Contradictions In The Life Of Wilfred Prufrock

As the poem goes on, a question is continuously brought up but never proclaimed. As a result of Prufrock’s self-consciousness, he contradicts the expectations of typical male behaviour and does not ask the question. Eliot suggests that Prufrock’s inability to make decisions and his insecurities prevent him from being social and leave him in a state of isolation. Additionally, time is repeated throughout the poem. Prufrock states “[t]here will be time” (32) to ask the “overwhelming question” (16). In contradiction, there are more chances for “a hundred indecisions/ [a]nd for a hundred visions and revisions” (38-39). Time puts pressure on Prufrock and raises his level of self-consciousness. These insecurities restrain him from asking the unknown
question and demonstrate the downfall of modern masculinity. Prufrock is no “Michelangelo” (20) and does not have the determination and intellect of a traditional male. Although Prufrock’s claim that this question could change the universe initially seems like a hyperbole, to Prufrock, the question could alter his life and this possibility frightens him. Prufrock uses his indecisiveness and self-consciousness as a shield from the possible outcomes that could happen as a result of asking the question and this paranoia prevents him from accomplishing his true intentions for going to the party