When I first looked at the title I was expecting of course another poem speaking of the great wonders of love but I was completely wrong. This poem takes a completely different route; a route that tells the story of those who suffer from the curse of wanting love but always being afraid of rejection and the pain that love will bring. It is well known from the very beginning that J. Alfred Prufrock loves women just by the way he describes the women around him as they "come and go/Talking of Michelangelo" (L 13-14) As they come he admires and as they leave he admires making sure never to approach them no matter how much he wishes he could. As that wish becomes desire the truth behind this poem begins to unravel. Why is it that J. Alfred Prufrock cannot find the words to say or find the courage to talk to at least one woman that catches his eye? The reason is of course the fear of rejection and being mocked as he gives his heart the opportunity to open up and really feel. As the poem continues we come to see that this fear and feeling of being inadequate is haunting Prufrock and has become a cycle that no matter how hard he tries to break free from he just can’t. He can wish and desire to have a woman to love but this dark cycle like the dark lonely streets he describes shall forever consume him and be his life.
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