “sprawling on a pin” just like an insect to be analyzed.  He feels stuc and doesn’t know how to express himself. He has dated many women, quoted by their arms, and so he is confused. He doesn’t know what is the difference that makes him postponing the decision. Maybe he doesn’t feel worth enough for the woman he loves.

Mr Prufrock is taken down by his loneliness. He doesn’t know if he should give himself away by describing his status-quo.  His loneliness reminds him of a few old man that he saw once.  They were lonely and he was afraid to become like them. It seems like they were looking for something. They were waiting. They were pursuing a quest.

On the other hand, instead of making a move, he prefers to stay without any worry or feeling.

The twelfth sequence deals with the theme of time again. He wonders about his strength. He is asking himself if he is going to be strong enough to propose to her beloved. He believes he is not a prophet and his love is nothing important to the world. He thinks that the “eternal Footman” has already decided for him. Mr Prufrock justifies himself many times in many ways. Finally he points out the truth. The line “I was afraid” is significant. It reveals the true reason why the main protagonist can’t propose.+

In the next scene, Prufrock realized that it would “have been worth it after all” to propose. However he keeps postponing because he is not courageous enough to cope with the consequences of his action. Moreover he is sure that his beloved will never give a positive answer to his proposal. She would say “that is not what I meant, at all” and so everything would become worthless.

In the following scene, the main character demonstrates a total lack of self confidence. There is a contraposition between the main figure and Hamlet. This contrast can be linked to the use of myth. In this case Mr Prufrock is not an hero, but an antihero. He is not courageous and he is not a great man. He is not “glad to be used”.

In the final scene of the poem  Eliot represents some images about Mermaids. Those figures could refer to the women’s universe. Eliot says that Prufrock has heard them and he has seen them as well although he doesn’t belong to that world anymore. It seems like he is living in a world apart. Those mermaids don’t sing for him: he is an antihero.

Eliot uses many images in the whole story that appeal to the senses in order to make the reader feel more involved.