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The Love Song Of Alfred Prufrock

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The Modernist Perception of Self in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

Introduction

In his 1910 poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, J.S Eliot comprehensively

portrays modernism during the beginning of the twentieth century. The poet uses Alfred

Prufrock as a prototype to paint the picture of the average middle-aged man during the

industrial period. In this poem, the narrator, Alfred Prufrock, attempts to reveal his

perceptions by narrating to an unknown audience, probably a woman he is in love with. This

essay attempts to thoroughly investigate the character of the narrator as portrayed in "The

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". The essay primarily delves into identifying the modernist

"perception of the self" as depicted from the poem's central persona. In this essay, modernist

concepts such as individualism, absurdity, and symbolism will be critically identified and

illustrated in Eliot's poem.

Analysis

The concept of individualism is overtly depicted from “The Love Song of J. Alfred

Prufrock". Throughout the poem, the persona specifically explains his individualistic

perceptions of himself as well as on others. In one of the poems, the narrator reflects “Shall I

say I have gone at dusk through narrow streets/And watched the smoke that rises from the

pipes/Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out windows?”. In these lines, the persona

recounts on his loneliness and solitude in the modern twentieth century. As a middle-aged

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man during the twentieth century, Alfred Purfork recaptures his observations regarding the

industrial advancement in modern society. The narrator’s solitude is portrayed when he

asserts that “I should have been a pair of ragged claws/ Scuttling across the floors of silent

seas”. Like a claw in a sea, Alfred Purfork feels lonely in the modern world. The lines “I

grow old…I grow old…/I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled” clearly bestows

Alfred Prufork’s fears and perceptions of aging. Nevertheless, Prufrock is also afraid of his

death when he confesses “And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker/

and in short, I was afraid”. The persona also bestows his emotional imbalance when he

probes his potential lover:

And would it have been worth it, after all,

Would it have been worthwhile,

After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,

After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-

And this is too much more? -

It is impossible to say just what I mean!

In his investigation, Prufrock seems to be uncertain about having a love affair with his

potential lover because he does not know whether it is worth it. Prufork uncertainty about

love in the modern world expresses the concept of absurdity as seen in modernist poems.

Although Alfred Prufrock can be described as a highly educated and eloquent middle-

aged man, his fixations and fears subject him to absurdity. Due to the depressing lonely life,

some of the persona's words express aspects of modern absurdity. For instance, Prufrock

asserts “Do I dare/Disturb the universe” yet he only intends to talk to his potential lover.

Although the persona may have used the lines for comical purposes, it is absurd that a man

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Surname 1 Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date The Modernist Perception of Self in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” Introduction In his 1910 poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, J.S Eliot comprehensively portrays modernism during the beginning of the twentieth century. The poet uses Alfred Prufrock as a prototype to paint the picture of the average middle-aged man during the industrial period. In this poem, the narrator, Alfred Prufrock, attempts to reveal his perceptions by narrating to an unknown audience, probably a woman he is in love with. This essay attempts to thoroughly investigate the character of the narrator as portrayed in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". The essay primarily delves into identifying the modernist "perception of the self" as depicted from the poem's central persona. In this essay, modernist concepts such as individualism, absurdity, and symbolism will be critically identified and illustrated in Eliot's poem. Analysis The concept of individualism is overtly depicted from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". Throughout the poem, the persona specifically explains his individualistic perceptions of himself as well as o ...
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