Anaylisis of J. Edgar Prufrock
In this poem, T.S. Eliot shows the character, J. Alfred Prufrock, as someone who second guesses all of his decisions and is afraid to change because of his fear of being judged by other people.
And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
This paragraph is where Prufrock first shows his fear of changing himself and how he second guesses his decisions. This is shown when Prufrock repeatedly asks “Do I dare” throughout this paragraph. In the beginning, he is asking if he dares to “turn back and decent the stair”, highlighting his embarrassment about being with other people. He doesn’t know whether It is worth it to go back because he is afraid of judgement. Later in the paragraph, he says “Do I dare disturb the universe”. This shows how afraid of change he is. Throughout the poem, he is obviously unhappy with his life, but he is so afraid of changing and that it might “DIsturb the universe” that he just decides not to do anything to better himself. The lines in parentheses show how Prufrock second guesses his decisions. The lines in parentheses are what Prufrock thinks that people will say about him and judge him about. He talks about how he thinks he looks good “My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin.” As soon as he says this, he follows it with, “(They will say: ‘But how his arms are growing thin’)”. This sudden change in tone demonstrates how he second guesses everything he does. Even when he feels happy about what he
And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
This paragraph is where Prufrock first shows his fear of changing himself and how he second guesses his decisions. This is shown when Prufrock repeatedly asks “Do I dare” throughout this paragraph. In the beginning, he is asking if he dares to “turn back and decent the stair”, highlighting his embarrassment about being with other people. He doesn’t know whether It is worth it to go back because he is afraid of judgement. Later in the paragraph, he says “Do I dare disturb the universe”. This shows how afraid of change he is. Throughout the poem, he is obviously unhappy with his life, but he is so afraid of changing and that it might “DIsturb the universe” that he just decides not to do anything to better himself. The lines in parentheses show how Prufrock second guesses his decisions. The lines in parentheses are what Prufrock thinks that people will say about him and judge him about. He talks about how he thinks he looks good “My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin.” As soon as he says this, he follows it with, “(They will say: ‘But how his arms are growing thin’)”. This sudden change in tone demonstrates how he second guesses everything he does. Even when he feels happy about what he