Character Analysis of J. Alfred Prufrock in T.S.Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'

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Heartbreaks are sadly typical throughout everyday life. They are agonizing and everybody needs to stay away from them overall quite well. In T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock', the hero (Prufrock) visits a lady whom he cherishes however he is not sure if she responds to his affections for her. All through the entire sonnet, he comes up with pardons for himself and works himself out of truly going up towards this young lady since he is unequipped for attesting his feelings and cravings for her for various reasons. Before the finish of the sonnet, Prufrock's incapacitating reluctance and fears of dismissal and result abrogate his longing to be with this woman and he winds up the very way that he started, alone.

Prufrock's deadening hesitance is probably the most compelling motivation why he at last neglects to draw in the woman he so urgently looks for. From the start of the sonnet, it ought to be clear to the reader that this will not end well for Prufrock. Just by the look and the sound of his complete name, 'J. Alfred Prufrock', the underlying reaction ought to be to imagine a socially abnormal character. This social ungainliness is fundamentally shaped by his severe hesitance and self-awareness. He envisions the women trading remarks, not about his riches and achievements but instead on the “bald spot in the middle of [his] hair” and “how his arms and legs are thin” (40,44). Another illustration of Prufrock's reluctance is the point at which he says, “I have measured out my life in coffee spoons” since he is so worried about others' opinion about him that he should ensure that everything is impeccable, even the littlest and most silly subtleties (51). Prufrock's absence of self-assurance drives him to say that he “[does] not think that [mermaids] will sing to him' (125). He is not discussing mermaids singing here yet rather about ladies bantering. He does not get himself sufficiently commendable to be a subject of discussion among the woman he feels an appreciation for. This deadening hesitance is awful to the point that it really 'incapacitates' Prufrock to the degree that he cannot take an action on the lady he is continually alluding to.

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Prufrock's dread of dismissal makes him never really finish asking the lady his ‘staggering’ question. Right all along, T.S. Eliot suggests the scriptural entry from Ecclesiastes named 'Man Cannot Hit on the Right Time to Act' by having Prufrock more than once say “there will be time” (26). This section is ordinarily read at burial services since it is ameliorating and consoling. This reference could be pointing to the way that Prufrock's manliness is dead since he does not show the ordinary associate and confident male characteristics and subsequently taking a stab at a relationship is bound to fall flat. Prufrock rehashes this expression to himself on numerous occasions to promise himself that there will be a period later on to pose the woman his inquiry. Be that as it may, thusly, Prufrock is just putting it off and lingering since he fears how the lady may respond after he faces his sentiments towards her. Towards the finish of the poetry, as Prufrock is remembering, he says, “Would it all 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” (101-103). Here Prufrock questions if his numerous endeavors to court and grab this current lady's eye would be worthwhile if, eventually, she dismisses him. This also goes to demonstrate that Prufrock has a dread of getting rejected and that is the reason it is subliminally unimaginable for him to put himself in the face of humiliation from the women.

The last explanation that can be credited to Prufrock's disappointment with the woman is his unconscious dread of outcomes. This explanation may not be quite as much clear as the initial two yet when Prufrock says, “Do I dare disturb the universe?”, he stresses over what the more prominent result of a relationship would mean so he could discover a pardon to put it on hold (45-46). In the line just after this, Prufrock proceeds to say that “In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse”, which demonstrates that his paranoia of managing the potential results of his activities is incredible to such an extent that he thinks that it’s important to re-examine them to where they will be insignificant or non-existent (47-48). However, potentially the most captivating piece of the poetry is the moment at which he references Shakespeare by saying, “I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was I meant to be; Am an attendant lord...start a scene or two...an easy tool...almost, at times, the Fool” (111-119). This verse fills in as maybe the most grounded proof to this contention because here Prufrock is level out saying that he approves of being a minor character or even a jester since he does not need curiosity to be concerning him. The repercussions of a stupid slip-up are negligible because, as the foolish one, he is required to commit errors. Prufrock basically cannot deal with the obligation because “in short, [he is] afraid”, scared of making a blunder and managing the outcomes (86).

All in all, Prufrock's endeavor with the lady will undoubtedly come up short from the start of the sonnet since his deadening reluctance and fears of dismissal and outcome made it unthinkable for him to gain any headway. Every one of these various reasons was Prufrock's psyche attempting to tell him that he does not need a relationship with this woman because subliminally he does not need it to work. Albeit the sonnet closes on a dismal note, T.S. Eliot needs the reader to identify with Prufrock and comprehend that everything in life occurs for an explanation by gaining from the mix-ups he makes. Truly, everybody encounters disappointment in the course of their life notwithstanding if it is regarding romanticism or not.

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Character Analysis of J. Alfred Prufrock in T.S.Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’. (2022, December 15). Edubirdie. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/character-analysis-of-j-alfred-prufrock-in-t-s-eliots-the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock/
“Character Analysis of J. Alfred Prufrock in T.S.Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’.” Edubirdie, 15 Dec. 2022, edubirdie.com/examples/character-analysis-of-j-alfred-prufrock-in-t-s-eliots-the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock/
Character Analysis of J. Alfred Prufrock in T.S.Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’. [online]. Available at: <https://edubirdie.com/examples/character-analysis-of-j-alfred-prufrock-in-t-s-eliots-the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock/> [Accessed 24 Apr. 2024].
Character Analysis of J. Alfred Prufrock in T.S.Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ [Internet]. Edubirdie. 2022 Dec 15 [cited 2024 Apr 24]. Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/character-analysis-of-j-alfred-prufrock-in-t-s-eliots-the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock/
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