Is J Alfred Prufrock a man?
Is J Alfred Prufrock a man?
Alfred Prufrock, fictional character, the indecisive middle-aged man in whose voice Anglo-American poet T.S. Eliot wrote the dramatic monologue “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (1917).
What type of man is Prufrock?
Prufrock displays numerous characteristics of an anti-hero but three stand out the most: cowardice, passiveness, and pessimism. Prufrock, the narrator of the poem, is a middle-aged man who is living a life void of meaning and purpose. His thoughts are depressing as he mulls over his dull, uneventful life.
How does Prufrock symbolize or represent the modern man?
Prufrock is overeducated, fearful, timid, overly sensitive, and graceful. He continuously ponders lost opportunities and unanswered questions. This is the modern man, not strong and silent but weak and accessible. He represents the modern man by openly displaying disappointment and vulnerability.
Who does Prufrock represent?
McCoy and Harlan wrote “For many readers in the 1920s, Prufrock seemed to epitomize the frustration and impotence of the modern individual. He seemed to represent thwarted desires and modern disillusionment.” In general, Eliot uses imagery which is indicative of Prufrock’s character, representing aging and decay.
How does Prufrock describe himself in the love song?
How does Prufrock portray himself in the poem? Prufrock compares himself to a helpless insect that will be “pinned and wriggling on the wall” while the “eyes” around him inspect and judge him. He feels undesirable and vulnerable, and so he believes that he will be deemed unsatisfactory by society.
How would you describe Prufrock?
Prufrock is a typical representative of the contemporary modern man. He is frustrated and powerless to get over his thwarted wishes and disenchantment. Expressions like “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” reveal the sense of ennui and boredom in the early twentieth century educated man.
How does Eliot portray the boredom and loneliness of modern man in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock?
Prufrock is bored by the mechanical routine, by the trivialities of social life, his own indecision, by his own inertness and laziness. There is a lurking death-wish – ‘and we drown’ – a desire to escape from reality. Like the evening, he is lazy and malingerer to avoid action and duty.
What is Prufrock focused on?
In its focus on character and its dramatic sensibility, “Prufrock” anticipates Eliot’s later, dramatic works. The rhyme scheme of this poem is irregular but not random. While sections of the poem may resemble free verse, in reality, “Prufrock” is a carefully structured amalgamation of poetic forms.
What does J Alfred Prufrock think or feel about love?
Prufrock is not just some stalker. He truly believes his beloved has sent him signals that she likes him, but he is worried that he might be misinterpreting her signals. Prufrock can only experience love through other people, at second- and third-hand.
What is Prufrock’s overall mood?
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” has a dry, ironic tone that catches precisely the mood of vacillation, weakness, sordidness, and despair of much modern culture. Note the many ironies of the title, including the name of the speaker.