Explication Of “The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock

Throughout the poem, Eliot uses metaphors to describe Prufrock’s fears and desires. T.S. Eliot used the term objective correlative to describe the projection of tone onto inanimate objects. He begins the poem by describing the evening as, “spread out against the sky/ Like a patient etherized upon a table.” This simile indicates the numbness and immobility that Prufrock is experiencing and shows how he projects his self-pity onto things around him

Prufrock then asks the reader to accompany him through a dirty, desolate, and lonely city. Describing, “Streets that follow like a tedious argument/ Of insidious intent” Prufrock reveals the extent of his depression, which is so intense that even walking

To have squeezed the universe into a ball

He claims, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” showing how prevalent and pointless social events have been in his life. Describing the scrutiny and judgments of his peers, he compares himself to a scientific specimen as insignificant as an insect: “when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, when I am pinned and wriggling on the wall.” He wonders how he can possibly have a meaningful conversation under these circumstances and begins to fantasize about the women he wishes he could talk to. The scenario causes him to withdraw and tell himself, “I should have been a pair of ragged claws, / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.” Crabs move sideways rather than forward. Like a crab, Prufrock is a solitary and cowardly creature, never moving forward towards his goal.

He compares himself to John the Baptist, describing his own head being “brought in upon a platter,” or rejected. He continues the self-deprecation by explaining that despite his efforts, “I am no prophet—and here’s no great matter.” It is interesting that John the Baptist’s beheading was ordered by a woman. The poem focuses on Prufrock’s desire and inability to initiate a relationship with a woman. His greatest fear is rejection, thus women cause his hellish lifestyle.

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a painfully funny and tragic story of a man who is too overwhelmed with his own insecurities to function in a relationship. Eliot uses metaphor and imagery to show Prufrock’s desires and allusions to illustrate his fears. Confronting the woman or women that he wants to woo would be impossible. Rather than taking direct action, he is always analyzing the situation and convincing himself that any attempts would be futile. The poem, Prufrock’s fantasy, shows how disappointing life and even his dreams turn out to be.

To have bitten off the matter with a smile,

He wonders, “Do I dare to eat a peach?” The peach is an extremel

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