He even made it seem like he fantasized about his mother, which the tightly woven society of the early 1900s did not accept at all. Society viewed anything that contained dirty thoughts or innuendo as improper and pornographic. Overall, Proust wrote his story because he wanted to show that he existed, not because he needed tobe? something that was fictitious albeit acceptable. .
Eliot wroteThe Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock? in a very non-standard way. The regimented society of the early 20th century loved structure and form. Eliot on the other hand wrote this work in almost no real form at all. There exists little rhyme, and absolutely no structure. Eliot included some repetition for emphasis, but the structure of the sonnets of the time was hardly present. This new way of writing poetry opened up doors for many poets who felt constricted by their rules and structured lines. For the first time, poetry did not have to be aesthetically pleasing. .
Much like Proust, Eliot'sLove Song of J. Alfred Prufrock? dealt with a very withdrawn character. Prufrock was the total opposite of the pre-conceived notion of the classic hero, and he actually embodies quite a weak-spirited character. His surroundings broke his fragile will, and he missed out on all the good things in life. This again shows a deviation from the norm, because all heroes up to that point were strong, intelligent, brave, respectable, and experienced. Prufrock is almost an anti-hero in the sense that he never even gets to have a woman at the end. In addition his fears overwhelm him: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). Prufrock's fear stems from this terror related to death as well as the fear that before death, he did not live up to his heroic potential. The idea that the mermaids will not sing to him depresses the reader to the point of feeling sorry for Prufrock.
