My interpretation of J. Alfred Prufrock is that the character is just getting back into the dating game. Whether he is a widower, newly divorced, or just gave up for a while and has finally decided to try to start dating again is never divulged. However the character finds himself going to a bar. The entirety of the story shows the man being nervous. He worries that he will have anything in common with the ladies, who the odds are good will be younger. That he will be able to even converse with them, due to the fact that they are probably interested in things he is not, such as the artist Michelangelo. His nervous fears get stronger as he gets closer. His fears manifesting with low self esteem to bash himself. Fearing people would laugh at his physical appearances such as his bald spot. In an attempt to ease his nerves the man visualizes what it would be like to have a woman in his life, ultimately deciding to continue on with his planned evening.
I agree that in this poem the main character is very nervous, but I believe that his nervousness is derived from the internal suppression of being afraid. He relies on time as an excuse to continuely talk himself out of going after what he desires. Time is his coping mechanism for his dream of a reality. I also agree that the character relies on physical attractivness as another cop-out. He uses physical attractivness as an excuse and as another reason to not fulfill his true ambitions.
ReplyDelete