Analytical Essay-Misty-The Love Song

Misty

The Love Song

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T.S. Eliot is a story about a man, whose life is in chaos and he just can’t seem to get out of it and hit resolution. The man in this poem is afraid to take a risk. He let’s fear take over him, for example he wonders “Do I dare? And do I dare? Time to turn back and descend the stair…” (Line 38). This man wants to fall in love, he wants to love and be loved, but since he let’s fear take over, his life remains in chaos and he remains alone.

This man seems distant from the world. He belongs to a high society of people, for example, “For I have known them all already, known them all- Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons” (Line 49 & 50), but since he tires of it all, and he feels left out, like he’s out of place, as though they are judging him, examing him, for example “Arms that lie along a table or wrap about a shawl.” (Line 67). That creates chaos in his life because he doesn’t want to be alone, he wants to be wanted but then the doubt comes back into his head and fear takes over “And should I then presume?, and how should I begin?”(Line 68 & 69). If he decided to go and talk to people around him, he’s afraid that he won’t have nothing to talk to them about or how to approach them.

This man is afraid to say what he thinks. He again let’s the fear take over, he won’t talk to a person or have a conversation with anyone, because he’s afraid they won’t like what he has to say, or just won’t think he’s interesting. So he just stands alone in the back, watching everyone. So he remains quiet and let’s his fear and chaos into his life once more, for example “To say: I am Lazarus, come from the dead, come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all-…” (Line 94-95) and “And this, and so much more? - it is impossible to say just what I mean!!” (Line 103-104). He’s afraid of what others will say, if he only said what was on his mind, if he introduced himself, but he is very much afraid of society and what they might say, to take the risk, afraid of wasting time. So he keeps to himself, and chaos is still in his world. So in the end, this man will never hit resolution. His life will be stuck in chaos, unless he is willing to come out of his shell, stop thinking before he acts and just live life, unless he ever wants to fall in love so badly he just goes for it.

But at the end of the poem, he realizes this all, but still does not do it, so in the end, he still remains in chaos, for example “I grow old…I grow old… I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled” (Line 120-121) and “I shall wear white flannel trousers and walk upon the beach, I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each…-I do not think they will sing to me.” (Line123-125). He realizes that he has made many wrong discussions in his life, which he was too afraid to do anything, but he thinks it’s too late for him and he winds up alone. He ends up on the beach thinking of his life, how he remains alone, away from the world, his life remains in chaos because of his fear to take any risks, so he remain alone and unloved.