Universal Insecurity

Dare I eat a peach? Dare I take a shot? Will he think I’m pretty? Will she think I’m hot?

T.S. Elliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” masterfully describes the anguished and meandering thoughts of a frustrated middle-aged man at a party. Although the description of the party, the setting, and the conversational context are all very much specific to the early twentieth century, Prufrock’s love song still retains a relevant universal appeal one hundred years later.

The alienation of man is one of the benchmarks of modernism, and Prufrock’s plight perfectly sums up all the fears and insecurities of an average man at a party. Prufrock, with all of his indecision, insecurity, fear, embarrassment, emasculation and sexual frustration has become a central figure of modernist alienation. “Do I dare?” Prufrock asks, again and again. Do I dare? He is indecisive and meek. “In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo.” They talk of Michelangelo, but they do not talk of Prufrock. These women do not even know he exists, and if they do know he exists they will certainly only comment: “how his hair is growing thin!” or “how his arms and legs are thin!” Prufrock is self-defacing and pathetic, and yet the reader cannot help but identify with him.

Prufrock’s insecurities resonate with the reader because we have all, to some extent, occupied a similar position. Who can honestly say that they have never felt self-conscious in a social situation? Who can say that they have never felt out of place? Most importantly, is there any one who can, with total unbridled confidence, easily approach an attractive member of the opposite sex without feeling the least bit nervous? “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” in all of its meandering randomness, perfectly captures the insecurities inherent to a modern social life. Our post-modern society has not eliminated these insecurities, in fact, in our quest for constant social connection, we have probably compounded upon these feelings of isolation. Imagine Prufrock today: Do I dare send her a friend request? Do I dare? Do I dare?

Prufrock’s sexual frustration and social anxiety evolve into broader anxiety surrounding art and life in general. This sets the stage for some of Elliot’s later works, most notably the Waste Land. Elliot’s frustration with art, poetry and the concept of articulation become apparent in the latter half of the poem. “It is impossible to say just what I mean!” Articulation of life, which the poet strives for, is impossible, at least according to Prufrock. It is interesting that Elliot chooses Prufrock, a non-poet, as the poems narrator. This suggests that these feelings of insignificance are not unique to artists, but rather to any educated modern man. By the end of the poem Prufrock, and Elliot, conclude that any fantastic vision of art will inevitably fall short. “Till human voices wake us, and we drown.” It seems that Prufrock serves two purposes. First, it is a reality check to the unbridled lyrical optimism of the Romantic period. Second, it is a call to action for modernists. Together, these two motives perfectly segue into Elliot’s masterpiece “The Wasteland.”