He choppily describes his life, revealing that he is an unimportant man, someone small. He has "seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker." A footman is a servant, but because of the word "eternal," as well as the capitalization of "Footman," Prufrock implies that even Jesus, the Servant of man, finds his petty life without meaning (85). Prufrock admits that he has "measured out my life with coffee spoons," implying that in his small world, tea parties are his only sort of entertainment (53). He recognizes that his "days and ways" are only "butt-ends," like wasted cigarettes (60). As he describes how he sees himself-and how he thinks others see him-he succinctly sums up his feelings towards self-revelation, "nd in short, I was afraid" (86).Īdmittedly, Eliot's vivid imagery reveals that Prufrock's life is not a heroic epic. The women "come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo" (13-14 35-36), and miss Prufrock's moment of greatness, which was, sadly, only a "flicker" (84). He wonders if he will dare "disturb the universe" and show his true self, but twice a brisk couplet slices his monologues (47). His self-focus is pathetically ironic because he is mostly unnoticed by the ladies at the tea party. He fears that the ladies will mock his thin hair (symbolizing an unimpressive mind) and his thin arms and legs (symbolizing an unimpressive body). The introspective Prufrock is afraid of being exposed at the tea party because he does not see himself as a worthwhile individual. He is certain that the ladies will not care about "the butt-ends of my days and ways," fearing that when he shares part of himself with another, she will be uninterested in his life (60). He wants to sound important, but what will he say if a lady expects him to talk about himself? Any revelation about him could bring indifferent rejection. No master of small talk, he repeatedly wonders how-and why-he should begin to talk about his unexciting life (54, 60, 61, 68, 69). Prufrock's characterization explains his fear that his true self will be revealed to the ladies at the tea party he is about to attend. Montefeltro will conditionally answer the question, "Who are you?," but to this "overwhelming question," Prufrock will only snap, "do not ask, 'What is it?'" (11-12). Guido da Montefeltro, a corrupt Franciscan, identifies himself to Dante, basing his self-revelation on confidence that no one else will discover his identity. The epigraph alluded to from Dante's Inferno is a response to the question, "Who are you?" This question is a major theme of the poem.
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