The Love Song 
 Of 
 J. Alfred Prufrock
 
In T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," the
author is establishing the trouble the narrator is having
dealing with middle age. Prufrock(the narrator) believes
that age is a burden and is deeply troubled by it.. His
love of some women cannot be because he feels the prime of
his life is over. His preoccupation with the passing of
time characterizes his fear of aging. The poem deals with
these fears.
 
Prufrock feels unsure about himself. He is terrified of
what will occur when people see his balding head or his
aging body. He believes everyone will think he is old and
useless. They will talk about him behind his back. (They
will say "How his hair is growing thin!") My morning coat,
my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and
modest, but asserted by a simple pin-- [They will say: "But
how his arms and legs are thin!"] This insecurity is
definitely a hindrance for him. It holds him back from
doing the things he wishes to do. This is the sort of
characteristic that makes Alfred into a tragic, doomed
character. He will not find happiness until he finds
self-assurance within himself. The repetition of words like
vision and revision, show his feelings of inadequacy in
communicating with the people around him.
 
J. Alfred Prufrock's lack of self esteem, also affects his
love life. The woman he is in love with is younger than he,
and this distresses him. He does not believe that some
younger women could possibly accept him or find him
attractive. Expressing any kind of affection to her is
awkward and difficult. Prufrock knows what he must say but
cannot bring himself to say it. "Should I, after tea and
cakes and ices, Have the strength to force the moment to
its crisis?"(79-80) His apprehensiveness in his love life,
is very troublesome for him indeed. He very much wants to
express his affection but it becomes suppressed within him.
He compares himself to Lazarus who was an aged man restored
to life by Jesus. He feels that it will take a miracle to
make him feel young again. Prufrock sees his age as the end
of his romantic zeal. He assumes the response to his love
will be snappy and heartless. Prufrock believes that women
do not find older men attractive or see a possibility of
romance in them.
 
The rhyme scheme Elliot uses in this poem depicts the
disenchanted and confused mind of the narrator. The poem is
written using a non-uniform meter and rhyme. Various
stanzas are not of uniform length. This method is used to
represent the mood and feelings in the verse. Prufrock is
feeling confused and overwhelmed by the adversities of
life, so it is logical that his thought will have the same
types of characteristics. His thoughts lead to ambiguity
such as at the start of the poem. "There you go then, you
and I"(1) This could be referring to Prufrock and himself,
or Prufrock and his lover.
 
Elliot wrote this poem in a time when social customs were
still considered an issue. Everyone had his/her place and
did not stray from that. Stereotypes of groups were lived
up to and nobody tried to change them. Elliot uses blatant
images of different classes in order to show these
dissimilarities. The lower class lived a meager, dull and
predictable life. They spend "restless nights in one-night
cheap hotels."(6) The rich on the other hand are educated
and enjoy life every day. They are busy and bustle around
joyfully in order to get things done. In the room the women
come and go Talking of Michelangelo.(13-14) Unfortunately,
because of his age Prufrock feels that he does not belong
to any of these classes. He has similarities pertaining to
each of them but as a whole feels that he simply exists in
his own classification.
 
The debate in Prufrock's mind finally comes to a close when
he compares himself to Prince Hamlet from William
Shakespeare's masterpiece "Hamlet". Hamlet was able to
express his love and J. Alfred was envious of that. "No! I
am not Prince Hamlet, nor was it meant to be"(111) He feels
he is more like Polonius an old attendant to Lord Hamlet
who is intelligent, wise, and eager to please. Prufrock
decides he is diplomatic, conscientious, and strives for
perfection; however, at the same time he tends to lack some
sort of mental power and fears he is looking like a fool.
This is the conclusion he reaches in order to decide to
accept his place in society and live life the way he should.
 
Eliot frequently uses the reference of time in order to
show the state of mind of the narrator. The contrasts used
show the total indecisiveness of Prufrock. For the most
part the examples are used to illustrate the stereotype of
an old person. It is was accepted that aging people did not
work and therefore had time to ponder about and other
aspects of their existence. "And Indeed there will be time
To wonder, Do I dare? and, Do I Dare?" His eternal dilemma
is characterized by his belief that there will be time to
consider everything. The time allusions are to show that
Prufrock is getting increasingly older. He says "I have
measured out my life with coffee spoons."(51) This again
shows his obsession with the passing of time.
 
Feeling like that of an outsider, Prufrock discovers he
cannot exist with the type of people he once did. He can
relate to them but he feels they will not accept him
because of his age and appearance. His existence is
solitary and boring while their state is fun and exciting.
"I know the voices dying with a dying fall/Beneath the
music from a farther room."(52-53) He can hear the voices
of his neighbors but he cannot go to them. He is bothered
by the idea of the younger generation examining him. He
wishes he could fit in but believes that is not a reality.
Fantasizing of a world where these problems do not exist is
a pleasant daydream for Prufrock. He imagines the peaceful
world under the sea where social classes do not exist. This
shows the internal conflict still occurring within him.
Even though he has overcome his problem with his love life,
he still has many other worries to contend with. The
mermaids are singing beautifully, but in his opinion, they
cannot possibly be singing for him. His insecurity is still
present and seems incurable. His fantasy world is brought
to a crashing halt easily. "Till human voices wake us, and
we drown."(131) His only happiness can be found in
daydreams and can be destroyed easily as such. Although
giving him temporary relief from the pressures of his life,
this dreamlike state is destroying his heart and only
returning to the real world will save him.
 
In Elliot's masterpiece "The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock," as time passes so does the human spirit of the
narrator. His heart decays by the moment. Even within his
fantasies he is tortured by the ever-present problems which
plague him throughout his life. He can't even see the point
in expressing his love because of the fear of being
rejected. Elliot's depiction of the worries of aging is a
major aspect incorporated into the poem. Although Prufrock
is a man of knowledge and society, he feels that he is a
misfit because he is getting older. Age kills us all, but
for Prufrock it has already killed him.