Perhaps the biggest elucidation would be the plot of Prufrock itself. The speaker of the poem is a balding man who it seems cannot find love no matter how hard he tries. As he grows older, his chances become slimmer due to physical unattractiveness which is at odds with the preconceived notion of physical beauty that his community holds when courting. He lives with the knowledge that the women he seeks will say things about him like “'but how his arms and legs are thin'” (678)! Controversially, Prufrock also lets the women he sees blend together into a singular being in the respect that he has “known their eyes already, known them all” (679). Here the speaker is pointing out how all of the women have the same values in a man, and that they are in a way all the same, and thus almost gives up by not knowing how to “presume” due to the repetitive nature of the females in his world. However, eventually, later in the poem he seems to succumb to the situation by deciding that the proper way to handle his age is to take up the latest fashion, wearing the “bottoms of [his] trousers rolled” (680). Even though he still seems dejected and maintains that he will probably never find a woman, he trudges onward and carries on with his quest to attain love. This interpretation of the ending helps us see the conformity that is imposed upon a person who is for the entirety of their monologue and objector to the statues queue. He goes along with the concepts he hates only because he it seems to be the only means to his end. As such, much of his dialog can bee seen as a commentary of the social standards one has to go though for even the most minuscule prospect of love.
One way Eliot illustrates his social qualms is with the many historical references he makes, one of the most noteworthy being “In the room the women come and go talking of Michelangelo” (678). We can imagine that he is talking of perhaps the most famous Michelangelo who created the Sistine Chapel, reputed to be on of the greatest artists of all time. For approximately a hundred years now there have been rumors and evidence circulating claiming that he was a homosexual, this timeline would of course put the start of the rumors within the same time period that Eliot was writing this composition (Alberge). Homosexuality was something of a taboo practice in the early 20th century; it can be assumed that one of the most noteworthy people of all time possibly partaking in same sex relations would be the hot button for gossip. With rumors, there is no need for truth in the matter, only that people are willing to spread it to others who will do so in kind. So when a critical question is posed in the poem we “make our visit” to the place where women talk “of Michelangelo” (678). It would seem as if the speaker is saying that we as a society put the most stock in the gossip of a sewing circle, rather than focusing on what is actually important in the bigger picture. His connotations to rumors are supplemented by those of other literary classics.
Elliot makes numerous allusions to other great works including, but not limited to, Hamlet, The Bible, and Dante’s Inferno. The sheer number of references he makes is a testament to his poetic style, and simultaneously turns the poem itself into something of a social commentary in that only the learned people of the world could read and understand it. Perhaps this was intentionally done to help drive people into become more scholarly, and have a greater appreciation for the various forms of the written word. It has been suggested that he intentionally made his poetry so complex in order to pull in the reader and make them “involved” (Brooker). Is there any doubt that today almost a hundred years later, in the U.S.A, our educational system seems to be in at least quasi dire straights? Moreover, this idea can be further expounded upon when the connection is made that out of all the works both the editors Schilb/Clifford and I could not find a single one which was spawned from the mind of an American. This development helps show his lack of respect for American Literature which was riddled with Romanticism during his time period. In fact he was often noted to “[react] against Romanticism” (Brooker). Perhaps the numerous allusions he makes are in a sense a challenge to the contemporary writers of the era to change their style and become noteworthy enough to be made reference to in a literary work.
Arguably, the most interesting reference in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is made in the very beginning of the poem; it is a selection written in its original Italian from Dante's Inferno. This epic poem is but the fist in a three part masterpiece which chronicles a man’s trip though the various settings of the after life (Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven); the Inferno corresponding to Hell. After translation we find that the excerpt is that of a person in Hell telling Dante that no one returns from Abaddon (Eliot 677). The primary purpose for this opening line would seem to be to tell us as readers that we are already in the fiery pits even if we may not know it. But what is this Hades which Eliot wishes us to see and realize we are in? The rest of the poem would is centered on the social scene of the era with lines like “I have measure out my life with coffee spoons” (678). It is not unfathomable that Eliot might be saying that the communal environment of the time is very much like the dankest of abysses.
Yet another connection occurs in stanzas 5 and 7 in which Eliot some what mimics the biblical poem Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 by repeating the phrase “There will be time” and a pattern of listing two opposing acts such as “plant” and “uproot.” Following the allusion are various metropolitan aspects such as “yellow smoke” (smog) and “taking of toast and tea” (678). Here it is almost as if he is attempting to show us how venerated such facets of life have become, by comparing them in a biblical sense. Furthermore, he goes on to in the same list tell us of time to “murder,” an act which helps bring forth the darker connotation he seems to be going for. As it stands both these stanzas seem to cast light onto some of the “evil” areas of modern life (Brooker).
T.S. Eliot's style and life experiences give credence to the conclusion that “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a social commentary. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” was the culmination of the first portion of his career, and was only preceded by a few poems titled respectively "Portrait of a Lady," "Preludes," and "Rhapsody on a Windy Night.” All four of these poems set themes that Elliot would revisit “time and time again.” This concept should be taken into account when we consider his land mark work, known as “The Wasteland” in which he “diagnosed” the troubles not only of his epoch, but of “Western Civilization” as well. His time spent as a literary critic is also quite telling as so many of his essays included “social and religious criticism.” His other works show that he has something of a predisposition for societal appraisal; it would stand to reason then that Prufrock could be thought of as a stepping stone to the greater annotations of his later career (Brooker).
T.S. Elliot has riddled this piece with social commentary galore. He has masterfully woven in many differing views on the way things were accomplished in the world then, and has managed to keep it applicable for today’s world almost a hundred years later. His primary overtone being that of reforming the dating system, we find him even going so far as to compare the dating pool to a circle of Hell. Some of his undertones use historical and biblical connections to show our dependency on rumors and ritual. He even, in a very round about way, goes so far as to make the assumption that American literature is not worthy, and that our educational system is in adequate. The surface of the brimming pot of social commentary has only been scratched, but even soaking in at this level leads me to believe that this is no mere souls lamentation of loneliness.
Works Cited
Alberge, Dalya. "Michelangelo was not gay, says scholar." The Times (London, England) (Feb 22, 1999): 8. InfoTrac Custom Newspapers. Gale. Cerro Coso Community College. 20 Nov. 2008 .
Brooker, Jewel Spears. Dictionary of Literary Biography Volume 329. Literature Resource Center. Gale. 2007. 18 Nov. 2008. Cerro Coso Community College.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, New International Version. BibleGateway.com. 2008. 18 Nov. 2008
Eliot, T.S.. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Making Arguments About Literature. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2005. 677-680.
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