Prufrock As A Representative Modern Man

3 Pages 701 Words

“A great poet in writing of himself writes his own age” – said T.S. Eliot. This statement is equally applicable for him. His poems are deeply influenced by his age. Eliot is a poet of 20th century and it is an accepted fact that “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a poem of modern age. For the readers Prufrock seemed to epitomize the frustration and importance of a modern man.

In this Eliot illustrates the frustrations and disillusionment of a modern man through images and symbols which are very precise and compact. He sketches Prufrock as a product as well as a victim of modern society who is trapped in a predicament by his own personal inadequacies. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is not really a traditional love poem, though love is the underlying theme here. In traditional love poems, there is a spontaneous outburst of love. Whereas in Eliot’s “The Love” is the loneliness, indecisiveness, hesitation, cowardice and irresolution of a man who belongs to the modern society become obvious.

The poem starts with an invitation to go with Prufrock. Here actually Prufrock invites his “other half” along with him. A big city is a big crowd and a big crowd is a big loneliness. This is the main drawback of modern society and Prufrock being one of the victims of that represents the loneliness of a modern man. In order to get rid of his solitariness Prufrock makes himself his companion.

“Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;”

Prufrock is a neurotic character who is troubled with an “over-whelming quest”. He is too confused with his attitude towards love and is unable to take any decisive action. His puzzling mind sees the yellow fog and compares it with a cat that makes a sudden leap but like him it is reluctant to take any further action and rests asleep. He indecisively cycles a round even the smallest of concern.

“A...