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Alfred Prufrock Allusion

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“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” introduces an aging man’s paralyzing and disturbing outlook on life. T.S. Eliot presents Prufrock, a character who, due to extreme indecisiveness, insecurity over his appearance, and fear of socializing, develops into a stagnant character with little hope for progress; he is paralyzed by an extreme case of self-consciousness, causing him to expect the worst and question his every decision. Although he begins by introducing an “overwhelming question”, he gradually digresses to the point where this question is no longer relevant. His insecurity is demonstrated through the weary and frantic questioning of “how should I presume?” and “should I begin?”, as he doubts his ability to socialize with others, particularly women. Prufrock’s relationship with women, spoiled by detachment and fear, is the source of his crippling insecurity, anxiety, and distress, which limits his ability to socialize and further isolates him from the world beyond his torturous mind.
Alfred Prufrock’s generalizes all women into having malignant, overcritical intentions, leading him to develop …show more content…

He starts by clearing up that he is “not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be,” clarifying that he is not destined to be a main character. For the first time in the poem, he notes that he is not a hero and his life has ordinary meaning. He goes on to say he is merely an “attendant lord”, referencing Polonius, a minor character in the play. Prufrock is content with being a minor character as he does not want attention to be drawn to him, and his presumed mistakes will not be as closely scrutinized. With this comparison to Polonius, he is honestly assessing himself and his flaws, admitting he is “obtuse”, “ridiculous”, and sometimes “the Fool”. The allusion describes himself honestly and he finally admits to being ridiculous in his paranoid

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