Prufrock: a Homosexual in Hiding
Shawn Ware
Prufrock: A Homosexual in Hiding
T.S Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a dramatic monologue in which the speaker of the poem, Prufrock, takes the reader on a journey into his inner psyche. Many literary and poetic experts have studied and dissected the persona that is Prufrock to help show the complexities that compose him. But how does one begin to shed light on this mysterious man? Before actually delving into the words spoken by Prufrock, it is beneficial to take a look at the author of the poem, T.S. Eliot, as well as the epigraph Eliot quotes at the preface of his poem. By understanding every aspect of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” from the author and the use of allusions and themes within his writings, to the epigraph, to the actual poem, one can see the entire portrait of the man that is Prufrock: a man struggling with homosexuality.
Eliot undoubtedly is one of the greatest and most complex poets of our time. As stated by Donald Fryxell, all of Eliot’s poems are complex, never simple: oftentimes, they are concentrated pieces of intellectual and emotional conflicts that are written either as dramatic monologues, like “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” or dramatic lyrics (33-34). Eliot’s poems are complex because he extensively uses allusions to deal with complex emotions and ideas. The use, and sometimes even overuse, of these allusions make deciphering the meaning of his poems like solving a “literary crossword puzzle” (Fryxell 34). As James Knapp points out, even Eliot himself justified the use of such allusions by stating; “a poet must become more and more comprehensive, more allusive, more indirect, in order to force, to dislocate, if necessary, language into his poem” (Eliot qtd by Knapp 6). With this being said, when reading Eliot’s poetry, one must keep these ideas in mind and remember, never take anything at face value. If something seems simple, it probably is not.
Keeping in mind when decoding Eliot’s
Prufrock: A Homosexual in Hiding
T.S Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a dramatic monologue in which the speaker of the poem, Prufrock, takes the reader on a journey into his inner psyche. Many literary and poetic experts have studied and dissected the persona that is Prufrock to help show the complexities that compose him. But how does one begin to shed light on this mysterious man? Before actually delving into the words spoken by Prufrock, it is beneficial to take a look at the author of the poem, T.S. Eliot, as well as the epigraph Eliot quotes at the preface of his poem. By understanding every aspect of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” from the author and the use of allusions and themes within his writings, to the epigraph, to the actual poem, one can see the entire portrait of the man that is Prufrock: a man struggling with homosexuality.
Eliot undoubtedly is one of the greatest and most complex poets of our time. As stated by Donald Fryxell, all of Eliot’s poems are complex, never simple: oftentimes, they are concentrated pieces of intellectual and emotional conflicts that are written either as dramatic monologues, like “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” or dramatic lyrics (33-34). Eliot’s poems are complex because he extensively uses allusions to deal with complex emotions and ideas. The use, and sometimes even overuse, of these allusions make deciphering the meaning of his poems like solving a “literary crossword puzzle” (Fryxell 34). As James Knapp points out, even Eliot himself justified the use of such allusions by stating; “a poet must become more and more comprehensive, more allusive, more indirect, in order to force, to dislocate, if necessary, language into his poem” (Eliot qtd by Knapp 6). With this being said, when reading Eliot’s poetry, one must keep these ideas in mind and remember, never take anything at face value. If something seems simple, it probably is not.
Keeping in mind when decoding Eliot’s