Thursday, February 28, 2008

"When I am Pinned and Wriggling on the Wall"

Who is J. Alfred Prufrock? This is one question I have been asking myself since first reading The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Elliot. J. Alfred Prufrock is the speaker of the poem and seems to go off on tangents now and again. However, there is a method to his "madness."
After reading this poem, I have concluded that J. Alfred Prufrock is a very self-conscious and insecure man. He feels isolated and separate from the rest of the world. He is especially bad at socializing with women. For example, in lines 39-40, he says: "TIme to turn back and descend the stair, with a bald spot in the middle of my hair." Prufrock is afriad of the comments women will make about his imperfect appearance. In lines 52-53, Prufrock feels lonely: "I know the voices dying with a dying fall beaneath the music from a farther room." He is isolated from the people in the other room. He feels distant and believes he is an outkast. Additionally, another example of his self-consciousness is his false image of his head being "brought in upon a platter" (line 82). Prufrock feels everyone is watching him and noticing the blad spot on his head. Lastly, J. Alfred Prufrock feels trapped and closed in when with other people. For instance, he says: "And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, when I am pinned and wrigling on the wall, then how should I begin..." (lines 57-59). Again, Prufrock believes everyone is watching him, dissecting him, and judging him.
Prufrock is a very lonely man who never feels comfortable. He dislikes his appearance and his indecisiveness. He can not bring himself to socialize with women, for he is afraid of how they will react to his bald spot and other things. Prufrock does not seem to overcome his insecurities throughout the play. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a sad story about a very sad man.

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