Fearful Prufrock

I’m no poet, so when I read Eliot’s, The Love Song of J. Alfred PrufrockI, I was a bit confused. This poem is told from the perspective of Prufrock himself rather than that of Eliot. Prufrock can be a scatter-brained type of individual who jumps from one topic to the next. He even mentions this in the poem itself.

“Is it the perfume from a dress

That makes me so digress?” (1578).

He was easily distracted by the woman’s perfume, which made his mind wander. Since Prufrock does jump around a bit in the poem, it can be difficult to follow. There are also many references to other pieces of literature in this poem such as Hamlet and To His Coy Mistress. So there are things that you would not understand the referencing to unless you also had read those other pieces of literature.

However, after reading some other thoughts about this poem, I gleaned some insight into what Prufrock was dealing with and trying to convey. We know that this story is about a lover, since that is what the title of the poem is about, but the question is, what is Prufrock trying to say about this lover?

The main themes I see running throughout this poem are Prufrock’s fear of judgment, his fear of taking risks, and his belief that there is still a lot of time before he has to say what is on his mind. The first instance of Prufrock’s fear of judgment is really brought forth when he starts talking about his appearance. Line 40 says,

“With a bald spot in the middle of my hair –

(The will say: ‘How his hair is growing thin!’)” (1578).

This shows Prufrock’s fear of being judged, and because he has that fear, it deters him from talking to this lover of his. He doesn’t know what people think of him and he already has a certain role in society, that to try and act out of that role, would be a major risk.

It seems like for a majority of the poem, Prufrock is going back and forth about this big decision he is trying to make. He tries to speculate about the repercussions his decision would make and how it would affect his life now. He’s deciding whether or not he is willing to take that risk. He is also afraid he will not be well received by his lover in which he is sharing the news with.

“And would it have been worth it, after all,

Would it have been worth while,

After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,

After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail

along the floor –

And this, and so much more? –

It is impossible to say just what I mean!

But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:

Would it have been worth while

If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,

And turning toward the window, should say:

‘That is not it at all,

That is not what I meant, at all.’” (1579).

He ponders to himself, “Would it be worth it, after all.” What is at stake for him? His pride? His status? His reputation? And then he wonders why he can’t just say what he means. There is this constant pull inside him between two opposing directions. He then also has the fear of being misunderstood by his lover or his misunderstanding of her. The last two lines of the above stanza show that fear.

He also keeps bringing up time. He keeps reminding himself, “There will be time.” But when will the time ever be here if he keeps putting off today what he can do tomorrow. He is not only bound by fear of judgment and risk, but he is also bound by time. He uses time as his excuse for not stepping up to the plate. He is cowardly. And in his cowardice, we discover that the poem is actually more about Prufrock himself than it is about his lover.

This poem got me to think about my own life. It got me to think about risk, and chance, and taking opportunities. Prufrock cowers in fear of others and is scared of the risk involved, but if there is no risk, where is the adventure in life? That is what Prufrock is missing out on. He can’t overcome the minor pain of fear, in hopes of the great joy or pleasure he could experience if he let go of his apprehensions.

This reminds me that I need not live in worry or fear. God created me to be fearful of Him, and Him alone. I should not fear man, for I am not a slave to man. I don’t know about you, but I know that at times I may not say or do something out of fear for what others may think or say. There is definitely a time for silence, but there is also a time to speak. If we always remain silent, we could be missing out on the plan God has for our lives. I’m not saying what Prufrock wanted to say was what God wanted him to say. Honestly, maybe it was better he didn’t share it. But there is definitely a difference between not saying something because you don’t feel it should be said, and not saying something out of fear.

So I’d like to leave you with this thought…what are you afraid of? And is that fear holding you back from something great God could have planned for your life?