Love Song of J. Alfred Prufroc

The Love Song of J, Alfred Prufrock T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock depicts the thoughts of a modern, urban man who is trying to express his feelings to a woman, but feels trapped due to his fear of being disgrace in society. Two methods that Eliot uses to convey this theme are through his use of repetition and his sporadic rhyming style. Contrary to what the title implies, The …

…Prufrock is afraid of upsetting the balance. For many readers, Prufrock seems to epitomize the frustration and importance of the modern individual. He seems to represent thwarted desires and modern disillusionment. Such phrases as, “I have measured out my life in coffee spoons” ( Line 50 ) capture the sense of the unheroic nature of life in the twentieth century. Prufrock’s weaknesses could be mocked, but he is a pathetic figure, not grand enough to be tragic.