The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock - Essay Example

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, Thomas Stearns (T.S. for short) Eliot was born in America but decided to call London home. It is maybe because of his mixture of cultures, seeing how they were slightly different from the United States to the United Kingdom, that he put so much attention on symbolism in his work. “Eliot is known for his critical and theoretical writing, particularly for his advocacy of the ‘objective correlative’, the notion that art should not be a personal expression, but should work through objective universal symbols” (“T.S. Eliot”, 2006). If you asked Eliot, he would say that the objective correlative is essentially a set - it can be a set of objects, a specific but general situation or set of events. The set, however it is defined, can be used as a formula to create a particular emotion in the reader; “such that when the external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked” (Eliot, cited in Pateman, 2005). Today's writing circles call it ‘show, don’t tell’ and in Eliot's case, he did it through the use of symbolism. The importance of using symbols and images to create an emotional response in the reader can be seen by examining any of T.S. Eliot's work, such as in his poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Even though the title of the poem says that it a love song, it is very clear even from early on that this is really not a poem about love. Instead, it is a poem about loneliness, meaninglessness, and isolation. Within the first six lines, he invites the reader to join the speaker, " Like a patient etherized upon a table; / Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, / The muttering retreats / Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels" (Eliot, 3-6). Eliot uses this kind of dramatic monologue in a stream of consciousness mode, which means he is telling the story as if he is thinking it while he writes without worrying about drawing connections between thoughts or restricting his ideas to a logical progress. By doing this, Eliot gives the reader the sense that they are floating in the characters' mind. As the character Prufrock thinks through his boring, always the same life, he lets the reader know all about his own insecurities. These insecurities and fears turn out to be the most influential element of his decision-making process, although it might be better to discuss these in terms of his lack of decision-making. Because he allows himself to be ruled by fear and insecurity to the point that he is never really able to make any decisions, his life has been mostly empty, always the same, and never has any excitement in it. All of these ideas are reinforced by Eliot's use of imagery, voice, and audience involvement. As might be expected given the introduction to Eliot, imagery plays a really big role in creating meaning in the poem. The opening scene that Eliot creates for Prufrock to live in is very ugly and lonely in a very active way. Prufrock talks about the “yellow fog” that “rubs its back upon the window-panes” (15), making us think of a cat that rubs its back on your leg begging for attention. It makes us think of Prufrock in the same way, like a creature that is begging for love. The fog continues to take on the sense of a living thing as it “rubs its muzzle on the window panes” (16) and “licked its tongue into the corners” (17) and then finally “curled once about the house and fell asleep” (22). This imagery gives the sense that the living creature is locked out from all connection with love and family, is starving for that kind of warmth, but must finally resign itself to whatever kind of self-comfort it can get through proximity to the outside of the house. The voice of the narrator carries this idea of the lonely, cold creature forward into the poem. He clearly has a tendency the world around him as empty and lifeless, cold and dark. The night is called 'restless', but the only thing we see restless about it is the fog and the character's description of it. There aren't any other people, or even any other creatures, around that would give the scene a restless quality. Prufrock explains this by saying the streets are full of “tedious arguments of insidious intent” (8-9). Through this depiction, Prufrock is essentially telling us that he feel almost unbearably restless in his desire for companionship, but the empty streets are not willing to answer his need other than by offering him “one night cheap hotels and sawdust restaurants with oyster shells” (6-7). At the same time, the voice of the narrator lets us know that the reason for his loneliness is because he is very shy and indecisive. His inability to make a decision comes from his own sense of inferiority. All of this comes through in his voice such as when he says there is “time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea” (32-34). He constantly asks himself “Do I dare?” (38, 45) when he considers doing something to soothe his loneliness, but his answer is always no and so he is doomed to repeat the same pattern of restless longing again and again. Eliot makes sure the audience feels included in the story throughout the poem by allowing Prufrock to reach out to them more than he is able to reach out to the other people sharing his world. He does this by having Prufrock talk to himself, asking questions and making conversations with himself that are really directed to an external force - the reader. These inward, rhetorical questions that are really outward attempts to engage the reader show up in phrases such as “And should I then presume? And how should I begin?” (68-69). The audience finds itself answering him as if they were there. Even though he is lonely and has apparently never made a solid connection in his life, Prufrock feels it's important to let us know he hasn't been completely deprived of human attention. “I have known the arms already, known them all – arms that are braceleted and white and bare” (62-63). But he begins to accept that none of these connection lasted because he lost the nerve to take them further. “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat and snicker, And in short, I was afraid” (84-86). As the poem ends, Prufrock seems to come to the conclusion that maybe there really isn't anyone out there for him to speak with after all. Strangely, as much as Prufrock wants attention, it is only because of his isolation and loneliness that he is able to draw the reader in with his observations and imagery. Everyone has some element of those lonely places inside that are self-conscious, foolish, shy or awkward. Because of this, the audience is able to understand him and feel for his situation as he descends into old age alone. However, through this poem, Prufrock and Eliot by extension are able to encourage the reader to move beyond those feelings in order to make the connections they need. Even though he will probably die within his continuing isolation, it will be hard to forget him which was ultimately what he wanted. Works Cited Eliot, T.S. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Prufrock and Other Observations. London: The Egoist, 1917. Print. Pateman, Trevor. “Tradition and Creativity: T.S. Eliot ‘Tradition and the Individual Talent.’” Key Concepts: A Guide to Aesthetics, Criticism and the Arts in Education. London: Falmer Press, 1991. Web. “T. S. Eliot.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. (July 25, 2006.) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web. Read More